Academic Training2024-08-21T17:05:32+00:00

Investigation Pathway

Fellows on the Investigation Pathway aim to pursue careers as physician investigators, advancing the field of nephrology through research, from Basic Science, to Translational and Clinical Science. Some fellows on the Investigation Pathway enter the program with an area of research or even a project in mind while others identify their research focus from a formative clinical experience during the first year. By winter of the first year, fellows have had ample opportunity to meet with faculty to discuss their interests and choose a mentor whose scientific and career guidance will help them launch their promising academic career.

During their second and third years, fellows on the Investigation Pathway conduct original research under the mentorship of a faculty member at BWH, MGH or one of our affiliated institutes. As part of the research years, fellows participate in didactics and other formal opportunities to learn research techniques and methods and develop the skills they will need for success as an investigator. Fellows are expected to write grants early in the second year, a valuable experience that requires them to develop expertise in their area of investigation, construct the case for their project’s scientific merit, and learn the art of grant writing and grantsmanship under the tutelage of their scientific mentor. Fellow research years are supported by a combination of institutional grants and funds as well as individual fellowship grants to fellows. Our fellows have been remarkably successful in obtaining individual fellowship grants from the NIH (F32), the VA, from foundations such as the American Society of Nephrology, American Heart Association, American Kidney Fund and American Society of Transplantation, and from industry. During their research years, fellows are supported to attend ASN Kidney Week, an invaluable opportunity to learn from their peers and others in their chosen space, network, and of course compete in the FIT Bowl!

Fourth Year

An optional fourth year of fellowship training is available depending on the fellow’s interests, training needs, and career goals. Fourth year of fellowship can include additional clinical training (for example, transplant or interventional nephrology fellowship) or allow more time to publish their work and enhance their candidacy for, and write, a career development grant. Fourth year of training is funded through an individual fellowship grant (e.g. NIH-F32, AKF, ASN, AHA, AST) or through bridge funding provided by the respective renal division where the fellow will be joining the faculty. Many fellows extend their fellowship time beyond 3 years to pursue additional training or devote more time to research in preparation for joining our faculty or the faculty of other medical schools.

Areas of Investigation

Basic and Translational Science

Opportunities for basic and translational science research abound. Fellows can choose to work with faculty at either the BWH or MGH renal divisions or with affiliated institutions such as Children’s Hospital Boston, the Broad Institute, the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, the MIT Institute for Medical Engineering and Science, as well as faculty throughout Harvard and MIT. Fellows pursuing basic or translational science participate in division-sponsored summer programs to learn the techniques employed in basic and translational research such as ELISA, Western Blot, PCR, and working with animals. They also often attend the Models of Disease Boot Camp  sponsored by the Harvard Catalyst geared toward fellows embarking on their basic and translational science research years and the Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory Origins of Renal Physiology Course. Fellows also attend and present at division basic science research conferences, learning from other investigators and benefiting from the peer mentorship and support of other trainees.

Research Areas

AKI and Kidney Regenerative Medicine2020-07-24T13:36:05+00:00
Anemia and Iron Metabolism2020-07-13T18:40:01+00:00
Biomarkers2020-07-20T16:24:53+00:00
Biomedical Engineering2020-07-13T20:03:49+00:00
Diabetic Nephropathy2020-07-13T20:05:07+00:00
Genetics, Genomics, and PKD2020-07-27T14:03:16+00:00
Immunology2020-07-27T14:04:16+00:00
Inflammation and Fibrosis2020-07-24T13:37:08+00:00
Kidney Metabolomics and Proteomics2020-07-13T20:41:14+00:00
Membrane Biology2020-07-13T20:43:42+00:00
Mineral Metabolism2020-07-13T20:47:43+00:00
Podocyte Biology2020-07-13T20:49:06+00:00
Renal Physiology and Ion Channels2020-07-13T20:50:37+00:00
Structural Biology2020-07-13T20:52:44+00:00

Clinical Science and Epidemiology

Nearly every possible area of clinical research is represented across our institutions, with opportunities to work with mentors at BWH, MGH, the VA, Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health (HSPH), data scientists at MIT, and beyond. Fellows pursuing clinical science learn biostatistics and epidemiologic methods and other skills required to pursue clinical research. In addition to regular meetings with their mentor, fellows participate in laboratory meetings and division clinical research conferences where they present their work and learn from faculty and peers in a collaborative and supportive environment.

Research Areas

AKI and ICU Nephrology2020-07-13T20:59:10+00:00
CKD and Dialysis2020-07-20T16:25:38+00:00
Clinical Trials2020-07-13T21:13:23+00:00
Health Policy2020-07-27T14:06:16+00:00
Hypertension2020-07-13T21:21:12+00:00
Kidney Precision Medicine: Genomics, Metabolomics and Proteomics2020-07-13T21:23:46+00:00
Mineral Metabolism and Kidney Stones2020-07-20T20:23:23+00:00
Onco-Nephrology2020-07-20T16:25:54+00:00
Vasculitis and Glomerulonephritis2020-07-13T21:27:57+00:00
Women’s Health, Pregnancy and Preeclampsia2020-07-13T21:28:36+00:00

Academic Clinician-Educator (ACE) Pathway

The Academic Clinician-Educator (ACE) Pathway aims to prepare fellows to assume leadership roles in academic medical centers as clinical experts and medical educators. In addition to 8 weeks of inpatient rotations at BWH or MGH, ACE Pathway fellows identify an area of clinical expertise in which they wish to gain more specialized experience while simultaneously pursuing scholarly activity to build their academic portfolio. Scholarly activity can include writing chapters and reviews, conducting clinical research within their identified area of clinical expertise, or pursuing medical education scholarship, from curriculum development to medical education research. ACE Pathway fellows have ample opportunities to develop and hone their teaching skills, including formal teaching of medical students and residents, attending opportunities on teaching services alongside dedicated academic clinician-educator faculty, and in formal didactics offered by Centers of Excellence at both institutions as well as the Harvard Macy Institute.

Areas of Clinical Expertise

Critical Care Nephrology2020-07-15T19:10:22+00:00

Clinical Training:

  • Gain additional experience on our Renal ICU services
  • Rotate in medical and surgical ICUs to gain further exposure to ICU medicine, ventilator management, cardiac devices and technologies including tailored therapy, VAD, ECMO
  • Hone temporary access placement skills and develop other skills such as ultrasonography and POCUS
  • Attend ASN Critical Care Nephrology Early Program with divisional support
  • Pursue formal fellowship training in Critical Care Medicine

Scholarly Opportunities:

  • Participate in clinical trials of AKI prevention or treatment including CRRT
  • Study ICU outcomes using clinical epidemiology and data science approaches
  • Engage in a quality and safety project around issues of concern in critical care nephrology
Geriatric Nephrology and Palliative Care2020-07-27T14:07:07+00:00

Clinical Training:

  • Gain broad exposure to geriatrics in a dedicated, multidisciplinary geriatric nephrology clinic at the VA
  • Rotate at Hebrew SeniorLife, the geriatrics arm of Harvard Medical School, with a robust geriatric dialysis program
  • Develop specialized experience in renal palliative care by rotating with the Kidney Pal program, a dedicated renal palliative care service at BWH in the inpatient and outpatient setting
  • Build strong foundation of palliative care knowledge and skills through the Harvard Center for Palliative Care’s Practical Aspects of Palliative Care (PAPC) Program
  • Pursue additional formal fellowship training in either Geriatrics or Palliative Care

Scholarly Opportunities:

Interventional and Procedural Nephrology2020-07-15T19:13:41+00:00

Clinical Training:

  • Attend dialysis access clinics to hone access evaluation and examination skills
  • Observe access procedures such as arteriovenous fistulograms, angioplasties, stent placements, and thrombectomies with interventional nephrologists and radiologists
  • Scrub in to access creation surgeries
  • Gain additional experience in temporary dialysis catheter placement
  • Perform native and transplant kidney biopsies under ultrasound guidance
  • Receive formal training in ultrasonography, including renal ultrasonography and Point of Care Ultrasound for evaluation of volume status
  • Pursue formal interventional nephrology training through ASDIN-accredited programs at both BWH and MGH

Scholarly Opportunities:

  • Engage in quality and safety projects on dialysis access
  • Conduct clinical research on the use of POCUS in nephrology
  • Develop and design educational curricula in access examination or POCUS
Onco-Nephrology2020-07-15T19:14:45+00:00

Clinical Training:

  • See patients in dedicated onco-nephrology clinics at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute and MGH Cancer Center
  • Rotate with onco-nephrology faculty on the dedicated DFCI/BWH oncology service
  • Attend ASN Onco-Nephrology Early Program with divisional support

Scholarly Opportunities:

  • Identify and describe renal sequelae of emerging cancer therapies
  • Pursue clinical research into AKI and glomerulopathies in stem cell transplantation
  • Explore the application of oncologic therapies, such as CAR-T cells, to renal disease
Outpatient and Home Dialysis2020-07-27T14:07:43+00:00

Clinical Training:

  • Care longitudinally for a shift of in-center hemodialysis patients
  • Gain advanced knowledge in home modalities such as home hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis through dedicated experiences
  • Elective rotations with interventional nephrology for further experience with dialysis access assessment and management
  • Pair with faculty medical directors for exposure to dialysis medical directorship and quality programs
  • Attend dialysis Medical Director meetings, Home Dialysis University, or Nephrology Business Leadership Program with divisional support

Scholarly Opportunities:

  • Engage in quality and safety projects in dialysis
  • Pursue a clinical research project in dialysis
  • Develop educational curricula or assessment tools for dialysis education
Transplantation2020-07-15T19:17:10+00:00

Clinical Training:

  • Care for transplant patients through transplant continuity clinic
  • Participate in donor evaluation clinics
  • Observe living and deceased donor surgeries and gain experience in organ procurement
  • Rotate through tissue typing and histocompatibility laboratories
  • Perform transplant biopsies under ultrasound guidance and review pathology findings with world-renowned pathologists
  • Rotate through vasculitis and glomerulonephritis clinics to gain further experience with immunosuppression management
  • Pursue formal transplant fellowship through AST-accredited transplant nephrology fellowships at both BWH and MGH

Scholarly Opportunities:

  • Participate in a wide range of clinical research projects in transplantation
  • Teach and develop curricula for teaching immunology and transplant medicine
Vasculitis and Glomerulonephritis2020-07-15T19:18:14+00:00

Clinical Training:

  • Rotate through clinics at the MGH Vasculitis and Glomerulonephritis Center (VGN), a world-renowned ANCA and anti-GBM referral center, and the BWH glomerular diseases clinic
  • Care for patients in clinics specializing in infection-related glomerulonephritis at MGH
  • Gain exposure to laboratory assays and enhance native kidney biopsy experience
  • Review pathology findings with world-renowned pathologists
  • Attend the ASN Kidney Week Early Program in Glomerular Diseases with divisional support

Scholarly opportunities:

  • Participate in clinical research trials and outcomes studies at the VGN
  • Study novel experimental therapeutics for glomerular disease at the BWH Glom-NExT Center
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