Program Overview
Nephrology Fellowship Program
The Nephrology Fellowship Program at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine's Department of Medicine emphasizes clinical training in the diagnosis and treatment of renal diseases and hypertension and a basic understanding of renal physiology and pathophysiology. Fellows gain exposure to a wide variety of renal diseases during fellowship training.
Education
Because we are passionately committed to the training of physicians who come to our program, we have a rich variety of didactic and practical courses to help fellows master core nephrology knowledge and skills:
- Boot Camp: Daily lectures during the first five weeks of fellowship prepare new fellows for clinical service and overnight on-call coverage.
- Core Lecture Series: Two-year, once-weekly didactic lectures on various topics in clinical nephrology.
- Renal Pathology: Monthly conference with renal pathologists focused on gaining competency in reading renal biopsies.
- Boards Review: Monthly sessions with nephrology faculty reviewing knowledge and practicing boards-style questions to prepare fellows for taking the nephrology specialty board examination.
- Home Therapies Conference: Monthly series on topics in home dialysis (peritoneal dialysis and home hemodialysis).
- Quality Improvement: Quarterly meetings to discuss cases of near-miss or suboptimal outcomes and learn how and where changes in individual decisions or systems can be made to improve patient care.
- Renal Grand Rounds: Weekly conference with cutting-edge research presented by leading researchers and clinicians within nephrology from around the world.
Additionally, fellows learn by preparing presentations for:
- Journal Club: Fellows learn to critically read the current nephrology literature by presenting a recently published article, in conjunction with faculty guidance.
- Clinical Case Conference: Fellows present clinically relevant patient cases to the division, with attention to review of the literature, differential diagnosis, diagnostic tests, and therapy.
Clinical Experience
First Year
Inpatient Rotations
- ICU (MICU, SICU, CCU & Neurosurgical ICUs): Fellows gain expertise in managing complex patients, including those on continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT), extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), and mechanical support devices such as ventricular assist devices and intra-aortic balloon pumps.
- Acute Care: Fellows encounter diverse pathologies at Northwestern Memorial Hospital and Prentice Women's Hospital, including acute kidney injury (AKI), glomerular diseases/vasculitides, and electrolyte disorders.
- End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD): Fellows manage dialysis and related complications for patients admitted to NMH.
- Transplantation: Fellows co-manage kidney, kidney-liver, and kidney-pancreas transplant patients with nephrologists and surgeons, providing care from pre-operative stages through discharge and rehospitalization when necessary.
Outpatient Continuity Clinic
Fellows see their own patients in a weekly general nephrology clinic at Northwestern, with cases discussed alongside a dedicated faculty preceptor assigned for the duration of the two-year fellowship.
Elective Weeks
Fellows spend six to eight weeks exploring various outpatient settings such as glomerulonephritis clinic, transplant clinic, and home dialysis clinic. An additional four to six weeks are allocated for research, scholarly activities, and areas such as pathology or pediatric nephrology.
Second Year
Inpatient Rotations
- Jesse Brown VA Medical Center (6 weeks): Fellows manage a broad spectrum of renal conditions, including ICU patients requiring CRRT, dialysis for ESKD patients, and those needing new initiation of hemodialysis.
- Northwestern Memorial Hospital (6 weeks): Fellows rotate through the same four services described in the first year.
Outpatient Clinics
Fellows continue following their patients in the Northwestern general nephrology clinic and rotate through the weekly VA nephrology clinic.
Outpatient Dialysis
Each fellow manages a cohort of in-center hemodialysis patients and rotates through the Home Dialysis clinic, overseeing a cohort of peritoneal and home hemodialysis patients monthly.
Elective Rotations
Fellows spend one to two weeks in each of the following ambulatory settings: glomerulonephritis clinic, transplant clinic, apheresis, interventional nephrology/vascular access clinic, and renal pathology. Additional electives are available in palliative care, critical care medicine, interventional radiology, and pediatric nephrology, based on the fellow's interests.
Scholarly Activity
Second-year fellows are expected to develop a scholarly concentration through one of three tracks:
- Clinical Research: Fellows conduct clinical research projects in their area of interest under the mentorship of a divisional faculty member.
- Basic Science Research: Fellows participate in a basic science research project guided by a divisional faculty member.
- Clinical Focus Area: Fellows choose a clinical area of focus (e.g., home dialysis, transplantation, glomerular diseases) and engage in enhanced clinical experiences and curricula with a faculty mentor, leading to a scholarly project.
Scholarly Expectations
- Poster Presentation: Fellows present their research at the annual National Kidney Foundation, American Society of Nephrology, or other national meetings.
- Group Quality-Improvement Project: Second-year fellows initiate and lead a quality-improvement project, presenting their findings to the division at the end of the second year.
- Publications: Fellows are strongly encouraged to publish a paper in a peer-reviewed journal.
Research Opportunities
Nephrology fellows have many opportunities to get involved in research and lead scholarly projects. Examples include:
- Working with faculty on existing or new clinical, basic, or translational research projects.
- Getting involved with recruitment and study visits for clinical studies.
- Authoring a case report or a case series.
- Leading quality improvement projects with the support of the Academy for Quality and Safety Improvement (AQSI).
- Obtaining advanced training in clinical research through the Masters in Clinical Investigation Program.
Nephrology-Critical Care Track
In recognizing the interconnectedness and overlapping nature of nephrology and critical care medicine, we have collaborated with the Division of Pulmonary & Critical Care Medicine to create a combined training track in Nephrology-Critical Care. Our innovative training program is one of only a few across the country. In this integrated three-year track, fellows will complete two years of clinical nephrology training followed by one year of critical care training. Upon completion of the three-year program, fellows will be eligible for both nephrology and critical care medicine board certification.
Eligibility
- Applicant qualifications include successful completion of an ACGME-accredited residency and eligibility for the American Board of Internal Medicine's certification exam before the start of fellowship training.
- All applicants must be eligible for an unrestricted medical license before beginning training.
- If applicable, applicants must have valid ECFMG certification and a valid visa.
Application Process
For the academic fellowship year, applications for the Nephrology Fellowship are accepted exclusively through the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS). To apply, please go to the ERAS website and follow the directions for fellowship applicants. Applications and related documents submitted without the use of ERAS for this year will not be considered.
Interviews will begin at the end of August and extend through the first week of November.
To complete your application, the following documents are required:
- A letter of recommendation from your Internal Medicine Residency program director or department chairperson.
- Two to four additional letters of recommendation. These should be from clinical faculty and/or research mentors who know you and your work well. Ideally, at least one letter should be from a senior member of the faculty at your institution.
- A personal statement describing who you are, why you have chosen to pursue training in nephrology, and your current thoughts about your future path.
- Your curriculum vitae.
- Original reports of your USMLE scores.
- Medical School dean's letters and transcripts are not required.
Since we participate in the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) Medical Specialties Matching Program, fellowship applicants must also register with NRMP and plan to participate in the NRMP match.
Meet Our Fellows
First Year
- Natalie Hobeika, MD
- Undergrad: West Virginia University
- MD: West Virginia University School of Medicine
- Residency: Loyola University
- Virginia Hoch, MD, MPH
- Undergrad: Northwestern University
- MD: Northwestern University The Feinberg School of Medicine
- Residency: Christiana Care/Thomas Jefferson University
- Sean Mahoney, MD
- Undergrad: The Ohio State University
- MD: Florida International University Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine
- Residency: Tulane University
- Richard Nieves Santiago, MD
- Undergrad: University of Puerto Rico at Rio Piedras Campus
- MD: Ponce Health Sciences University School of Medicine
- Residency: University of Illinois-Chicago
- Jaya Parulekar, MD
- Undergrad: Illinois Institute of Technology
- MD: Wayne State University School of Medicine
- Residency: Indiana University
Second Year
- Pabitra Adhikari MBBS
- Undergraduate: Arniko Higher Secondary School
- Medical: Institute of Medicine, Tribhuvan University
- Residency: St. Francis Hospital
- Awsse Al-Ani MBBS
- Undergraduate: University of Mustansiryah
- Medical: University of Medical Science and Technology
- Residency: Medstar
- Alexander Lanes MD
- Undergraduate: Cornell University
- Medical: Boston University
- Residency: University of Miami
- Akanksh Ramanand MD
- Undergraduate: Tulane University
- Medical: University of Queensland
- Residency: Ochsner Clinic Foundation
- Prasanti Ravipati MD
- Undergraduate/Medical: Drexel University
- Residency: Tufts University
Nephrology - Critical Care
- Aju Jose, MBBS
- Undergraduate: Maulana Azad Medical College
- Medical: Maulana Azad Medical College
- Residency: St. Elizabeth's Medical Center
Program Details
The Nephrology Fellowship Program at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine's Department of Medicine is a two-year program that provides comprehensive training in clinical nephrology, research, and education. The program is designed to prepare fellows for a career in academic nephrology, with a focus on clinical practice, research, and education. The program includes a variety of clinical rotations, didactic lectures, and research opportunities, as well as a scholarly project and quality improvement project. The program also offers a combined training track in Nephrology-Critical Care, which is a three-year program that includes two years of clinical nephrology training followed by one year of critical care training. The program is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) and is designed to meet the requirements for board certification in nephrology.