About the Program
The Nephrology Fellowship Training Program began in 1965 and was first accredited by the ACGME in 1987. Since its establishment, the nephrology training program at the University of Iowa has had a long tradition of clinical and educational excellence. We invite you to explore our website for details about our training program and to consider all the advantages that our program offers. Our dedicated faculty provide an outstanding clinical experience and enthusiastic attention to your education. If you are looking for a program that will challenge you and provide you with the experience and guidance necessary to achieve the milestones in nephrology training, we encourage you to apply to our program. If you have any questions about any aspect of our program, please don’t hesitate to contact us.
Program Overview
Welcome to the Nephrology Fellowship Training Program at University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics, a 2-year accredited clinical program, accepting 3 fellows per year. Additional years of training after the second year are available for those fellows interested in pursuing an academic nephrology career (2 years clinical/1 year research or with approval 1 year clinical/2 years research). We are also pleased to offer a 1-year accredited training program in transplant nephrology. The goal of our training program is to help fellows reach the milestones in clinical training and education that will allow them to be successful practicing nephrologists or academic clinicians.
The Nephrology Division has a substantial commitment to patient care, teaching, and research. Our fellows become acquainted with a wide variety of challenges encountered in the practice of clinical nephrology, dialysis, and transplantation. They develop a solid expertise in the care of the renal patient by getting firsthand experiences in the following:
- critical care nephrology
- ambulatory nephrology
- routine pre- and complex post-transplant care
- primary ESRD management
- multidisciplinary care of patients with cardiovascular disease, renal disease in pregnancy, rheumatologic disorders, and surgical issues
In addition, the fellowship offers ample opportunity to develop proficiency in procedural skills including kidney biopsy and biopsy interpretation.
Fellows in the program actively participate in teaching medical students and residents on the consult service. For additional training as clinician educators, we encourage our fellows to apply to programs such as the FACE (Fellows As Clinician Educators) and the Masters in Medical Education that can be integrated into the second year of the training program.
The Renal Division is also very proud of its research tradition. Our fellows train under a diverse faculty with nationally and internationally renowned bench, translational, and clinical research programs and participate in the Rare Disease Clinic, nephrology-related health services research through the VA’s CADRE program.
We hope your training will be an exciting and educational experience and look forward to participating in your professional development as a nephrologist!
Sincerely,
Chou-Long Huang, MD, PhD
Division Director
Lisa M. Antes, MD
Fellowship Training Program Director
Jonathan Nizar, MD
Associate Fellowship Training Program Director
Lisa Novak
Fellowship Coordinator
Missions and Aims
Mission statement of the University of Iowa Nephrology Training Program
The mission of the Nephrology Training Program at the University of Iowa is to prepare our Fellow trainees be qualified and competent patient care providers, and in addition, physician educators and/or physician scientists as each individual strives for his or her career goals.
Irrespective of career goal, each fellow will receive comprehensive clinical training focused on quality patient care in areas that include critical care nephrology, ambulatory nephrology, routine pre- and post-transplant care, primary ESRD management, glomerular disease, research methodology, quality improvement projects and multi-disciplinary care of patients with other major comorbidities.
Program Aims:
- Foster a learning environment that promotes fellow’s progressive responsibility and graduated autonomy in approaching complex as well as common renal related problems
- Deliver a core curriculum of general nephrology clinical topics necessary for the practice of nephrology
- Provide clinical experiences allowing fellows to learn and practice multi-disciplinary care and shared decision that reflects quality patient care and respect for patient values and preferences in both the inpatient and outpatient settings
- Provide exposure to transplantation to gain knowledge beneficial for the general nephrologist
- Provide opportunities for longitudinal continuity of care of patients with renal related problems
- Provide mentorship to support fellow’s learning, scholarly activities, wellness and individualized career plans
- Provide opportunities and mentorship in a variety of research tracks tailored to the renal fellows’ interest and talents including bench, outcomes, and clinical and translational research (expanded below)
- Maintain a culture of wellness, camaraderie and mentorship
- Provide an environment that fosters self-reflection, self-assessment and improvement and develop the skills for lifelong learning.
- Promote acquisition of the necessary skills and knowledge for scholarly activity
- Promote acquisition of the necessary skills and knowledge for teaching medical students and residents
Clinical Programs: Sites, Rotations and Schedule
The nephrology programs at University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics and at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC) are highly integrated, with clinical responsibilities at both medical centers shared by members of the division.
Program Rotations
- Inpatient Renal Consultation Service
- Consultation Service UI Hospitals & Clinics
- Consultation Service VAMC
- Transplant Service
- Inpatient Transplant Service
- Transplantation Clinics
- Renal Ambulatory Clinics
- Continuity of Care (COC) clinic
- Rare Renal Disease/Renal Genetics Clinic
- Renal Stone Clinic
- VAMC Clinic
- Dialysis Program
- Center Dialysis
- Home Dialysis Program
- Continuous Renal Replacement Therapies
Program Schedule
The schedule below approximates the time the fellows spend on each of the services in the first and second years of training.
| UIHC Consult A Team |
UIHC Consult B Team |
VA Consults | IP TXP | OP TXP | Ambulatory/ Research/ Vacation |
Electives | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 6 | 5-6 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 1-2 |
| Year 2 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 1-2 | 2 | 6-7 | 2-3 |
Inpatient Renal Consultation Service
Consultation Service UI Hospitals & Clinics
The University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics Nephrology Consult Services form the core of the fellow's clinical learning experience. Fellows will spend 8-10 months rotating through the 2 consult services in the course of the two-year program. A couple of years ago our traditional one consult service was split into 2 as the volume of consultations increased. The goal of creating an Acute service (acute floor or ICU consults) and Chronic service (all ESRD admissions) was to provide quality and safe patient care in a consultative role and to continue to maintain the education value of the renal consult service for our trainees. The Acute service (Team A) is staffed by 1 renal fellow, 1 nephrology staff and incorporates all resident and student learners. The Chronic service (Team B) is staffed by 1 renal fellow and 1 staff.
For each of these services, the fellow assumes significant responsibility for running the Nephrology Consult Service. Under the supervision of the attending nephrologist, the fellow will oversee the daily management and diagnostic evaluation of all patients on whom the service consults and learn how to manage acid base and electrolyte disorders, acute and chronic kidney disease, hypertension, intoxications, and other renal-related diseases. The fellow’s responsibilities will include decisions regarding initiation of dialysis, selection of modality and writing and/or supervising dialysis prescription for patients with acute kidney injury. The fellow will become familiar with all the modalities of continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT), the role of hemoperfusion in the management of drug intoxication and the use of ultrafiltration techniques. In addition, the fellow will also become adept at percutaneous renal biopsies. The fellow will also be intimately involved in teaching medical students and residents on the nephrology consult A team and will function as a liaison between the consultation service at UI Hospitals & Clinics and the referring physicians/teams.
Consultation Service VAMC
The Iowa City Veterans Affairs Medical Center, conveniently situated adjacent to the University of Iowa Hospitals, plays a vital role in our nephrology fellowship program. As part of the program, the nephrology fellow assumes responsibility for overseeing three essential services at the Iowa City VA Health Care System: inpatient consults, outpatients in the renal clinic, and organizing and performing procedures. This collaborative engagement with the VA offers an exceptional opportunity for fellows to gain extensive exposure to the distinctive aspects of nephrologic care specifically tailored to this patient population.
At the VA, fellows participate in a general nephrology clinic that provides valuable insights into the distinctive characteristics of care required by Veterans. The patient population at this clinic predominantly consists of individuals with chronic kidney disease, renovascular hypertension, diabetes, and geriatric renal disease, with a higher representation of male patients. This exposure allows fellows to acquire a comprehensive understanding of managing renal conditions in this specific demographic.
By integrating the Iowa City Veterans Affairs Medical Center into our nephrology fellowship program, we aim to offer fellows an immersive experience that encompasses the intricacies of nephrology care within the context of Veteran healthcare. This exposure not only enhances fellows' clinical competence but also cultivates a deep appreciation for the unique challenges and considerations that arise in the care of Veterans with renal conditions.
Transplant Service, UIHC and VAMC
Inpatient Transplant Service
Kidney and kidney pancreas transplant services are provided at the University of Iowa Organ Transplant Center and at the affiliated VA Transplant Center. The University of Iowa transplant program is the only multi-organ transplant program (Kidney, Liver, Pancreas, Heart, Lung) in the State of Iowa. The VA transplant center is one of a handful of VA programs that perform kidney transplants and the only center that performs kidney pancreas transplants.
Stable transplant inpatients are cared for on a multidisciplinary transplant unit where Transplant Nephrology has admitting privileges and primary responsibility for patients admitted to the Transplant Nephrology Service. Transplant Nephrology also provides consultative services to Transplant Surgery and Transplant Hepatology as well as patients with kidney and liver transplants who are admitted to all other services including critical care units. The renal division has an AST accredited transplant nephrology fellowship program where 1 fellow is admitted per year.
Each general nephrology fellow will be assigned for 3 to 4 months on this transplant service, working with one of the Transplant Nephrology staff on the inpatient service and with several staff in the Transplant outpatient clinics, sometimes alongside the Transplant Nephrology fellow. During the course of the rotation the fellow will learn the indications and complications of transplantation, the psychological impact of transplantation, and the principles of histocompatibility testing relevant for kidney transplantation. The fellow will also be exposed to the process of assessing suitability for living-related donor transplantation and will acquire an understanding of the modes of action, pharmacology, and complications of immunosuppressive drug regimens.
By being involved in the workup and management of graft dysfunction, the fellow will learn to recognize the clinical pathology of acute and chronic rejection, drug toxicity, and recurrent primary disease and will gain experience in the needle biopsy of the transplanted kidney. In addition to the day-to-day management of the organ transplant service inpatients, the fellow will participate in the Outpatient Transplant Clinic and the Transplant Conferences.
Transplantation Clinics
The Transplantation clinics at the University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics and VAMC provide the opportunity for the fellow to participate in the outpatient evaluation of the pre-transplant patient and potential donors, as well as the immediate and long-term management of the immunosuppressive therapies and complications of the post-transplant patient.
Renal Ambulatory Clinics
During the course of the year, the nephrology fellow will rotate through several outpatient nephrology clinics. The individual clinics emphasize different areas of nephrology, allowing the fellow to participate in all aspects of outpatient care.
The Continuity of Care (COC) clinic meets weekly for a half day and actively involves the fellow in the long-term management of renal-related problems. In this clinic, individual patients will be followed by a specific fellow for the course of his or her fellowship training. Each patient will also be staffed by an attending nephrologist; however, the fellow is responsible for making diagnostic and therapeutic decisions, contacting the patient with test results, and functioning as the primary nephrologist for the care of the renal problems. Increased responsibility will be given as the fellow advances through the training program.
The Rare Renal Disease and the Renal Genetics Clinic is a multidisciplinary clinic staffed by specialists in adult nephrology, pediatric nephrology, genetic counseling, renal nutrition and social and financial support personnel. The clinics have a national and international reputation in treating complement-medicated renal diseases, atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome and C3 glomerulopathies. In addition, the clinics have a longstanding collaboration with the Iowa Institute of Human Genetics and Molecular Otolaryngology and Renal Research Laboratory (under the scientific direction of Dr. Richard Smith), which provides onsite comprehensive state of the art genetic testing, functional complement assays and molecular diagnostic tools to facilitate evaluation of genetic and acquired abnormalities that form the bases of rare kidney disease.
The Renal Stone Clinic is a clinic at the Iowa River Landing (IRL) that guides the metabolic evaluation of the patient with nephrolithiasis and provides management strategies for prevention (pharmacologic, dietary and lifestyle modifications) and definitive treatment (urology referral) of stone disease.
The Veterans Administration Clinic is a general nephrology clinic with a patient population with a predominance of chronic kidney disease, renovascular hypertension, diabetes and geriatric renal disease, and with a higher representation of male patients. The exposure allows fellows to acquire a comprehensive understanding of managing renal conditions in this specific demographic.
The Transplantation clinics at the University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics and VAMC provide the opportunity for the fellow to participate in the outpatient evaluation of the pre-transplant patient and potential donors, as well as the immediate and long-term management of the immunosuppressive therapies and complications of the post-transplant patient.
Dialysis Program
Our dialysis program, under the leadership of Dr. Mony Fraer, gives our fellows an in-depth exposure to the main modes of outpatient dialysis therapies, center and home (hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis), enabling them to formulate realistic strategies to select the option most suited to their ESRD patients. Care for the ESRD patient involves a multidisciplinary team approach that includes the fellow, staff nephrologist, social worker, dietician, and nurses.
Center Dialysis
The fellow will be rotating through the outpatient dialysis unit at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics during their B Consult blocks. Once weekly for 6 months they will rotate on one staff dialysis shift, with the shifts rotating every 6 months to provide the opportunity to work with different staff. This continuity of care allows the fellow to experience the day-to-day management of the ESRD patients on maintenance dialysis. The fellow will round once weekly with the staff while on the B service at a set time and will gradually assume independent responsibility in decision-making for these patients over the 2 year period. All facets of patient care will be covered, including monthly lab review, adjustments in dialysis prescriptions, dietary recommendations, evaluation of access problems and social issues.
Home Dialysis Program
We currently have about 30 patients on home therapies (hemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis) in our program (one of the longest-running in the country). Each patient is seen monthly in the clinic by the assigned staff and fellow. For those patients beginning training for home therapies, the fellow rounds once weekly with the staff and makes any necessary changes in the treatment plan.
Continuous Renal Replacement Therapies
Over the course of your training, the fellow will become familiar with all the modalities of continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT), the role of hemoperfusion in the management of drug intoxications, and, with the use of ultrafiltration techniques for patients requiring this modality.
Divisional/Departmental and Educational Conferences
Weekly Calendar
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
12-1 PM Bipsy/Pathology Conference (week 1) |
12-1 PM POCUS training |
12-1 PM |
11:30 AM-1 PM PD Training (5x/year) 1-2 PM 1-2 PM |
12-1 PM PD Meeting (quarterly) |
| 1-2:30 PM once monthly Sept to May F2 Fellows FACE program |
Division and Departmental Conferences
The Division Conference is held three times per month. During 2 of these sessions, journal club articles are critically appraised and a wide array of cases/state of the art presentations are held. In addition, guest speakers are invited to this conference and the senior fellows present their research and scholarly activity projects at the end of second year. During one of these sessions, Pathology Biopsy Conference is held, in which our renal pathologists share results of recent biopsies for discussion and review
The Internal Medicine Fellows Conference is held twice monthly from Sept to May for all the fellows in the department of internal medicine and offers a shared curriculum.
Fellows Education Conferences
Fellows Core Blocks
The Core lecture series is the backbone of didactic education for the Nephrology fellowship program. It consists of more than 80 lectures over two years covering major concepts, treatments, diseases, complications, and molecular and physiological mechanisms of kidney medicine. The majority of lectures are prepared and presented by the core nephrology faculty with invited lecturers from Pathology, Apheresis, Palliative Medicine, Urology, Genetic Counseling, Gastroenterology, and other subspecialties. The curriculum spans the full 2 years of nephrology fellowship with yearly presentation of core topics early in the academic year (i.e. dialytic modalities, emergencies, urine electrolyte analysis, GFR estimation). The curriculum has been revised yearly and underwent significant overhaul in 2023.
In addition to the Core lecture series, fellows participate in Morbidity and Mortality conferences, an Ultrasound curriculum, CRRT hands-on practical series, PD lecture series, and fellow-prepared Renal Best Practices lectures.
POCUS: Renal Ultrasound Curriculum
The 5 US sessions are on Thursdays at 1 PM. They are split into basics and advanced sessions. Here are the dates, with alternate dates in case the fellows are on A or vacation and cannot make the session.
Session 1: 08/10/23 (alt 08/17, 08/24, 08/31, 09/07)
Session 2: 10/19/23 (alt 10/26, 11/02, 11/09, 11/16)
Session 3: 12/28/23 (alt 01/04, 1/11, 1/18, 1/25)
Session 4: 03/07/24 (alt 03/14, 03/21, 03/28, 04/04)
Session 5: 05/16/24 (alt 05/23, 05/30, 06/06, 06/13)
All first year fellows are expected to attend these 5 Basic Ultrasound sessions. In addition to these sessions conducted by the internal medicine residency program, there will be 2-3 advanced sessions in the spring (once you have some comfort with the machine) that we will set up with Dr. Rappaport on Tuesdays. These will include 2 sessions for static and dynamic volume status assessment with VExUS, which will be more advanced than the topics addressed in the resident sessions.
CRRT Education and Simulation
CRRT simulations will be conducted 2-3 times per year. Fellows and ARNPs will be expected to participate in simulated clinical scenarios and troubleshooting as well as demonstrate knowledge of the CRRT machine, including vascular access, patient fluid management and emergency situations. The CRRT education team consists of adult (Lisa Antes, Ben Griffin) and pediatric (Kyle Merrill) nephrologists and pediatric nurses (MaryLee Neuberger, Jen Ehrlich) and ARNPs (Brynna VanWyck).
Fellows Advanced Education Opportunities
The Nephrology Division values the important role fellows assume as teachers. On the consult service, the fellow will have daily opportunities to teach medical students and residents. For those fellows interested in further enhancing their teaching skills or in pursuing a career in academic medicine, the fellow may apply to additional programs for study during the standard 2 year fellowship training program.
Masters of Medical Education
This degree offers the opportunity to develop a community of academic medical faculty with formal training in education who will create and sustain a culture of educational excellence within the College of Medicine, the university, and the medical education community at large. Read more about the MME program.
Fellows as Clinician Educators (FACE)
The FACE Program is designed to introduce future clinician-educators to a set of skills that may be of use in their career. The program presents concepts of educational design and research, lecture development, evaluation, observation, and feedback. At the conclusion of the program, FACE participants are required to develop a teaching portfolio.
Additional Educational Opportunities
Renal Board Review
The ASN Board Review was purchased for all fellows to use. The questions are designed for the fellows to reinforce knowledge and clinical reasoning, key points, and test-taking skills.
Special Lecture Series
Transplant Conferences
| Mon | Tue | Fri |
|---|---|---|
| 7:30-8:30 AM Review of Potential Living Donors |
8-9 AM Issues in Transplantation CME |
1-3 PM Transplant Listing conference |
| 3-4 Biweekly Combined Transplant Patient Conference / Rounds | 3-4 PM Biweekly Combined Transplant Patient Conference / Rounds |
The Transplant multi-disciplinary listing conference is a 90-minute long conference held weekly where newly evaluated transplant candidates and living donors are presented for discussion and approval for transplantation. The Transplant Nephrology fellow will be responsible for presenting the new patients that he/she has evaluated with guidance from Transplant Nephrology Faculty.
Issues in Transplantation CME conference is a weekly conference devoted solely to issues in solid organ transplantation. Presentations are given by Visiting Professors, by Transplant Center faculty and at least twice a year by the Transplant Nephrology fellow and cover a wide range of issues in the field. These Tuesday sessions are also used for Morbidity and Mortality conferences and for transplant related QAPI meetings. Attendees include faculty and trainees from Transplant Surgery, Transplant Nephrology, Transplant Hepatology, Transplant Infectious Diseases, Transplant Cardiology and Transplant Pulmonology.
Biweekly combined transplant patient conference/rounds is an hour-long conference attended by transplant surgery, transplant nephrology, infectious diseases, hepatology, Physician Assistants, pharmacy staff, social works and nurse coordinators to review and discuss patients admitted to the multidisciplinary transplant floor. The Transplant Nephrology or General Nephrology Fellow presents the patients seen on the Transplant Nephrology Consult Service providing a brief discussion on at least one clinical problem relevant to the patients being managed.
Annual Annette Fitz Memorial Fellowship Lecture
This lecture is given in memory of the many contributions of Dr. Annette Fitz to our Nephrology Division and Department of Medicine for over 30 years until her untimely death in 1995. Dr. Fitz was a consummate educator and clinician and her life was dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge and the desire to share that knowledge with her students at all levels of training.
In celebration of Dr. Fitz’s dedication to education, we annually challenge our renal fellows to identify a topic in Nephrology and a speaker whom they feel would most contribute to their own education and pursuit of knowledge.
April 19, 2023 - "Urolithiasis: An Integral Part of the Metabolic Syndrome"
Dr. Orson Moe, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas Texas
December 18, 2019 - "Updates and Interesting Cases in Acid/Base and Electrolyte Disorders"
Dr. Biff Palmer
June 14, 2018 - "IgA Nephropathy where are we, where are we going?"
Dr. Richard LaFayette
June 14, 2017 - "Kidney Disease in Pregnancy"
Dr. Phyllis August
April 27, 2016 - "The Three Faces of FGF-23"
Dr. L Darryl Quarles
May 27, 2015 - "Onco-Nephrology: Can Targeted Therapy Toxicities Inform Renal Regeneration Strategies?"
Dr. Benjamin Humphreys
June 4, 2014 - "Membranous Nephropathy: New Insights Regarding Treatment"
Dr. Fernando Fervenza
June 19, 2013 - "Treatment of Membranous GN"
Dr. Patrick Nachman
John B. Stokes Renal Physicians Day
Purpose: To update physicians and other nephrology care providers in the new initiatives and advances in nephrology, discuss problems related to the practice of nephrology, and teach new approaches and therapies to treat patients with kidney disease.
Sponsored by: Division of Nephrology, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Iowa Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine.
Invited Faculty - Keynote Speakers
September 29, 2022 - "Insights into the pathogenesis of polycystic kidney disease"
Peter C. Harris, PhD
Professor, Division of Nephrology and Hypertension
Departments of Medicine and Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota
May 2, 2019 - "Kidney disease in African Americans: The genetic basis of a major health disparity"
Martin R. Pollak, MD
Professor of Medicine
Chief, Division of Nephrology
Harvard Medical School
Boston, Massachusetts
May 3, 2018 - "Update on Vasopressin V2-Receptor Blockade to Treat Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease"
Vicente Torres, MD, PhD
Professor, Nephrology and Hypertension
Mayo Clinic
Rochester, Minnesota
May 4, 2017 - "Transplant- transmitted infections. Let's talk about communication"
Rachel Miller, MD
Professor of Medicine
Duke University School of Medicine
Durham, North Carolina
May 5, 2016 - "Treatment of Hypertension - 2016"
Jackson T. Wright, Jr. MD, PhD
Professor of Medicine
Program Director of the William T. Dahms MD Clinical Research Unit
Clinical and Translational Science Collaborative at Case Western Reserve University
Director of the Clinical Hypertension Program
Cleveland, Ohio
May 7, 2015 - "Renovascular Hypertension – Where Are We Now?"
Stephen C. Textor, MD
Professor of Medicine and Hypertension
Mayo Clinic
Rochester, Minnesota
May 1, 2014 - "Anion Gap Metabolic Acidosis- A “Graduate” Discussion"
Michael Emmett, MD
Professor and Chair
Department of Internal Medicine
Baylor College of Medicine
Houston, Texas
May 2, 2013 - "Is Dietary Protein a Risk Factor for Progression of Kidney Disease?"
Thomas D. DuBose, Jr, MD
Tinsley R. Harrison Professor and Chair of Internal Medicine
Wake Forest School of Medicine
Winston-Salem, North Carolina
May 17, 2012 - "Genetics of Diabetic Nephropathy"
Katalin Susztak, MD
Associate Professor, Dept of Medicine
Division of Nephrology and Dept of Geriatrics
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Bronx, New York
May 5, 2011 - "Prevention of Kidney Stones"
Gary Curham, MD
Professor of Medicine
Harvard Medical School
Boston, Massachusetts
May 6, 2010 - "Disorders of Mineral Metabolism and Survival in Kidney Disease"
Myles S. Wolf, MD
Associate Professor of Medicine
University of Miami Nephrology
Coral Gables, Florida
May 7, 2009 - "Update on the Pathogenesis and Treatment of Vasculitis"
Ronald J. Falk, MD
Chief, Division of Nephrology
Director, UNC Kidney Center
University of North Carolina School of Medicine
Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Research Overview
The Nephrology Division at the University of Iowa has a robust clinical and basic research program in areas including polycystic kidney disease, renal genetics, complement and glomerular diseases, acute kidney injury, fluid and electrolyte transport, mineral metabolism and cardiovascular complications of CKD, as well as numerous clinical trials.
The division’s NIH T32 Training Grant for Kidney and Hypertension research is in its 26th year, which supports MD and PhD trainees in basic or clinical research related to kidney and hypertension in physiology and diseases. Selected MD fellows on the investigative training track will be considered for support by the division to earn a Master’s in Clinical and Translational Science during training.
Research and Scholarly Activity
Research
Our division has robust basic and clinical research programs in areas including polycystic kidney disease (Huang, Dai, Noureddine, and Harshman), genetics (Thomas), glomerular complement diseases (Jalal, Smith, and Nestor), acute kidney injury (Jalal and Griffin), electrolyte transport and electrophysiology (Huang, Cheng, and Nizar), tubular metabolism (Cheng), osmosensation/regulation (Huang), mineral metabolism (Huang) and neurological cardiovascular complications of CKD (Harshman, Jalal, and Huang), health services research in hypertension management (Jalal), central and renal blood pressure regulation (Huang, and Nizar), and models of obesity (Nizar). Multiple faculty lead or participate in clinical trials including FIGARO-DKD, DIALIZE, MAJESTY, NEUTRALIZE-AKI, among many others.
The division’s NIH T32 Training Grant for Kidney and Hypertension research is in its 30th year, which supports MD and PhD trainees in basic or clinical research related to kidney and hypertension in physiology and diseases. Selected MD fellows on the investigative training track will be considered for support by the division to earn a Master’s in Clinical and Translational Science during training.
Scholarly Training during Fellowship
Fellows are expected to demonstrate written evidence of scholarly activity by the end of their 2 years of fellowship training. The division is motivated to find or provide funding for fellows who are interested in more substantial research training and have a established history of training fellows into successful physician-scientist careers.
The divisional Renal Fellow Scholarship and Research Committee was created to provide fellows with a portfolio of research opportunities that meet the scholarly activity requirement of the program. The committee reviews all proposals submitted by the fellows, selects projects eligible for funding, and guides fellows through a reasonable timeline for successful completion. Individual faculty mentor also provides support and guidance in choosing and developing a project.
Examples of activities include case reports, in-depth literature reviews, chart reviews, poster presentations, quality improvement projects, and even clinical trials. Recent fellow activities include:
- Thomas C, Freese M, Ounda A, Jetton J, Holida M, Noureddine L, Smith R. Initial experience from a renal genetics clinic demonstrates a distinct role in patient management. Genetics Medicine 22, 1025-1035 (2020).
- Oo SZMWH, Freese ME, Holanda DG,Thomas CP. Spontaneous remission of genetic, apparent primary, FSGS presenting with nephrotic syndrome challenges traditional notions of primary FSGS. Journal of Nephrology 2021, 34:255-258DOI: 10.1007/s40620-020-00837-7
- Story MT, Sanders ML, Bashir A, Longo J, Abel S, Dollard SC, Grodstein E, Thomas C P, Katz D. Infiltrating Kaposi sarcoma presenting as acute kidney injury: An unexpected consequence of deliberate hepatitis C positive organ transplantation. Transplant Infectious Diseases 2021, 23:e13481. DOI:10.1111/tid.13481
- Hocker N, Story MT, Lerud A, Kuppachi S. Severe Hypercalcemia from Ectopic Intact Parathyroid Hormone Secretion Treated with Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy in a Patient with Two Malignancies. BMJ Case Rep 2021 Jun 29; 14(6): e242172. doi: 10.1136/bcr-2021-242172
- Thomas CP, Gupta S, Freese ME, Chouhan KK, Dantuma MI, Holanda DG, Katz DA, Darbro BW, Mansilla MA, and Smith RJ. Sequential genetic testing of living related donors for inherited renal disease to promote informed choice and enhance safety of living donation. Transplant International 2021 34:2696-2705. doi: 10.1111/tri.14133.
- Jónsdóttir H, Sanders ML, Goettsche L, Honkanen I, Schwartz A, Holanda D, Stone MS, Jabbari A. Dual diagnosis of histiocytoid Sweet syndrome and anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated vasculitis. JAAD Case Rep. 2022 Apr 1;23:117-119. eCollection 2022 May. PMID: 35495970 PMCID: PMC9039867. DOI: 10.1016/j.jdcr.2022.03.007
- Mann L, Ten Eyck P, Wu C, Story MT, Jenigiri S, Patel J, Honkanen I, O'Connor K, Tener J, Sambharia M, Fraer M, Nourredine L, Somers D, Nizar J, Antes L, Kuppachi S, Swee M, Kuo E, Huang CL, Jalal DI, Griffin BR.. CVVHD results in longer filter life than pre-filter CVVH: Results of a quasi-randomized clinical trial. PLoS One. . 2023 Jan 11;18(1):e0278550. eCollection 2023. PMID: 36630406. PMCID: PMC9833553. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0278550
Interdisciplinary Fellowship Conference
Below is an example of the Department of Internal Medicine Common Curriculum Schedule. It is shared between Fellows from all divisions of the Department.
Fellows as Clinician Educators (FACE)
The Fellows as Clinician Educators (FACE) Program is designed to introduce future clinician-educators to a set of skills which may be of use in their career. The program presents concepts of educational design and research, lecture development, evaluation, observation and feedback. At the conclusion of the program, FACE participants are required to develop a teaching portfolio.