Nephrology Fellowship

Our fellowship program is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). There is funding for two new fellows each year (six positions total) to be fully supported through the entire three-year program.

First-year fellows
Clinical training (10 months)
Fellows will:

• Manage patients with a wide variety of kidney disorders in outpatient and inpatient settings.
• Learn skills like renal biopsy, renal ultrasound, and ordering and troubleshooting dialysis.
• Manage all acute dialysis modalities and a high volume of continuous renal replacement therapy.
• Manage all perioperative phases of pediatric renal transplant recipients.

Six weeks entail full-time assignment to our pediatric dialysis unit, where fellows have in-depth training in principles, literature and application of dialysis, as well as the opportunity for hands-on familiarity with hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis equipment and techniques.

Introduction to research (two months)

• Two months of the first year are dedicated to research orientation with an initial opportunity for project selection.
• Fellows also participate in department-wide courses in research fundamentals, teaching to teach, medical ethics and quality improvement methodologies, providing unique learning experiences as well as opportunities to interact with and learn from co-fellows (more than 30 years) across all pediatric subspecialties.

Second-year fellows
Research

• Fellows participate in consecutive research months in which they finalize the selection of research projects and mentors and initiate selected projects.

Clinical assignments (two months)

One month is a mixture of important experiences, including a course with Charles O’Neill, MD, a Nephrologist and Professor in the Emory University Division of Nephrology, learning about ultrasound for the nephrologist. This course is unique in the country and one that numerous practicing nephrologists have taken with excellent reviews.

Additional experiences include teaching sessions with the Emory Histocompatibility Laboratory (HLA), observation of pediatric renal transplant surgeries, interactions with our pediatric renal pathologists and clinical experiences with our pediatric urology colleagues.

Third-year fellows
Fellows will:

• Complete a research project, abstract(s) and manuscript(s).
• Complete a quality improvement project.
• Have advanced clinical responsibilities in the inpatient wards for two months.

Continuity clinics
During the entire three-year training period, fellows attend assigned continuity outpatient clinics one half-day per week under the supervision of the Program Director, providing care for their own cohorts of nephrology patients.

On-Call

Fellows on-call weekends are on average every fourth weekend and weeknight call no more often than every fourth weeknight throughout the three-year training period. Night call is always taken from home. An attending pediatric nephrologist is always on backup call with the fellow.

Vacation

Fellows have three weeks of vacation each year that may be taken at any time during research or outpatient rotation months with approval from the program director.

Advocacy

Each fellow is given the opportunity to attend Camp Independence—one of the oldest and largest camps in the country for children with kidney failure. Camp Independence takes place one week each summer at Camp Twin Lakes, a venue developed specifically to provide life-changing programs to Georgia’s children with serious illnesses, disabilities and other challenges. In addition, each year, interested second- or third-year fellows have the opportunity to accompany one of our faculty members to the nation’s Capitol to meet legislators during the annual American Society of Pediatric Nephrology Hill Day.

Learn more about Camp Independence

Teaching is enhanced by a highly organized curriculum comprising a variety of conferences and seminars that are offered throughout the year.

Daily conferences

• Multidisciplinary Inpatient Care Rounds

Weekly conferences

• Practical Nephropathology Course for Nephrology Fellows (first-year fellows)
• Emory Adult Nephrology Grand Rounds
• Pediatric Departmental Grand Rounds
• Emory Transplant Conference

Monthly conferences

• Pediatric Nephrology Renal Pathology Conference
• Pediatric Nephrology Journal Club
• Pediatric Nephrology Invitee Conference
• Pediatric Nephrology Orientation and Core Curriculum Course
• Multidisciplinary Pediatric Renal Transplant Patient Care Conference
• Multidisciplinary Patient Care Dialysis Conference
• Combined Urology and Nephrology Conference

Quarterly conferences

• Research in Progress Seminar
• Combined Rheumatology and Nephrology Journal Club

Biannual conferences

• Quality Improvement and Patient Safety Workshop

National conferences

• We have a strong tradition of supporting fellow attendance at a variety of national subspecialty conferences conducive to their learning and career goals throughout the three years of training.

In order to be considered, applicants must have completed a three-year pediatric residency, accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), by the beginning of the Pediatric Nephrology Fellowship Program.

A completed application file includes:

1. Completed application form
2. Current curriculum vitae
3. Personal statement, including:
• Description of previous research and clinical experience
• Reason for interest in a fellowship
• Indication of career goals
4. Three letters of reference (one should be from the residency training program director)
5. United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) Steps 1, 2 and 3 Score Reports
6. Official medical school transcript
7. Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) report, if applicable
8. Recent photograph (optional)

Interviews are required. Application selection is done through the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP).

For questions, contact:

Roshan P George, MD, Program Director, Pediatric Nephrology roshan.punnoose.george@emory.edu or MaryJane Polizzotto, Nephrology Program Coordinator mkell10@emory.edu.

The Children’s Nephrology Program boasts one of the country’s largest and most diverse faculties by virtue of age, experience, gender and ethnicity. Building on exceptional camaraderie, each faculty member is unified in supporting fellows professionally and personally.

Our leadership

Larry Greenbaum, MD, PhD, Chief of Pediatric Nephrology at Children’s, is a highly respected clinician who balances an incredible portfolio of clinical research studies while also actively supporting his faculty and fellows. He is a national academic leader who brings a special passion and energy to his patients and co-workers.

Barry Warshaw, MD, Former Program Director of the Pediatric Nephrology Fellowship Program, is a distinguished physician who founded our division and has helped lead the Children’s nephrology and kidney transplant programs for more than 40 years. He is Vice Chair for Education for the Emory University Department of Pediatrics and serves as the primary mentor for our weekly fellow continuity clinic.

Roshan George, MD, Program Director of the Pediatric Nephrology Fellowship Program, is a 2013 graduate of our program. A multitalented individual, she has special interest in the education of fellows and residents. Her areas of major professional focus include pediatric renal transplantation, transplant immunology, transition of care, chronic kidney disease, quality improvement and faculty development.

Current fellows

• Mary Borst, MD
• Divya Reddy, MD
• Paola Zayas Borges, MD
• Emilia Cadiz, DO
• Ammad Malik, DO (began July 2022)
• Rajavee Panchal, MD (began July 2022)

Meet the nephrology team