The University of Pennsylvania Fellowship program accepts eight fellows each year. Applicants are invited to apply to a two-year clinical track and a three-year research track. Both the clinical and research tracks provide exposure to all aspects of nephrology and both strive to create a learning environment that allows trainees to succeed while in fellowship and also prepares them for functioning as a nephrologist upon graduation.
The program allows fellows to gain skills in inpatient and outpatient settings in an academic setting. Our three training locations are located within walking distance. Training locations include The Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania (HUP), the primary teaching hospital for trainees, Penn Presbyterian Medical Center (PPMC), and the Philadelphia VA Medical Center (PVAMC). Each of these sites provides a diverse clinical experience spanning the spectrum of clinical nephrology, with division faculty at each site dedicated to medical education and scholarship. In addition, advanced fellowships in transplant nephrology and glomerular disease and onconephrology are offered upon completion of the clinical program.
Education is our top priority. Our program is defined by fellows’ experiential learning in both inpatient and outpatient settings. In addition, didactic and case-based conferences allow for active participation from fellow to faculty level. Our program also provides simulation experience for both patient-centered encounters and for procedural experience with biopsies and nontunneled dialysis catheter placement. Our fellows become skilled in performance of native and transplant kidney biopsies and in the histopathologic interpretation of kidney biopsies, alongside our renal pathology team.
Our program also emphasizes scholarship. Faculty mentors provide guidance in scholarship and career building. The vast majority of our fellows become involved in research projects that can be fellow derived or faculty led. Our program also recognizes that trainee wellness is an important aspect of a healthy learning environment. We encourage our fellows to take an active role in shaping the program for future trainees.
We welcome PGY2 and PGY3 internal medicine residents to rotate within our Division.
Away rotation for internal medicine residents
We welcome PGY2 and PGY3 internal medicine residents to rotate in our Nephrology Fellowship. Rotations are for 4 weeks and are available between the months of September-May. During your rotation you will be assigned to our inpatient rotation, caring for admitted patients to the nephrology service and providing nephrology consults to other services. You will attend general outpatient clinics, as well as access to specialty clinics based on your areas of interest. You will also observe native and transplant biopsies.
If you are interested in rotating with us, please apply using the link below or scan the QR code:
If you have any questions, please contact us at NephrologyFellowship@pennmedicine.upenn.edu
Tweets by PennKidneyDialysis experience
Our fellows are exposed to all modalities of outpatient dialysis through clinical experience, didactic lectures, and a single day intensive home dialysis training session, open to all fellows in the region. The University of Pennsylvania nephrology division is a leader in the field of home dialysis, caring for approximately 100 patients on peritoneal dialysis and many on home hemodialysis.
Subspecialty experience
The Division of Nephrology at Penn has expertise in several areas of nephrology, including glomerular diseases, onconephrology, complex hypertension, nephrolithiasis, polycystic kidney disease, and palliative care nephrology. During the second year, fellows have dedicated exposure to one or more of these subspecialty clinics, which can help foster scholarship and/or additional training plans.
Transplant experience
The University of Pennsylvania consistently ranks as the most active transplant program in the region. Since the program’s first kidney transplant in 1966, Penn transplant surgeons have performed over 4500 kidney transplants. The fellowship program incorporates the required transplant experience into the first and second year schedule, with rotations in both inpatient and outpatient transplant
Point-of-care ultrasound
Fellows have the opportunity to have hands-on experience through a well-developed point-of-care ultrasound curriculum that is embedded into the clinical workflow of the University of Pennsylvania Hospital system at all levels, from medical school to fellowship training.
Advanced training
The University of Pennsylvania offers two advanced fellowships, including a one-year Transplant Nephrology fellowship and a one-year Glomerular Disease & Onconephrology fellowship. After completion of the general nephrology program, fellows are invited to apply for these fellowship opportunities.
Measey medical education fellowship
Second year fellows can apply to this fellowship, sponsored by the Department of Medicine, which prepares fellows for a future role as a medical educator. During this 1-year program, fellows work with colleagues from other specialties to develop their skills as effective teachers and leaders.
Focus on education
The program is committed to providing a strong learning environment with an emphasis on development through clinical exposure, both guided and self-directed learning, and self-reflection and improvement. Fellows are active participants in all aspects of the educational mission at Penn, including conferences, outpatient clinics, and inpatient services. The variety of patient acuity and pathology encountered in each of the three teaching hospitals allows for one of the best training environments. Fellows are guaranteed to see nearly all renal pathology during their training tenure.
The Renal-Electrolyte and Hypertension Division is dedicated to the inclusion and representation of women and women's health issues in the field of nephrology. With this goal in mind, we are committed to:
- The recruitment of women to the field of nephrology
- Maintaining women faculty in the Renal-Electrolyte and Hypertension Division
- Career development and mentorship
- Educating and encouraging research in women's health issues in nephrology
Resources for women at the University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania offers various programs and resources that support women in academic medicine including:
- Focus - A program founded to support the advancement and leadership of women in academic medicine and to promote education and research in women's health.
- University of Pennsylvania Human Resources
- Wharton's Work/Life Integration Project
External resources
- Changing the Face of Medicine: Celebrating America's Women Physicians
- American Medical Women's Association
- Association of American Medical Colleges, Women in Medicine
- Association for Women in Science
Selected reading material
Women in Medicine, Science, Leadership and Equality in the Workplace:
- NASPA Journal About Women in Higher Education. Compton and Palmer: 2009, p167.
Balancing Family and Work:
- Verlander, G. Female Physicians: Balancing Career and Family. Academic Psychiatry; Dec 2004, (28): 331-336.
- Carnes, M. Balancing Family and Career - Advice from the Trenches. Annals of Internal Medicine; Oct 1996, 125(7): 618-620.
Fellowship administration
Amanda Leonberg-Yoo, MD, MS
Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine
Training Program Director, Nephrology Fellowship Program
Primary Location: Penn Presbyterian Medical Center & The Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania
Rachel Hilburg, MD
Assistant Professor of Clinical Medicine
Associate Program Director, Nephrology Fellowship Program
Primary Location: Penn Presbyterian Medical Center
Nay Seif, MD
Associate Program Director, Nephrology Fellowship Program
Assistant Professor of Clinical Medicine
Primary Location: The Hospital at University of Pennsylvania
John Demko, MD
Associate Program Director, Nephrology Fellowship Program
Assistant Professor of Clinical Medicine
Primary Location: The Hospital at University of Pennsylvania
Laura Watabu, C-TAGME
Nephrology Fellowship Program Administrator
University of Pennsylvania, Division of Nephrology
nephrologyfellowship@pennmedicine.upenn.edu