UCLA Nephrology Fellowship Program: A Comprehensive Overview

The UCLA Nephrology Fellowship Program, now the UCLA-VA Nephrology Fellowship Training Program, is a highly regarded program designed to provide comprehensive clinical and research training to postgraduates in internal medicine seeking specialization in nephrology. This article delves into the program's structure, curriculum, training sites, application requirements, and the overall experience it offers to its fellows.

A Unified Program: Combining Strengths for Superior Training

Starting July 1, 2017, the UCLA Nephrology Fellowship Training Program expanded to become the UCLA-VA Nephrology Fellowship Training Program. This merger pooled the strengths of individual programs into a single, academically superior program. This unified approach provides trainees with a wide range of diverse educational experiences, enabling them to leverage the resources at each institution and learn from a high-caliber nephrology faculty.

Program Leadership and Faculty Commitment

The combined program is under the leadership of Dr. Mohammad Kamgar, with Dr. Igor Kagan and Dr. Basmah Abdalla serving as Co-Program Directors. The faculty are known for their friendliness and commitment to the fellows' education, creating a supportive and collaborative learning environment.

The Olive View-UCLA Nephrology Fellowship Program: A Closer Look

The Olive View-UCLA Nephrology Fellowship Program is an ACGME (Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education) accredited program tailored for postgraduates in internal medicine aspiring to specialize in nephrology. The program cultivates a rigorous academic environment that supports fellows in attaining expertise across all facets of nephrology.

Based in Los Angeles at the Olive View-UCLA Medical Center, an academic county hospital, the program serves a large and diverse patient population. The ties to UCLA offer advanced education in kidney transplant, while local community partners prepare fellows for outpatient hemodialysis.

Clinical Experience: Diverse and Extensive

Fellows affiliated with the program are immersed in an extensive outpatient clinical setting. This includes a weekly Chronic Kidney Disease Clinic and an Acute Glomerulonephritis and Renal Transplant Clinic, managing a combined caseload of 80-100 patients each week. Training in outpatient dialysis care is provided at the North Hollywood Davita and the Panorama City Kaiser Permanente Dialysis Units.

The inpatient consult service is characterized by its diverse patient population, allowing for comprehensive training in various nephrology domains. Fellows gain procedural skills such as native and allograft kidney biopsies, hemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis, and continuous renal replacement therapy. The typical inpatient consult team comprises three fellows, one Nurse Practitioner, and one to two residents, overseeing the care of 15-30 patients daily, with the service handling 4-8 new consults on average each day.

Fellows have unique opportunities to rotate through the UCLA Kidney Transplant Program to gain insight into acute renal transplant care and may opt to join the Liver Transplant renal service as an elective, enhancing experience with solid organ transplant care.

Curriculum: A Comprehensive Training Experience

The curriculum offers a comprehensive training experience, including various clinics. Ambulatory Clinics, such as the Chronic Kidney Disease Clinic, facilitate exposure to a wide array of renal disorders through direct patient interactions. Conditions managed include hematuria, proteinuria, unique forms of hypertension, congenital kidney anomalies, and chronic kidney disease, among others.

Compared to the Chronic Kidney Disease Clinic, the Kidney Transplant and Acute Glomerular Disease Clinic provides fellows with continuity of care for kidney transplant patients while also managing newly diagnosed glomerular diseases.

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During inpatient rotations, fellows routinely consult on cases involving acute kidney injury, varying from contrast-induced to complex cases associated with systemic conditions. The fellows become proficient in managing all forms of renal replacement therapy during their consults.

Research and Electives: Tailoring the Experience

Fellows are afforded time for research, with one month allocated in the first year and three months available in the second year. Research opportunities encompass both clinical and basic science, aligned with fellows' personal preferences. Fellows may also partake in elective rotations to augment their training experiences during the fellowship.

Teaching and Conferences: Fostering Professional Growth

Educational development is a cornerstone of the fellowship, featuring numerous didactic conferences aimed at professional growth. Weekly Journal Clubs encourage discussion around pivotal nephrology literature, while Chief Rounds focus on fundamental nephrology topics. Additionally, fellows can participate in morbidity and mortality conferences, which occur quarterly. The collaborative nature of these conferences assists fellows in building a strong foundation in nephrology.

Training Sites: Broadening Exposure and Learning

The program utilizes several training sites to broaden fellows' exposure and learning. Major facilities include Olive View-UCLA Medical Center, Ronald Reagan Medical Center at UCLA, North Hollywood Davita Dialysis, and Kaiser Permanente in Panorama City. Each site contributes specialized training experiences in various aspects of nephrology care.

Visa Support and Competitiveness

The Olive View-UCLA Nephrology Fellowship Program offers comprehensive visa support, sponsoring visas such as the J-1 and H-1B for eligible international medical graduates. The program is known to be highly competitive but is also perceived as friendly towards applicants from both DO (Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine) backgrounds and IMGs (International Medical Graduates).

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Application Requirements

There may be specific application requirements, such as the necessary year of graduation from medical school and a maximum allowance on failed STEP exams.

A Glimpse into the Fellow Experience

Fellows consistently praise the program for its friendly and supportive environment, the commitment of the faculty, and the exceptional clinical training provided. The program is described as a "family," fostering a sense of camaraderie and shared learning.

The UCLA Kidney Transplant Program: A Center of Excellence

The UCLA Kidney Transplant Program, affiliated with the fellowship, is one of the largest in the United States, performing over 300 kidney transplants annually while maintaining over 2000 candidates on its waiting list. The program is regarded as a pioneer of tissue typing, and assays developed at UCLA for histocompatibility are now widely used around the world.

The prestigious UCLA Kidney Transplant Program is seeking to hire a faculty member to join the large and growing program. The candidate should have an M.D., D.O., or equivalent degree, be board certified or board eligible in Internal Medicine and Nephrology, and have completed an AST/ASN accredited transplant nephrology fellowship or have the equivalent experience by years of practice as a transplant nephrologist in a sizeable transplant program. The program seeks a candidate with a proven track record of exceptional clinical care, scholarly activity, and teaching.

The clinical faculty member will be expected to provide clinical care in both the pre-transplant and post-transplant setting, including primary medical management of acutely transplanted patients during their initial admission for transplant surgery. This position involves working with a multi-disciplinary team that includes nurse practitioners and direct supervision and teaching of nephrology fellows, residents, and medical students. The transplant program has over 60 dedicated personnel. This faculty position is expected to contribute to the clinical, research, and overall academic mission of the Department of Medicine and the Division of Nephrology.

Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion

The shared values of the David Geffen School of Medicine (DGSOM) are expressed in the Cultural North Star, which was developed by members of the community and affirms an unswerving commitment to doing whatâs right, making things better, and being kind. These are the standards to which members hold themselves, and one another.

As the nation's premier public research university, the University of California's mission is the creation, dissemination, preservation, and application of knowledge for the betterment of our global society. There is a particular responsibility to the people of the state of California, which is expressed in the excellence of the education provided, the impact of the research conducted, the comprehensive, life-saving medical services provided, and the public service mission to which the university is devoted. The University of California promotes the social mobility of its students, equips them with the tools and experience that furthers their ambitions, and regards their accomplishments across the life span as evidence of the profoundly positive impact of higher education.

Reflecting on personal and professional experiences, applicants are encouraged to highlight their past contributions and future commitments to advancing UCLA's mission as embodied in the 2023-28 strategic plan. As a University employee, compliance with all applicable University policies and/or collective bargaining agreements, as may be amended from time to time, is required. Federal, state, or local government directives may impose additional requirements. The University of California is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

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