Pathology Clinical Fellowship Programs

Program Faculty Charles E. Alpers, MD Professor, Pathology; Adjunct Professor, Medicine Director, Renal Pathology Fellowship Program Behzad Najafian, MD - Assistant Professor, Pathology Roberto Nicosia, MD - Professor & Director, VA Pathology Kelly Smith, MD PhD - Assistant Professor, Pathology

Montlake Cut Between Lake Washington and Lake Union

Description

The Renal Pathology Fellowship at the University of Washington is a fellowship jointly supported by the University of Washington Medical Center and the Department of Pathology. The purpose of this fellowship is to provide an intensive experience in diagnostic renal pathology, with broad experience in the techniques of evaluation of histology specimens, immunofluorescence microscopy, electron microscopy, immunohistochemistry, and other adjunctive techniques relevant to the clinical diagnosis of renal biopsy material. The fellow will join with the pathology faculty in all aspects of the routine diagnostic work-up of all renal biopsies accessioned by this hospital, including immunofluorescence microscopy studies and full work-up and analysis by electron microscopy. In the course of such studies, the fellow will also gain experience in the management and supervision of hospital laboratories that perform each of these functions. It is expected that at the end of one year, the fellow would have sufficient diagnostic experience to be able to function independently as a diagnostic renal pathologist in an academic medical center. 1 position/year
 

The long-range goal of this fellowship is to train academic renal pathologists, and therefore an important component of the fellowship is engagement in clinical and/or basic research. Clinical research studies are incorporated into the daily diagnostic work of the fellow, and are based on the material accessioned by the renal pathology service. More basic research will utilize projects ongoing in the investigators’ research laboratories, as well as other nephrology based research laboratories, principally those previously linked by their participation in an NIH funded O’Brien Kidney Research Center at the University of Washington. It is anticipated that involvement in these latter studies would involve one or more additional years of research training beyond that provided in the diagnostic portion of the renal pathology fellowship. The laboratories of Dr. Alpers and Nicosia are currently engaged in NIH funded investigations of membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis, knockout and transgenic murine models of diabetes, HIV induced renal injury, roles of chemokines and growth factors in renal development and injury, and angiogenesis. Dr. Smith has an NIH funded research program focused on Toll-like receptors in regulation of immune response. With others at the University of Washington, we have also recently created a Center for Comparative Genomics,currently funded by the NIH, with Dr. Alpers as Principal Investigator, to use microarray gene profiling technology for studies of murine disease models, seeking to eventually adapt this technology to studies of our library of human renal biopsy tissues. Fellows will be encouraged to participate in these studies or in relevant studies conducted by other members of the University of Washington community, such as those in areas of vascular biology or diabetes.

The graduates of our program primarily go on to positions in academic medicine combining clinical practice in diagnostic renal pathology and basic kidney and translational research. 

• M. Barry Stokes, MD - Columbia University Medical Center
• Kelly Smith, MD PhD - University of Washington
• Nedjema Sustento-Reodica, MD - Northwestern University
• Jolanta Kowalewska, MD - University of Washington
• Anthony Chang, MD - University of Chicago Hospitals
• Erika Bracamonte, MD - Arizona Health Sciences Center
• Alexander Kats, MD - Children's Mercy Hospital, Kansas City, MO
• Xiaotong "Tony" Wang, MD - Northshore University Hospital, Long Island, NY
• Ryuji Ohashi, MD PhD - Weill Cornell Medical College

Requirements

Applicants are expected to have completed the training required for certification in Clinical and/or Anatomic Pathology by the American Board of Pathology. This requirement may be waived by the Program Director in exceptional cases.
 

Stipend & Benefits

Appointment is for 1 clinical year with 1-2 years optional research training. Stipend and benefits are based on the schedule for residents at an equivalent level. Fellows are encouraged to apply for extramural funding if additional years of research training is desired.
 

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