Fellowship Program Director
Thank you for your interest in the University of Michigan Pediatric Nephrology fellowship training program. Our program has a long history of training the leaders of tomorrow in the areas of research, administration and patient care.
We are dedicated to providing clinical training and research opportunities to train successful academic pediatric nephrologists. To this end, we have four aims.
First, we endeavor to deliver a comprehensive curriculum that prepares trainees for independent practice. From beginning continuity clinic in the first year to establishing an elective with dedicated time devoted to chronic and acute dialysis, our program emphasizes the hands-on learning opportunities that arise from direct patient care. Clinical care and experiential learning are augmented by our weekly curriculum series. This course allows trainees to synthesize their clinical knowledge with basic pathophysiology, case-based learning and preparation for the Pediatric Nephrology Boards. Pediatric fellows also participate in the adult nephrology program’s weekly educational conference series that augments education in the fundamentals of renal disease.
We strive to provide a rich learning environment for trainees in the clinical setting that emphasizes providing the highest quality patient care.
Our dialysis unit is involved in the large-scale SCOPE collaborative to identify and spread effective interventions across pediatric dialysis care settings. Our faculty and fellows participate in clinical care with multiple other subspecialties, notably the Pediatric Renovascular Hypertension Center and the Congenital Heart Center. Fellows gain invaluable exposure to management of resistant renovascular hypertension and have unique opportunities in critical care nephrology with robust continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) exposure.
We aim to mentor trainees in research pursuits that advance the field of pediatric nephrology. Within the division, we have expertise in nephrotic syndrome clinical and translational research, multi-site large-scale research collaboratives, health services research and health policy. As part of the broader campus community, faculty and fellows are involved in multidisciplinary research with other medical departments, undergraduate and graduate schools.
Lastly, we seek to engage trainees in efforts the overall safety and quality of their patients’ care. For the third year, our fellows participate in a three-part series on Root Cause Analysis where they learn critical skills to examine patient safety events. Through the medical school, fellows have the opportunity to participate in the Patient Safety and Quality Leadership (PASQUAL) Scholars Program which, upon completion, they will be well-positioned to direct quality and safety initiatives and to facilitate education and research in these areas.
We have a great group of faculty and staff committed to the education and training of our fellows. The collaborative nature of and dedication to patient care and training within and between divisions and departments is especially strong. In addition, we have unique research, patient safety and educational opportunities. We look forward to the opportunity to discuss training in this innovative environment with a breadth of clinical opportunities.
David Kershaw, MD
Fellowship Program Director
Pediatric Nephrology
C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital
