Nephrology Fellowship
Nephrology Fellowship Program Director's Welcome
Our Nephrology fellowship program is the only ACGME-accredited nephrology training program in Mississippi. In accordance with the mission of UMMC, we emphasize patient care, education and research. We offer both a 2-year clinical track, as well as a more traditional 3-year track incorporating formal research as well. Being the state's only academic medical center, we are referred some of the most complex patients with kidney disease. As a result, our trainees get exceptional experience spanning the gamut from the glomerulonephritides, diabetic kidney disease, complex cases of acute kidney injury, and electrolyte/acid-base and fluid disorders to kidney transplant, resistant hypertension and kidney stones.
Along the way, our fellows garner an experience rich in all modalities of kidney replacement therapies (including all forms of continuous therapies). We have our own in-center outpatient hemodialysis unit, as well as a vibrant and expanding home dialysis program that offers both peritoneal dialysis and home hemodialysis. Our continuous kidney replacement therapies program for critically ill patients is a national leader in the field, and provides state-of-the-art technology and expertise. Our fellows rotate through all these services and obtain valuable experience in these modalities.
Our fellowship program is clinically oriented with our fellows easily meeting ACGME criteria for numbers of procedures. In addition, the UMMC Simulation Lab offers state of the art opportunities to hone procedural skills. We have instituted a night-float system for call, that has been very well-received by our fellows. UMMC has a robust solid organ transplant program, and over 125 new kidney transplants have been performed annually for the last couple of years. Our fellows rotate through both the inpatient and outpatient renal transplant services, learning both the basics and the nuances of the field from our transplant nephrologists.
Research opportunities during the fellowship include the opportunity to take part in ongoing NIH-funded studies in the Division; the Jackson Heart Study, a multimillion dollar NIH-funded study; as well as collaborative efforts with our internationally renowned Department of Physiology (this is indeed the home base of Arthur C. Guyton) and the recently established School of Population Health on the UMMC campus. Our NIH funded faculty offer another avenue for fellows to perform research. In addition, our fellows participate in quality assurance and performance improvement projects throughout their time here – and indeed, initiate many of these!
Prodigious emphasis is given to education during the fellows’ training. The board pass rate for our fellows in 2019 and 2020 was 100%. Didactic sessions are provided to the fellows and comprise of core lectures and nephrology grand rounds on a weekly basis, monthly journal club and renal biopsy conference, nephrology board review on a weekly basis in the spring, and multidisciplinary conferences.
We have clinical affiliations with other institutions and private practice groups in the Jackson area. Opportunities for elective rotations in Interventional Nephrology and Renal Pathology are available both within UMMC and through our private practice affiliations. We are proud of what we have to offer through all of our training programs. They offer the perfect balance to a fellowship program that is large enough to give exposure to the wide breadth of renal diseases while at the same time small enough to maintain a personal feel in a collegial atmosphere. We are committed to excellence and the highest standards of patient care, education and research.
Jackson and UMMC have something unique to offer to everyone. The city has a distinct cosmopolitan flair, and UMMC resides in the heart of the Fondren district known for its arts and bohemian atmosphere. Affordable housing in the neighborhoods around the medical center as well as in the suburbs, with a short commute for suburbanites, garage parking on campus, and good environments for both singles and those with families, are just a few of the advantages of living in this area.
It is truly both a calling and an honor to care for an underserved population in one of the most underserved of states. Mississippi has one of the highest rates of kidney disease in the U.S., and we are out to make a difference! And we invite you to join us in this journey. You will have a robust inpatient and outpatient experience that provides clinical training that is unmatched anywhere else. I really hope that you will consider taking a closer look at our program. Please contact me directly with any questions you may have, and kindly consider visiting us to experience our vibrant and exciting offerings!
Pradeep Vaitla, MD
Associate Professor
Fellowship Program Director