Pediatric Nephrology Fellowship Program

David Kershaw, M.D.
David Kershaw, M.D.
Fellowship Program Director
Message from our Director thumbnail image

 The Pediatric Nephrology fellowship program at the University of Michigan is designed to provide clinical training and research opportunities to allow trainees to be successful as an academic pediatric nephrologist and deliver the highest quality patient care and experience to children with kidney disease from infancy to young adulthood. 

 At University of Michigan, we have a diverse patient population to support this mission. Unique opportunities for clinical care include the Renovascular Hypertension Center which is an international referral center for surgical treatment of renovascular hypertension.  Critical care nephrology is a robust part of our training program with busy PICU, NICU and Pediatric Cardiac ICUs. Fellows gain valuable exposure to continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) and plasmapheresis as part of their training. While C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital is a free-standing children’s hospital, we are uniquely positioned adjoining University Hospital and share close collaboration with our adult nephrology colleagues in areas of glomerular disease research and basic and translational research.

Pediatric Nephrology faculty are involved in all aspects of basic science, translational, and health services research. Faculty lead and are involved in multicenter large-scale studies. Fellow participation is an integral part of our research enterprise. As a part of the University of Michigan, the #2 institution in the country in NIH funding, the available opportunities for diverse and fellow driven research opportunities are abundant.

Former trainees of the program have gone on to be nationally recognized researchers and clinicians, CMS officials and Department Chairs. 

A growing number of Michigan Medicine off-site locations, as well as partnerships and joint ventures with other institutions, extend the range of training options both regionally and internationally.

Highlights of our training program include:

  • Robust exposure to acute care nephrology in the pediatric intensive care units
  • Proficiency in continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) and therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE)
  • Procedural exposure with native and transplant biopsies performed by nephrologists
  • The unique opportunity to learn acute peritoneal dialysis catheter placement as part of training
  • Participation in multidisciplinary care of rare pediatrics diseases in the Glomerular Disease Clinic, Renovascular Hypertension Clinic, Interidisciplinary Systemic Inflammation Clinic, Multidisciplinary Pediatric Stone Clinic and the Dialysis Clinic.
  • Breadth of pediatric nephrology clinical research with the majority of patients involved in research cohorts (CKiD, NEPTUNE, IROC, cPROBE, Cure GN)
  • Dedicated Kidney Epidemiology and Cost Center (KECC) at the School of Public Health to facilitate research in kidney disease
  • Access to major national databases and projects including the CDC CKD Surveillance Project
  • Home to the Institute of Health Policy and Innovation (IHPI) and Child Health Evaluation and Research Center (CHEAR), part of the leading health services research groups in the country facilitating with cross university collaborations including the School of Public Health, Engineering School and School of Information
  • Strong ancillary support with three dedicated renal dieticians, nurses, social worker
  • Ability to care for a diverse patient population drawn from the entire state of Michigan and northern Ohio. Michigan is home people from many cultural and ethnic backgrounds. 

Health and Wellness Resources 

The Michigan Medicine Wellness Office is dedicated to improving workforce well-being, reducing professional burnout, and creating a caring, safe environment where all faculty, staff, and learners at Michigan Medicine can thrive. For more details, visit the Wellness Office Website.

U-M takes specific measures to assist our residents and fellows. Visit the House Officer Wellness Website to learn about resources available for physical well-being, mental and emotional health, professional development, and more.