Renal Transplant Fellowship

About Our Transplant Fellowship

The Transplantation program at BIDMC is accredited by the American Society of Nephrology (ASN) and the American Society of Transplantation (AST) for a one-year fellowship in transplant nephrology. Our goal is to provide specialty training to board eligible or board-certified nephrologists, qualifying them to head United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS)-approved renal transplant programs. The fellowship allows a basis for the standardization of transplant training and a method of uniform documentation of education for those who wish to lead renal transplant programs. At the end of the one-year fellowship, the fellow should expect to be proficient in all areas of transplant nephrology. BIDMC is one of the four Harvard Medical School teaching hospitals and has an excellent residency-training program. Harvard Medical School students regularly rotate on the medical transplant services.

The clinical component of our program will be tailored to the specific needs of the transplant fellow and will consist of:

Clinical Component

  • Six months of inpatient service, following our kidney and pancreas transplant patients as a senior fellow
  • Weekly Transplant meeting and conference
  • 4-6 out-patient clinics per week in Transplant Nephrology. You will evaluate pre-and post-transplant patients (Kidney, Pancreas candidates), communicate with their referring nephrologists and present these patients at Kidney Intake meeting
  • Performing outpatient transplant biopsies
  • Observation of as many transplants as possible, joining surgeons on local retrievals of organs for both kidney and pancreas
  • One month spent in transplant pathology/radiology training
  • One month spent in the histocompatibility lab
  • Three months will be spent on a guided independent research project

Didactic Component

  • Guided independent study
  • Weekly research conferences in transplant-related subjects by local and invited speakers
  • Attendance at American Transplant Congress Annual Meeting and the American Society of Transplantation Fellow's conference

Our transplant team is proud to be part of the APOL1 Long-term Kidney Transplantation Outcomes (APOLLO) Network, a national study supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) that is working to address racial disparities in kidney transplant outcomes.

How to Apply

One transplant nephrology fellowship certified by the American Society of Transplantation is available each year. If you wish to be considered for this transplant position, please email Hina Iqbal, fellowship administrator, for more information about the application requirements. Letters of reference from three supervising physicians, including your Program Director, are required. Applications for this position will be evaluated on a rolling basis. After review of your application and the letters of reference, we will contact you regarding an interview.

Faculty Leadership

Our Transplant Nephrology Fellowship faculty leadership are listed below. Learn more about our faculty.

Martha Pavlakis, MD, FASN, FAST

Associate Professor of Medicine; Medical Director of Kidney and Pancreas Transplantation

Amtul Aala, MD

Bhavna Chopra, MD

Aditya Pawar, MD