nephrology md with fellows hallway

Nephrology Fellowship

Two-Year Fellowship

ACGME accredited

Training in public hospital settings

Clinical research opportunities with two dedicated foundations

About the Program

About the Program

Hennepin Healthcare has a history of training Nephrology fellows for over four decades and has been a regional leader in the delivery of care for patients with kidney disease since the 1960s. As a public safety net health system, our fellows are instrumental in the delivery of kidney care to the underserved in Hennepin County. The fellowship provides state-of-the-art training in Nephrology with a focus on education, didactics, innovative teaching methods, and a commitment to work-life balance.

Hands-on Experience

Fellows evaluate and manage patients with acute and chronic kidney diseases, glomerular disease, hypertension, fluid, electrolyte, and acid-base disorders. In addition to inpatient care, fellows see patients in specialty clinics such as our Kidney Transplant Center, Kidney Clinic, Dialysis Access Clinic, and ambulatory dialysis clinics including home hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis clinics. Hennepin Healthcare cares for over 350 patients on dialysis, one of the largest programs in the upper Midwest, and performs approximately 50 kidney transplants per year. Through our partnership with the Minneapolis VA Medical Center, fellows care for veterans with kidney diseases in the inpatient and ambulatory settings.

Comprehensive Training in Nephrology

Fellows on inpatient services gain extensive experience in a broad range of kidney conditions and interventions, including kidney replacement therapies (e.g., continuous kidney replacement therapies (CKRT), conventional hemodialysis, slow low-efficiency dialysis, and peritoneal dialysis). In addition, fellows receive hands-on training in therapeutic apheresis and exchange transfusion procedures. Fellows have the opportunity to perform central line placement for dialysis catheters (with backup support from our ICU and ED colleagues when needed) and ultrasound-guided kidney biopsy (both native and transplant).

Curriculum

About Our Curriculum

Our mission is to provide exceptional training in the principles and practice of Nephrology.  Through our comprehensive curriculum, fellows gain clinical competency in Nephrology and progress through the ACGME Milestones toward board certification. Our program accomplishes this through rigorous hands-on training through inpatient and outpatient rotations, extensive didactics, simulation, and through individual attention. Our fellowship graduates have achieved a 100% board pass rate since our fellowship relaunched as an independent program in 2015.

Our curriculum exposes fellows to inpatient consultative rotations at Hennepin Healthcare and the Minneapolis VA Medical Center, a unique admitting service for patients with end-stage kidney disease, a Kidney Transplantation service that oversees approximately 50 new kidney transplants per year, Kidney Pathology Service with an extensive referral practice from groups within Minnesota, and ambulatory clinics in Nephrology. Fellows also follow in-center hemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis, and home hemodialysis patients in continuity over the course of two years from our extensive dialysis practice that exceeds 350 total patients. Fellows can also leverage the unique experiences at Hennepin Healthcare for additional training in Toxicology, point-of-care ultrasound, vascular access placement, Palliative Care, and hyperbaric services.

Didactics

Didactic Opportunities

One of the strongest elements of our training program is our didactic curriculum, which occurs 3-4 days per week over the noon hour. This exposes fellows to broad topics in Nephrology with an emphasis on innovative teaching methods.

Our conference schedule includes:

Case Conference

  • 1st Monday of each month
  • Led by fellows and faculty, the group reviews interesting cases from both the inpatient and ambulatory practice including difficult scenarios and unique challenging cases.

Journal Club

  • 3rd Monday for each month
  • Alternating between faculty and fellow-led discussions, the group reviews recent publications in Nephrology with a critical appraisal of the study and the relevant literature.

Board Review

  • 1-2 times per month on Mondays
  • Utilizing content from ASN KSAP, fellows participate in real-time board review style questions with group discussions on the best approach to each question.

Kidney Physiology Series

  • Tuesdays from January to June each year
  • Utilizing content from the CJASN Kidney Physiology article series, fellows and faculty review concepts in physiology weekly and with frequent connections to clinical practice.

Core Curriculum Series

  • Weekly on Wednesdays
  • Faculty present topics in Nephrology that cover a comprehensive review of the practice of Nephrology. These include formal didactic-style presentations, case-based presentations, small-group workshops, and simulation experiences. The core curriculum is linked to a core textbook that is provided to each fellow at the start of the fellowship.

Kidney Grand Rounds

  • Weekly on Fridays
  • Presentations from faculty, fellows, and visiting speakers. Talks include cutting-edge advances in Nephrology, updates in clinical practice, research presentations, and Kidney Pathology conferences.
Faculty

Our Faculty

Program Leadership

  • Saugar Maripuri, MD, MPH, Program Director, Hennepin Healthcare; Associate Professor of Medicine, University of Minnesota
  • Kirsten Johansen, MD, Nephrology Division Director, Professor of Medicine, University of Minnesota
  • Jennifer Wu, DO, Associate Program Director, Assistant Professor of Medicine
  • Danielle Haselby, DO, Associate Program Director, Assistant Professor of Medicine
  • Yoav Segal, MD, Site Director, Minneapolis Veterans Administration Medical Center, Associate Professor of Medicine, University of Minnesota

Hennepin Healthcare Nephrology Faculty

Rotation Schedule

About Our Rotations

Fellows complete a comprehensive education in Nephrology in both the inpatient and ambulatory settings. Rotations are 4 weeks in length throughout 13 blocks each year. Fellows complete approximately 9 inpatient blocks during their first year of fellowship and approximately 7 inpatient blocks during their second year. First-year fellows also have a dedicated rotation in Kidney Pathology and Dialysis/Access Fundamentals. Fellows have ample opportunities to complete electives during non-inpatient blocks and blocks dedicated to flex time to complete scholarly activities.

Fellows take call from home and are on-call no more than one weeknight per week and one weekend per month.

Fellows do not need to arrange coverage when they are on vacation and all clinical services can function without fellow coverage if needed.

Inpatient Rotations

HCMC Consults

Inpatient consultative practice in Nephrology in an urban safety net hospital. Clinical exposure to patients with acute kidney injury, intoxications, electrolyte and acid/base disturbances, glomerulonephritis, complex hypertension, and patients requiring therapeutic apheresis. Fellows gain experience in acute hemodialysis, CKRT, central line placement, kidney biopsy, ICU nephrology, toxicology, kidney injury in trauma and complex burn patients, and apheresis.

VA Consults

Inpatient consultative Nephrology practice at a large urban VA medical center. Clinical exposure to patients with acute kidney injury, end-stage kidney disease on dialysis, electrolyte, and acid/base disturbances, glomerulonephritis, and complex hypertension. Fellows gain experience in acute hemodialysis, chronic hemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis, CKRT, central line placement, kidney biopsy, ICU nephrology, and apheresis.

HCMC Red Medicine Service

Admitting service for patients with ESKD on dialysis or with kidney transplants. Fellows supervise medical residents and students who admit and manage patients with medical and surgical issues in the setting of ESKD. Fellows gain experience in managing common internal medicine and surgical problems in patients on dialysis and with kidney transplants.

HCMC Kidney Transplant Service

Inpatient consultations on ESKD patients with new kidney transplants in close support with our surgical transplantation colleagues. Fellows also see patients in the Kidney Transplant Center including new transplants in the outpatient setting, established transplant follow-up, new recipient evaluations, donor evaluations, and wait-list visits. Fellows actively participate in selection committee meetings and work closely with supervising transplant nephrologists. Fellows have the opportunity to observe transplant surgeries in the OR.

Outpatient rotations

General Nephrology Clinic (Hennepin Healthcare and Minneapolis VA)

Fellows have their own assigned continuity clinic where they see empaneled patients for a ½ day each week, including the management of CKD, complex hypertension, dysnatremias, kidney stones, and glomerulonephritis.

In-Center Hemodialysis Clinic (Davita Dialysis Units and Minneapolis VA)

Fellows round on a panel of in-center hemodialysis patients paired with a faculty member once monthly.

Home Dialysis Clinic (Davita Dialysis Units)

Fellows round on a panel of home hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis patients paired with a faculty member once monthly.

Kidney Pathology (Hennepin Healthcare)

Fellows work with dedicated Pathology staff, residents, and technicians to learn the essentials of kidney pathology. Fellows assist in the interpretation of kidney biopsies done in-house and from an extensive referral practice in Minnesota. Fellows present at the Kidney Pathology Conference and learn from teaching slide sets under the guidance of a faculty pathologist.

Dialysis/Access Fundamentals (Hennepin Healthcare and Minneapolis VA)

Fellows learn machine setup and troubleshooting under the guidance of a certified dialysis nurse at the Minneapolis VA. Fellows also are exposed to Palliative Care rounding at the VA during this rotation. Hennepin fellows return to HHS in the afternoons to work with our surgeons in Dialysis Access Clinic to evaluate dialysis access and observe access procedures and surgeries in IR and the OR.

Elective (Hennepin Healthcare and Minneapolis VA)

Fellows can structure elective time based on their own goals. Experiences could include additional exposure to Transplantation, Palliative Care, Toxicology, Private Practice Nephrology, Pediatric Nephrology (UMN), research, and QI.

Flex/Research/Quality Improvement (Hennepin Healthcare and Minneapolis VA)

Fellows have dedicated blocks to advance their research, quality improvement projects, and clinical experiences related to career specialization.

What Sets Us Apart?

Commitment to education.

Nearly 300 physicians study with us each year as residents, fellows, and medical students. The Nephrology Division has 15 faculty members dedicated to patient care and medical training. All faculty have teaching appointments at the University of Minnesota Medical School and 7 are at the Associate level or higher.

Individual attention and leadership.

Fellows are paired with Nephrology faculty that are dedicated to the educational mission of the Nephrology fellowship. Educational value is prioritized over clinical service, ensuring trainees have ample opportunities to learn and thrive without excessive clinical burden. Teaching is individualized to the needs of the learner.

Work-life balance.

Fellows learn and work in a fostering environment that prioritizes work-life balance. Fellows take overnight calls one weeknight per week and cover hospital services one weekend per month. Inpatient services are structured to allow fellows the flexibility to take time off or vacation.

Cutting-edge equipment and procedures.

Our facilities and curriculum integrate the latest technology in Nephrology practice. Fellows have access to and utilize a state-of-the-art Patient Simulation Center. They gain experience in the use of point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) through fellowship-owned Butterfly IQ devices. Fellows can participate in virtual visits using a dedicated Zoom and Epic-based telemedicine platform. Fellows are exposed to a cutting-edge didactic curriculum and have a 100% board pass rate on the ABIM Nephrology Board Exam.

Clinical research opportunities.

The Chronic Disease Research Group (CDRG), formed by Hennepin Healthcare nephrologists to investigate public health issues related to chronic illnesses and treatment, enriches the training experience by giving fellows access to skilled research mentors. Under multimillion-dollar contracts with the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the research group currently serves as the coordinating center for the US Renal Data System (USRDS) and Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients (SRTR), both of which serve important needs for epidemiologic research in the US on dialysis and transplant recipients.

Nephrology Staff 2023

Application Requirements

Applications are accepted through ERAS

Requirements

Prospective candidates must show completion of an ACGME-accredited residency in Internal Medicine.

Your application must include:

  • Medical school transcripts
  • Residency Completion
  • Curriculum vitae
  • Three letters of recommendation
  • Personal statement

Non-resident applicants must possess a J1 visa or green card; this program will look at highly qualified H1B applicants on an individual basis. Non-resident candidates should submit an ECFMG certificate and results of Steps I and II (required) and Step III along with their application.

Process

  1. Submission:  Submit your application through the Electronic Resident Application System (ERAS). Pursuant to the ASN All-In Policy, all fellowship positions are filled through the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP).
  2. Scoring: Each applicant will be scored based on these criteria:
    • Medical school transcripts
    • Demonstrated clinical excellence and professionalism
    • Honors and accomplishments
    • Publications
    • Letters of recommendation
    • Interviews
  3. Interviews: For the 2024 appointment year NRMP Match cycle, all interviews will be held virtually using Zoom. Selected applicants will be invited for a virtual interview. All scheduling of interviews is done through the ERAS Scheduler. We understand that it may be difficult for applicants to adequately assess a program through the virtual interview format. Optional in-person site visits to our campus are available upon request with a limited number of travel grants available to offset the cost of airfare and hotel. In-person site visits do not impact our program's ranking decisions of applicants and are made available solely for applicants to make informed ranking decisions.
  4. Decision:  Match Day for the 2024 Appointment Year is Wednesday, November 29, 2023.

Make a Donation to the Nephrology Education Fund

Write Nephrology Education Fund #340 in the Designation Line. 

About Our Facility

Fellows rotate between two leading hospitals in Minneapolis to experience firsthand the day-to-day operations of major public hospitals.

Hennepin Healthcare operates Hennepin County Medical Center, a county safety net hospital delivering exceptional care to underserved patients in Hennepin County. The hospital is a Level 1 Trauma Center, Poison Center, Burn Center, Hyperbaric Center, ECMO provider, and has >450 licensed beds. The HCMC ED handles greater than 90,000 patients each year.

The Minneapolis VA Medical Center serves veterans in the upper Midwest and provides essential services including inpatient and ambulatory care. The medical center specializes in spinal cord injury and polytrauma treatment among veterans.

Contact

contact photo only saugar maripuri

Saugar Maripuri, MD, MPH

Program Director
[email protected]

Hennepin Healthcare
701 Park Avenue
Minneapolis MN 55415

Barnes Anne Contact

Anne Barnes

Residency Program Coordinator
[email protected]

For more program highlights and updates from the Nephrology division,
follow us on Twitter, twitter.com/HennepinKidney!

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