The Nephrology Fellowship Program at Wake Forest School of Medicine emphasizes the importance of participating in and learning to critically appraise medical research as part of a well-rounded Wake Forest Nephrology Fellowship Research training program. 

  • Fellows appraise the medical literature and learn to understand basic statistical analysis through our journal club conference series.
  • Fellows attend an 8 week research curriculum seminar, put on by the Wake Forest Translational Science Institute, which teaches everything from the basics of setting up a study to completing a publication.

The Nephrology Fellowship, in conjunction with the Wake Forest Department of Public Health Sciences, offers an optional track that extends one to two years beyond the two year clinical fellowship during which a Master’s degree in Clinical Epidemiology can be achieved. During the post clinical years, the focus is chiefly on coursework and thesis development toward the M.S. degree. This track is a great option for those looking to pursue academic medicine, particularly in clinical research.

Research Focus and Expectations

The Section on Nephrology has a long history of strong clinical and translational research and maintains special focus in the following areas:

  • Inherited kidney diseases
  • APO-L1 related kidney disease
  • Hemodialysis
  • Peritoneal dialysis
  • Interventional nephrology
  • Acute kidney injury
  • Electrolytes and metabolic acidosis

Several unique program resources help make fellow centered research a reality including: 

  • Cooperation with the Wake Forest Department of Public Health Sciences for readily available collaboration in statistical analysis
  • Access to our large Wake Forest Outpatient Dialysis System for observational research opportunities in the field of dialysis
  • A supportive staff in the Office of Research who provide resources for everything from grant writing to publication

Fellows are required to complete one scholarly activity during their training, which can include a published manuscript, or a poster or presentation at a regional or national meeting. During the first year, fellows are matched with a faculty member who serves as a research mentor during the fellowship. Fellows are also required to participate in continuous quality improvement and are encouraged to present a completed project at our annual Wake Forest Quality Improvement Showcase.