PEDIATRIC NEPHROLOGY TRAINING

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The purpose of the training program in Pediatric Nephrology at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center is to train pediatricians for careers as independent investigators in academic Pediatric Nephrology. There is a shortage of Pediatric Nephrologists in the United States and many positions in Pediatric Nephrology go unfilled each year. Most trainees in Pediatric Nephrology do not receive training to prepare them for independent research careers. This application requests funds for two Pediatric Nephrology fellowship positions per year (clinical training is paid by the Department of Pediatrics). Fellows will spend at least two years in laboratories whose interests include: 1)renal developmental physiology; 2) signal transduction; 3) regulation of proximal tubule NaCl transport; 4) pathogenesis of renal tubular acidosis; 5) citrate transport and metabolism; 6) molecular mechanisms of proximal tubule acidification and phosphate transport; 7) the effect of ischemia in renal transplant rejection and the mechanism for macrophage activation; 8) role of heat shock proteins in acute renal failure; 9) pathogenesis of hypertension. In addition, fellows attend weekly conferences given by the Department of Pediatrics designed to prepare fellows for careers in academic medicine. Topics covered include statistics, use of Computers in biomedical research, how to write a manuscript and grant, and use of animals and humans in research. Topics related to ethics in medicine and biomedical research are strongly emphasized in these lectures and additional medical ethics lectures are also given by the University for fellows. Joint weekly conferences by the Divisions of Pediatric and Internal Medicine Nephrology include clinical and molecular biology journal clubs, renal grand rounds, renal research conference, and a renal physiology lecture series. Fellows also attend seminars in basic science departments. Trainees are closely supervised by their research mentor as well as the P.I. to insure that the goals of this training program are achieved.