Renal/EM Division Director
Description
The Division of Renal Pathology/Electron Microscopy in the Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology at, Nashville, Tennessee, offers a Fellowship in Renal Pathology each year starting on July 1. Either a one-year-fellowship with clinical focus or a two-year fellowship with clinical training and in-depth clinicopathologic or basic research is available.
The fellowship is under the direction of Agnes B. Fogo, M.D., John L. Shapiro Chair, Professor of Medicine and Pediatrics, Program Director, Renal Pathology Fellowship at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and Paisit Paueksakon, M.D., Professor of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, Associate Director, Renal Pathology Fellowship, and they both actively participate in the fellows’ training. Dr. Yihan Wang, Assistant Professor of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, also has a major role in the kidney biopsy service and fellow education. The Fellow is directly involved in the diagnostic evaluation of all renal biopsies received annually by the Renal Pathology Laboratory at Vanderbilt. These cases represent largely native (70%) as well as transplant (30%) renal biopsies, with both adult and pediatric cases. The current volume is over 1,700 cases per year, of which 70% are cases from outside hospitals in the region for primary diagnosis and consults from other countries.
The Fellow will be expected to work independently in preparing cases for sign-out by the faculty using light, immunofluorescence and electron microscopy. Fellows will also present cases at clinical conferences held jointly with the Nephrology and Renal Transplant Divisions, have ample exposure to clinical teaching conferences, actively participate in teaching renal pathology to medical students, residents and nephrology fellows, and attend weekly departmental surgical pathology slide conferences. Fellows are expected to pursue an academic project, e.g., clinical teaching case reports. Fellows are encouraged and funds are generally available to attend a yearly scientific meeting during their training, such as the USCAP annual meeting.
Applicants must be ECFMG certified if graduates of a foreign medical school and should have a minimum of two years’ training in Anatomic Pathology or three years in Anatomic/Clinical Pathology in an ACGME accredited pathology residency program or certification in another specialty by a member board of ABMS. Applications are accepted through March of each year, or until the positions are filled, for positions starting the following year. Competitive applicants will then be invited for interview, and final decisions usually made by July one year ahead of start date.
Goals and Objectives of the Program
Some of our previous fellows are listed below with their current placement:
- Boonyarit Cheunsuchon, M.D. Faculty in Pathology at Siriraj Hospital Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
- Huma Fatima, M.D., Professor in Renal pathology at University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama
- Xochi J. Geiger, M.D., Pathology at Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, Florida
- Giovanna Giannico, M.D., Professor, University of California Irvine
- Daniel Grosser, M.D., Assistant Professor at the University of Texas, San Antonio
- Wesley Hiser, M.D., Pathologist at Pathologists Bio-Medical Laboratories, Dallas, Texas
- Juan Iturregui, M.D., Clinical Pathologist at Banner Good Samaritan Hospital in Phoenix, Arizona.
- Mark Lusco, M.D., Associate Professor of Pathology, University of Rochester
- Behzad Najafian, M.D., Associate Professor of Pathology and Director of Renal Pathology Fellowship, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington
- Paisit Paueksakon, M.D., Professor of Pathology and Associate Director of Renal Pathology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville Tennessee
- Monica Patricia Revelo, M.D., Ph.D., Professor of Pathology at University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah
Ramya Velagapudi, M.D., Assistant Professor, University of Mississippi Medical Center
Yihan Wang, M.D., Assistant Professor of Pathology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Shunhua Guo, M.D., Clinical Associate Professor, Indiana University Medical Center
Some recent examples of papers published by our past fellows:
- Boonyarit Cheunsuchon, M.D. published “The prevalence of C4d-positive renal allografts in 134 consecutive biopsies in Thai patients” in Transplant Proceedings.
- Huma Fatima, M.D. published "First Clinical-Grade Porcine Kidney Xenotransplant Using a Human Decedent Model" in American Journal of Transplantation.
- Xochi J. Geiger, M.D. published “Excellent renal allograft survival in donor-specific antibody positive transplant patients-role of intravenous immunoglobulin and rabbit antithymocyte globulin” in Transplantation.
- Giovanna Giannico, M.D. published “Dystroglycan in the diagnosis of FSGS” in Clinical Journal of American Society of Nephrology.
- Daniel Grosser, M.D. published "IgA-dominant infection-associated glomerulonephritis in the pediatric population" in Pediatric Nephrology.
- Shunhua Guo, M.D., published "Spectrum of Kidney Diseases in Patients with Hepatitis C Virus Infection" in American Journal of Clinical Pathology.
- Meghan Kapp, M.D., published "Renal Considerations in COVID-19: Biology, Pathology, and Pathophysiology" in ASAIO J.
- Mark Lusco, M.D. published "Approach to Kidney Biopsy: Core Curriculum 2022" in American Journal of Kidney Disease and "AKI and Collapsing Glomerulopathy Associated with COVID-19 and APOL 1 High Risk Genotype" in Journal of American Society of Nephrology.
- Behzad Najafian, M.D. published "Approach to Kidney Biopsy: Core Curriculum 2022" in American Journal of Kidney Disease.
- Paisit Paueksakon, M.D. published “Monoclonal gammopathy: significance and possible causality in renal disease” in American Journal of Kidney Disease.
- Monica Revelo, M.D. published “Chronic allograft nephropathy: expression and localization of PAI-1 and PPAR-gamma” in Nephrology, Dialysis, Transplantation.
Applications
Currently accepting applications for fellowships starting July 1, 2025 . For fellowships starting July 1, 2026, applications will be accepted starting July 2024 and interviews will begin in October 2024.
Interested applicants should submit a cover letter, Vanderbilt application*, CV, personal statement, three letters of recommendation, and ECFMG certificate (if applicable) to:
Agnes B. Fogo, M.D., Director
Division of Renal Pathology/Electron Microscopy
Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology
Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Room C-3310 Medical Center North
1161 21st Avenue South
Nashville, TN 37232-2561
agnes.fogo@vumc.org
*Application and pertinent information can be found under Graduate Medical Education