Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology

RENAL PATHOLOGY FELLOWSHIP
 

Renal/EM Division, Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology

Vanderbilt University Medical Center

Director: Agnes B. Fogo, M.D.

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The Division of Renal Pathology/Electron Microscopy in the Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, 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, at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Paisit Paueksakon, M.D., Associate Professor of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, is a faculty member of the Division of Renal Pathology and he participates actively in the fellows’ training. 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 about 1,100 cases/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.

Some of our previous fellows are listed below with their current placement:

• Behzad Najafian, M.D., Faculty at University of Washington, Seattle, Washington.

• Paisit Paueksakon, M.D., Associate Professor of Pathology and Associate Director of Renal Pathology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville Tennessee.

• Giovanna Giannico, M.D., Assistant Professor of Pathology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN. 

• Juan Iturregui, M.D., Clinical Pathologist at Banner Good Samaritan Hospital in Phoenix,  Arizona.

• Aruna Dash, M.D., Medical Director of Renal Pathology, at UniPath in Denver, Colorado.

• Xochi J. Geiger, M.D., Pathology at Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL. 

• Monica Patricia Revelo, M.D., Ph.D., Associate Professor of Pathology at University of Utah in Salt Lake City, Utah.

• Boonyarit Cheunsuchon, M.D. Faculty in Pathology at Siriraj Hospital Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand

Some recent examples of papers published by our past fellows:

• Behzad Najafian, M.D. published “Assessment of renal pathology and dysfunction in children with Fabry disease” in Clinical Journal of American Society of Nephrology.

• Giovanna Giannico, M.D. published “Dystroglycan in the diagnosis of FSGS” in Clinical Journal of American Society of Nephrology.

• 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.
   
• Boonyarit Cheunsuchon, M.D. published “The prevalence of C4d-positive renal allografts in 134 consecutive biopsies in Thai patients” in Transplant Proceedings.

• 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.