Nephrology Training Program

All of our fellowship positions for our fellowship class beginning July 2023 have been filled. Interested applicants can apply through ERAS in Summer 2023 for our fellowship class beginning July 2024.
The OHSU Nephrology Fellowship trains physicians to become outstanding clinicians and leaders in healthcare. We offer a rigorous and flexible program designed to ensure our trainees become successful clinicians, investigators, and educators. Our training prepares fellows to become lifelong learners in nephrology dedicated to the patients they serve. For more information on our program (e.g. clinical duties, pathways, research training, call schedules, didactics, and Portland highlights) explore our website below and review our orientation PowerPoint.
The OHSU Division of Nephrology and Hypertension is committed to the training of its fellows. We offer a complete training experience to prepare you for your desired future career. A few strengths of the program include:
Diverse training opportunities including:
- A Glomerular Disease Program with opportunities for research and exposure to all types of glomerular disease. Fellows see patients with Drs. Avasare and Rueda and may also attend our multidisciplinary amyloidosis clinic. Fellows especially interested in additional glomerulonephritis training may enter the glomerulonephritis pathway (see pathways section below).
- A Comprehensive Hypertension Program giving fellows exposure to secondary and resistant hypertension. Fellows especially interested in additional hypertension training may enter the hypertension pathway (see pathways section below).
- Clinical and research tracks designed to support each fellow's interests (see orientation powerpoint below).
- Comprehensive didactics that prepare you to be a successful nephrologist (as well as pass the boards) but do not "teach to the test."
- A nationally-renowned transplant medicine program performing over 150 kidney and dual organ transplants and home to an AST certified Transplant Fellowship.
- A multidisciplinary clinic with urology for patients with complex nephrolithiasis.
- An Advanced Dialysis curriculum for second-year fellows covering topics such as medical directorships, dialysis policy, and end-of-life care in ESRD. This provides critical training for life as a "real-world" nephrologist.
- Support for attendance at national conferences.
- The William Bennett Endowment Fund, which provides funding for 2nd-year fellows to explore extra educational and academic opportunities.
An emphasis on trainee wellness to support your career as a physician including:
- Engaged faculty dedicated to providing trainees with an excellent education while preventing burnout.
- A strong commitment to protecting trainee work hours and ensuring fellows do not work in an unsafe manner.
- An Advanced Communications and Wellness curriculum focusing on provider wellness and patient interactions, including use of the Vital Talk curriculum to improve communication skills in serious illness.
- The use of individualized learning plans for each trainee to support comprehensive training and development as a physician.
- A strong Center for Diversity and Inclusion as well as a trainee Family Network providing support for trainees and their families.
- The opportunity to join and engage with the OHSU House Officers Union should a trainee desire.
Extensive outpatient continuity experiences including:
- OHSU Hypertension clinic for 1st-year fellows (every other week)
- OHSU and VA CKD clinics for 1st and 2nd-year fellows (every other week)
- A cohort of VA hemodialysis patients you manage as a 2nd-year fellow
- Peritoneal dialysis continuity clinic as a 2nd-year fellow
- Opportunities for additional education in home modalities
Opportunities for interested fellows to learn more about education and teaching including:
- Ongoing experience teaching and supervising learners (residents, medical students, and PA students) on service.
- Leading nephrology small-group sessions for medical students.
- Preparing and presenting lectures with faculty to residents.
- Joining the Educators' Collaborative, a community of practice presenting monthly Medical Education grand rounds, providing seed grants for projects, and connecting educators across the campus.
- Access to the Train your Brain series and other useful resources for clinician educators (e.g. online learning, gamification, small-group teaching, fostering diversity and inclusion in education) from the OHSU Teaching and Learning Center.
- The Education Scholars Program, a competitive certification program designed for individuals interested in education scholarship as a career.
Close ties throughout OHSU and the Portland medical community leading to:
- Core faculty helping to move OHSU and the Portland VA forward, including:
- Susan Gurley, who serves as the Division Head of Nephrology and Interim Chair of the Department of Medicine.
- Sharon Anderson, former president of the ASN, serves as Special Advisor to the OHSU School of Medicine and is former Dean.
- David Ellison, ASN council member and previous Division head, who is the director of the Oregon Clinical and Translational Research Institute at OHSU. Read more about research in the Ellison lab here.
- Pavan Chopra, who serves as Director of Quality and Safety for the OHSU Department of Medicine Ambulatory Practice.
- David Cohen, who serves as Associate Chief of Staff for Research and Development at VA Portland Health Care System.
Of course, there is also our great location in Portland, Oregon. An enchanting city with an abundance of outdoor and cultural activities to explore!
Second Year Fellows

Eric Ryan, MD

Justin Smith, MD
I am originally from Brookhaven, Mississippi, a small town south of Jackson. I studied biochemistry at the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg, MS. While living in Hattiesburg, I managed a high-performance materials laboratory that focused on the development of products largely for military application. I moved to Jackson, MS to attend medical school and complete residency in internal medicine at the University of Mississippi Medical Center where I developed an interest in nephrology. Now, I am excited to be moving to Portland for my fellowship in Nephrology at OHSU. My clinical interests include general nephrology and transplant nephrology. I’ll be bringing along my bloodhound Burnside and we are excited to explore the parks and trails in the surrounding area. My interests include exploring restaurants, traveling, live music, gardening, and cooking. I am thrilled to be in Portland, and I am excited to explore its diverse food scene.

Peter Fong, MD, PharmD
I was born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii, where I spent the bulk of my time outdoors, hiking the Ko’olaus mountains and climbing coconut trees. I left the islands to go to college in the Midwest at Creighton University. Upon graduation, I worked for several years in San Francisco before attending OHSU School of Medicine and ultimately doing my residency in internal medicine at OHSU as well. My interests include cooking and trying new foods, traveling, things on two wheels, and hiking.

First Year Fellows

Josh Curry, MD, PhD
I grew up in Texas where I studied Anthropology and History at the University of Houston before being led by dual passions for advocacy and science towards a life of medical research. I developed an interest in kidney physiology working in the lab of Dr. Jim McCormick in the Nephrology division at OHSU prior to joining the MD/PhD program at the University of Kansas. At Kansas I studied renal calcium transport for my dissertation work under the mentorship of the nephrologist physician-scientist Dr. Alan Yu. I was excited to return to Portland to be closer to family and join the outstanding OHSU Internal Medicine residency program. I am pursuing the ABIM research pathway, AKA the “short track,” to jump start a career as a physician-scientist. Outside of the lab and hospital, I enjoy spending time with my partner and our two daughters, gardening, raising our 6 chickens, biking around the Portland area, and enjoying the outdoors surrounding us in the beautiful Pacific Northwest.

Nathan Hocker, MD
I grew up in Morton, Illinois, which is just outside of Peoria. I receive my undergraduate degree in chemistry at Illinois Wesleyan University in nearby Bloomington, IL. For medical school I attended Southern Illinois University School of Medicine and then completed my internal medicine residency at the University of Iowa. I first visited the Pacific Northwest as a 4th year medical student when my wife and I went on a trip to Mt. Rainier and then visited her family in Portland. I immediately fell in love with the area and hoped to live out here someday. I enjoy trying new foods, cooking/baking (especially sourdough bread and pizza), hiking with my wife and dogs, and weightlifting. I cannot wait to explore the vibrant food scene as well as numerous trails within the Portland area as well as the rest of the Pacific Northwest. My clinical interests lie in general nephrology and critical care nephrology/CKRT. I also enjoy teaching, and I am looking forward to working with medical students and residents.

Ally Miller, MD
I grew up in the Texas Hill Country outside of Austin and completed my medical degree in 2019 at UT Health San Antonio. Afterwards, I relocated to Portland for my Internal Medicine Residency at Legacy Health, and am excited to stay in Portland for my Nephrology training! When I'm out of the hospital, I enjoy volleyball, wine-tasting and exploring all the gorgeous nature that Oregon has to offer. My interests in Nephrology include transplant care, home dialysis modalities and vascular access.
The Clinical Training is a 2-year program, designed for fellows with an interest in a clinical practice career. For this training, approximately 15-18 months are clinical training and 6-9 months are dedicated to research and scholarship. The clinical experience occurs primarily at OHSU and the Portland VA Medical Center. Fellows gain experience in the evaluation and management of kidney diseases and hypertension, as well as the provision of acute and chronic hemodialysis, continuous renal replacement therapies, peritoneal dialysis, renal transplantation, temporary dialysis catheter placement, and renal biopsies with pathology interpretation. Outpatient clinic experiences in the first and second years include one half-day of clinic per week, alternating between OHSU and the VA. Fellows also directly care for their own panel of VA hemodialysis patients throughout their second year and complete six months of peritoneal dialysis continuity clinic.
The Academic Physician Scientist Training is designed for fellows with an interest in an academic career, with the development of skills in education and research (either basic science or clinical). This is a 3-year program, with approximately 12-14 clinical months (similar to the Clinical Pathway) and the remainder dedicated to research and scholarship. Outpatient clinic experiences mirror those of the Clinical Pathway. During research months in the second year, fellows will have limited clinical responsibility, usually consisting of a weekly outpatient clinic and caring for their continuity dialysis patients. The third year is completely dedicated to research training though additional clinical training is available as desired by the fellow.
OHSU and the Portland VA Medical Center are our main clinical teaching sites. OHSU is the sole academic medical center in Oregon and Southwest Washington, and serves as a tertiary referral center for the state of Oregon as well as portions of Washington, Idaho, and Northern California. This gives fellows a diverse training experience and extensive exposure to renal complications related to autoimmune and oncologic disorders, trauma, and infectious disease in addition to the effects of diabetes and hypertension. The OHSU History page outlines our interesting and evolving story as Oregon's academic medical center,
The Portland VA Medical Center provides top-rated care to Veterans in the area and also performs the majority of kidney transplants for the VA on the West Coast, ensuring strong exposure for our fellows. OHSU and the Portland VA Medical Center are connected via a sky bridge, allowing fellows to provide care at both hospitals without missing conferences or other core components of their education.
OHSU and the Portland VA draw from large catchment areas and serve a diverse array of patient communities based on socioeconomic metrics. This ensures that trainees experience the breadth of renal disease and its various causes to prepare them for independent practice.
Our division offers additional clinical pathways to support a trainees' interest and growth as they begin their nephrology careers. The aim is to give fellows additional experience in these areas without extending their length of training. These pathways are open to either clinical or research fellows.
This experience may take the shape of inpatient electives, outpatient clinic experiences, didactics, and teaching experiences. The pathways may also include a research or quality improvement project in that area.
These areas include:
Please contact us if you would like more information on any of these pathways or other aspects of our program.
Example schedules

Educational conferences for fellows
- Clinical case conference - a weekly conference where fellows on consult services present recent cases for discussion on a rotating basis.
- Journal clubs - a weekly conference where reviews of current and past papers are presented by fellows and faculty. Fellows present once a year.
- Research conference - a weekly conference given by fellows and faculty about their research projects. Clinical track fellows present at the end of their second year.
- Pathology conference - a monthly fellow-centered conference designed to prepare trainees to utilize renal pathology in their practice.
- Biopsy conference - a monthly conference to review recent biopsies as well as the patient's clinical presentation and management.
OHSU is committed to recruitment practices that are equitable, demonstrate our commitment to responsible stewardship of resources, and reduce negative impacts on the global environment. Thus, OHSU GME will direct all our ACGME residency and fellowship programs to utilize virtual interview practices for the upcoming recruitment season. We believe this approach will attract a diverse pool of applicants, decrease applicant financial barriers, and minimize applicant’s time away from educational and clinical activities while reducing the carbon footprint of recruitment. This policy is also in accordance with guidance from the ASN, AAMC, and AAIM.
Applications are only accepted through ERAS. We participate in the national nephrology match and do not accept applications outside the match.
Nephrology fellowship applicants must have completed three years of postgraduate training in an ACGME accredited internal medicine program prior to beginning fellowship. Applications are judged on the basis of the applicant's academic and clinical training record, recommendations of medical school and postgraduate training supervisors, and interviews with faculty. Applicants must be legally able to work in the U.S., or eligible to obtain work authorization.
Application requirements
The following is required to be submitted via ERAS:
- Completed ERAS application
- Personal statement
- Letters of recommendation from:
- Two physician or medical scientists having special knowledge of the applicant's ability or performance. Additional letters in this category are welcome.
- The Director of the applicant's internship and residency program.
- The Dean of the applicant's medical school (Dean's Letter). Note, applications are not complete and will not be reviewed without the Dean's letter. If you are a foreign graduate and have difficulty obtaining a Dean's letter, please email the information to us.
- ECFMG certificate is required, if applicable
- USMLE or COMLEX board scores and medical school transcript must be provided
Candidates invited to interview will be contacted directly by our office. If you have a specific interest in transplantation or a certain clinical pathway, please let us know so we can customize your interview day accordingly. Please email us with any questions about our program.
Graduation Year | Name | Current Practice |
---|---|---|
2022 | Hanan Batarseh | Private Practice, Olympia, WA |
2022 | Marilia Campos | Private Practice, Portland, OR |
2022 | Naveen Ravikumar | Private Practice, Yakima, WA |
2021 | William Kennedy Jr (Transplant) | Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX |
2021 | Dan Feng | Private Practice, Portland, OR |
2021 | Jonathan Barrera Calix | Private Practice, Seattle, WA |
2021 | Matt Taylor | Oregon Health and Science University |
2020 | Abdallah Alali | Private Practice, Las Vegas, NV |
2020 | Duangporn Jitjai | Private Practice, Seattle, WA |
2020 | Janie Luong | Private Practice, Portland, OR |
2019 | Dan Roberts | OHSU Transplant Fellowship, Private Practice, Portland, OR |
2019 | Divine Ribakare | Private Practice, Hot Springs, AR |
2019 | Asad Al-Rawashdeh (Transplant) | Private Practice, Jordan |
2018 | Akshita Narra | OHSU Transplant Fellowship, Private Practice, Portland, OR |
2018 | Tyler Woodell | University of California at San Diego |
2018 | Jillian Hansen | Private Practice, Seattle, WA |
2018 | Michael Tekeste | Private Practice, Seattle, WA |
2018 | Abhay Varma | Private Practice, Charleston, SC |
2017 | Debargha Basuli (Transplant) | East Carolina University, IM Residency |
2017 | Oliver Padgett | Private Practice, Portland, OR |
2016 | Cibi Arumugam | Private Practice, Portland, OR |
2016 | Tavinder Basra | Private Practice, Seattle, WA |
2016 | Gurpreet Johal | Augusta University, Cardiology Fellowship |
2016 | Wali Nuristani | Private Practice, CA |
2016 | Jeff Klein (Transplant) | University of Kansas (Kansas City) Transplant Nephrology |
2015 | Katie Gustafson | Oregon Health and Science University |
2015 | Macy Martinson | Private Practice, Portland, OR |
2015 | Mark McCubbin | Private Practice, Locums Tenens |
2015 | Melvin Ooi | Private Practice, Kailua Kona, HI |
2014 | Shweta Patel | Private Practice, Portland, OR |
2014 | Adam Protain | Private Practice, Portland, OR |
2014 | Jennifer Schneider | Private Practice, Portland, OR |
2014 | Sandesh Parajuli (Transplant) | University of Wisconsin Transplant Nephrology |

Meet Our Fellows
Meet Our Faculty
A message from program leadership
Fellowship administration:
Oregon Health & Science University
Division of Nephrology & Hypertension
Mail Code: SJH6
3181 S.W. Sam Jackson Park Road
Portland, OR 97239-3098
Email: nhfellow@ohsu.edu