Oregon Health & Science University was the first health facility in the Western United States to initiate a transplant program. Since the founding of the program in 1959 it has transplanted more than 5,000 organs, currently transplants over 150 organs each year, and has been training transplant medicine fellows for the past twenty-five years. The Transplant Medicine training program is accredited by the American Society of Transplantation and the American Society of Nephrology.

Our program is designed to provide all-inclusive training in renal transplant medicine. Our faculty is strongly committed to the training process and fosters collegial relationships among the physicians, surgeons, pathologists, infectious disease specialists, and pharmacologists who specialize in transplantation. The medical transplant team at OHSU has primary responsibility for prescribing and adjusting immunosuppression, providing medical support for inpatients, and managing patients in the outpatient clinics. This primary and direct responsibility for patient care is a strong advantage of the OHSU training experience.

Training is further enhanced by weekly transplant grand rounds, renal transplant biopsy conference, and a comprehensive didactic program that covers basic topics in transplantation.

During this one-year fellowship, the fellow will spend a minimum of six months on the kidney/pancreas transplant inpatient service and twelve months in the kidney/pancreas transplant outpatient clinics. The fellow will also spend time in the Immunogenetics Laboratory learning basic principles of tissue typing and learning deceased donor management with the organ transplant recovery team. There will also be protected time to conduct a clinical research project in transplantation.

At the completion of training, the fellow will meet all UNOS, AST, and ASN requirements to function as a UNOS-designated transplant physician and medical director of a kidney/pancreas transplant program.

OHSU is located in Portland, Oregon, one of the most livable cities in the United States. Portland is known for its beauty, bicycle-friendliness, comprehensive transit system, land use regulation, progressive societal and environmental thinking, and ready access to outdoor recreation activities on Oregon's mountains, rivers, and coastline.

Learn more about kidney transplant services at OHSU

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. 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.

Nephrology Transplant Fellowship applicants must have completed three years of postgraduate training in internal medicine and two years of a nephrology fellowship prior to beginning the 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 personal interviews with faculty.

Applications should be submitted 12-18 months prior to the intended start date.

Application requirements

The following should be submitted via postal or email:

• Completed fillable application
• Curriculum vitae
• Personal statement
• Letter of recommendation from:
       + The dean of the applicant's medical school (Dean's Letter)
               - Applications are not complete and will not be reviewed without the Dean's letter, transcripts are not a substitute.
               - If you are a foreign graduate and have difficulty obtaining a Dean's letter, please enclose a copy of the letter used for application to your residency or fellowship program instead.
       + The director of the application's internship and residency program.
       + Any physician or medical scientist having special knowledge of the applicant's ability or performance.
              - Two are required, additional letters in this category are recommended.
       + All letters of recommendations should include beginning and ending dates of training.
• ECFMG certificate is required, if applicable.
• Board scores and transcript must be provided.
• Mobile phone numbers or other way to contact you.

Application submission

Send your Nephrology Transplant application packet to:

Oregon Health & Science University
Transplant Fellowship Program Coordinator
Division of Nephrology and Hypertension
Mail Code: SJH6
3181 S.W. Sam Jackson Park Road
Portland, OR 97239-3098

Email: nhfellow@ohsu.edu

Candidates for interview will be contacted directly by our office.