Curriculum

Clinical Training Experience

Inpatient Consultation Service

On the inpatient consult service, fellows care for a diverse, multi-ethnic patient population with complex pathology, ensuring exposure to the full breadth of nephrology. The consult team typically includes 3 fellows and 1–2 residents, managing 15–30 patients daily with 4–8 new consults per day—an ideal volume for skill development without burnout.

Core areas of expertise include:

• Critical Care Nephrology
• Acute Kidney Injury (AKI): septic, cardiorenal, hepatorenal, and contrast-associated etiologies
• Hypertensive Emergencies
• Glomerular Diseases: rapidly progressive GN, vasculitis, and lupus nephritis
• Electrolyte and Acid–Base Disorders
• Volume Disorders related to heart failure, cirrhosis, and nephrotic syndrome
• Dialysis Initiation and Management

Fellows manage all inpatient kidney replacement modalities, including intermittent hemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis, and continuous kidney replacement therapy (CKRT/CRRT) using advanced Prismaflex platforms capable of SCUF, CVVH, CVVHD, and CVVHDF.

Plasmapheresis services are available for renal indications, and fellows are trained to independently write and manage therapeutic apheresis orders under faculty supervision.

Procedural Training

Procedural training is flexible and individualized—not mandatory. Kidney biopsies are performed in collaboration with Interventional Radiology and expert renal pathology service, providing strong clinicopathologic correlation. Urgent vascular access is placed by the ICU team, medicine procedure service, or vascular surgery service, exposing fellows to coordinated multidisciplinary procedural care. Fellows interested in procedural nephrology have the option to gain hands-on experience in kidney biopsies and vascular access with dedicated faculty mentorship.

Kidney Transplant Training

Fellows rotate through the UCLA Kidney Transplant Program for immersive training in acute and longitudinal transplant care, with the option to join the Liver Transplant Renal Service as an elective. This experience provides exposure to complex solid-organ transplant nephrology rarely available in many fellowship programs.

The UCLA Kidney Transplant Program is one of the largest in the United States, performing over 300 kidney transplants annually while maintaining more than 2,000 candidates on its waiting list. The program is internationally recognized as a pioneer in tissue typing and histocompatibility testing, with assays developed at UCLA now widely used worldwide. Patient and graft survival outcomes consistently rank among the best nationally.

Fellows gain experience in:

• Perioperative and long-term immunosuppressive management
• Care of kidney-only and multi-organ transplant recipients
• Management of infectious, malignant, cardiovascular, and metabolic complications
• Evaluation of transplant candidates and living donors

Ambulatory Nephrology

Fellows gain robust outpatient experience across our Chronic Kidney Disease Clinic, Hypertension Clinic, Acute Glomerulonephritis & Renal Transplant Clinic and Outpatient Hemodialysis & Peritoneal Dialysis Centers. Collectively serving 60–80 patients weekly. This high-yield ambulatory exposure ensures fellows develop confidence in managing the full spectrum of kidney disease across all stages and levels of complexity.

Clinical experience includes evaluation and longitudinal management of:

• Chronic Kidney Disease
• Hematuria and Proteinuria evaluation
• Resistant and monogenic hypertension
• Glomerular and tubulointerstitial diseases
• ‘Congenital and cystic kidney disorders
• Nephrolithiasis
• Complex electrolyte and acid–base disorders
• Cystic Kidney Disease
• Late post-kidney transplant care

The outpatient experience is anchored by a dynamic weekly CKD clinic, where fellows collaborate with internal medicine residents, medical students, a nurse practitioner, a dialysis navigator, and a kidney options educator. This multidisciplinary environment promotes progressive autonomy while cultivating leadership and team-based care skills.
Fellows build meaningful longitudinal relationships in their dedicated continuity clinic, focused on glomerulonephritis and kidney transplantation. Here, they develop deep expertise in the diagnosis and management of complex kidney diseases, including the nuanced use and monitoring of immunosuppressive therapies—preparing them for independent, high-level clinical practice.

In addition, fellows refine advanced blood pressure management strategies in a specialized weekly Hypertension clinic, further strengthening their expertise in complex cardiovascular–renal care

Fellows also rotate at premier dialysis centers, including North Hollywood DaVita and Panorama City Kaiser Permanente Dialysis Units, developing expertise in comprehensive outpatient hemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis, home hemodialysis, and nocturnal dialysis. Training includes dialysis prescription optimization, vascular access surveillance, water treatment systems, regulatory oversight, and understanding the operational responsibilities of a dialysis medical director.

Together, these clinics provide a comprehensive and immersive outpatient experience that equips fellows with the skills, autonomy, and confidence to excel in modern nephrology practice.

Research & Elective Rotations

Fellows may tailor their elective time to deepen procedural expertise or to pursue any clinical, academic, research, quality improvement, or educational interests aligned with their long-term career goals, allowing for a highly individualized fellowship experience. Training is intentionally flexible.
Our faculty are deeply engaged in clinical research, quality improvement, and community outreach. Fellows may pursue scholarly work at:

• Olive View–UCLA Medical Center
• Greater Los Angeles VA Medical Center
• UCLA Main Campus
• Whether your goal is academic medicine or evidence-based clinical leadership, we support your path.

Culture of Equity, Diversity & Belonging

At Olive View–UCLA, diversity isn’t just a value—it’s our strength. Our fellows train in an environment that reflects the communities we serve, fostering cultural humility, advocacy, and excellence in care for all populations.