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About us:
The Division of Nephrology and Hypertension provides world-class, comprehensive clinical care to patients with all forms of acute and chronic kidney diseases, and maintains one of the nation’s busiest and most decorated centers for kidney transplantation. Our approach to clinical nephrology is steeped in a tradition of academic excellence and a firm commitment to training the next generation of nephrologists in our fellowship program. The Division’s large program of cutting-edge clinical and laboratory research informs novel approaches to understanding mechanisms of kidney disease and its treatment, and is supported by the National Institutes of Health, American Society of Nephrology, American Diabetes Association and American Heart Association, among other organizations. Thus, our mission is to enhance the health of patients who are at risk of developing or already suffer from kidney disease by unifying excellence in clinical medicine, research, education and training.
Outpatient Clinical Services
Faculty physicians form the Division of Nephrology and Hypertension are available to see patients for initial consultations or second opinions, and for long-term management, both on the main University of Miami campus and in several outlying, community-based clinics. Experts are available in all areas of kidney disease, including diabetic nephropathy, hypertensive kidney disease, polycystic kidney disease, kidney stones and glomerular diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus, IgA nephropathy, membranous nephropathy, and focal segmental glomerular sclerosis. A large number of faculty are experts in general management of chronic kidney disease, end-stage renal disease, dialysis and kidney transplantation.
Inpatient Clinical Services
The Division of Nephrology and Hypertension manages the entire spectrum of inpatient clinical nephrology through our busy consultative services at Jackson Memorial Hospital, University of Miami Hospital, the Sylvester Cancer Center, and the Bruce W. Carter Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center. These teaching services incorporate faculty, nephrology fellows, medical residents, and medical students from the University of Miami and visiting students from outside institutions.
Transplantation
The Division of Nephrology and Hypertension provides clinical transplant services to the Miami Transplant Institute, which is the leading solid-organ transplant program in South Florida. Our faculty perform hundreds of pre-transplant evaluations annually, provides inpatient, peri-transplant consultative services for over 250 kidney transplants per year, and oversees the long-term care of kidney transplant recipients in our clinics. Multidisciplinary teams offer state-of-the-art patient care in combination with innovative research initiatives. Laparoscopic surgery has resulted in shorter hospital stays and more rapid recovery periods for our living donors, and our long-term patient and graft survival rates are among the best in the United States (www.UNOS.org).
Interventional Nephrology
The Division of Nephrology and Hypertension was one of the pioneering sites for development of Interventional Nephrology as a subspecialty within Nephrology. Our program provides expertise in a wide range of procedures that are critical for maintaining the patency of dialysis vascular access. Patients with acute or chronic problems with their dialysis access receive cutting-edge, rapid treatment that can prevent unneeded hospitalizations and improve their quality of life. Our Interventional Nephrology suites are located on the main medical campus in the downtown Miami Health District and in the Kendall area of South Dade. A training program in Interventional Nephrology is available to outside nephrologists seeking to expand their expertise.
Outpatient Dialysis
The division cares for over 450 patients with end-stage renal disease who undergo life saving, maintenance hemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis. Patients can be treated in one of four University of Miami-affiliated dialysis clinics located throughout Miami-Dade County, or at home under the supervision of one of our nephrologists.
Research
Many The Division of Nephrology and Hypertension faculty physicians and scientists are internationally recognized investigators. We maintain active programs in clinical and laboratory research, and a number of clinical trials are open to potential study participants. Specific areas of interest in our Division’s research portfolio include abnormalities of bone and mineral metabolism in patients with chronic kidney disease, diabetic nephropathy, lupus nephritis, glomerular disease, and podocyte biology, and the pathogenesis and management of hypertension and cardiovascular diseases in patients with chronic kidney disease and end-stage renal disease. Grants from the National Institutes of Health, industry and several foundations support this effort, which includes several prestigious career development awards to junior scientists. Opportunities for participation in research are available to individuals at the University of Miami and from other institutions in the US and abroad.
Training
The division offers fellowships in nephrology and kidney transplantation, advanced training in interventional nephrology, and opportunities for graduate students and post-doctoral fellows interested in joining our research groups. A series of K08, K23, and F30 career development awards in both clinical and basic research demonstrate the success of our diverse mentored-research training opportunities.