Didactics
Academic Half-Day
For the 2023-24 academic year, we are starting a new academic half-day for our fellows, combining Clinical Case Conference, the Fellows Lecture Series, Morbidity/Mortality Conference, and other topics over 3 hours from 3 PM to 6 PM. We are replacing remote learning from the pandemic era with in-person learning to foster camaraderie, team building, and an improved learning environment. Coverage is provided by faculty and two fellows, allowing the rest of the fellows to focus on learning without distractions. We will leverage the longer format for larger topics that may require 2-3 hours and the in-person format for hands-on training for topics such as peritoneal dialysis and POCUS. We will use the in-person format for interactive learning and boards preparation.
Site-specific Conferences
San Francisco General Hospital nephrology faculty and fellows conduct a weekly case conference on Thursdays from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. There are also pre-clinic conferences at the three sites, typically focused on outpatient nephrology topics.
Renal Grand Rounds
UCSF Renal Grand Rounds is a weekly conference devoted to new developments in clinical nephrology, transplant nephrology, clinical research, and basic science research. Participants include UCSF faculty and fellows, transplant nephrologists and surgeons, pediatric nephrologists, and community nephrologists. We also host prominent speakers from other institutions, often with collaboration with the Department of Medicine Grand Rounds and the Gary Kardos Memorial Lectureship. Topics range from basic aspects of renal physiology to clinical applications. The conference is held every Tuesday morning from 8 to 9 a.m. The format is virtual with designated teleconference rooms at each site to allow local in-person interaction among participants.
Renal Research Conference
Fellows and faculty, local and visiting, present their research in an interactive forum, discussing research protocols, techniques, data analysis, and data interpretation. This conference is held during our Renal Grand Rounds time slot.
Journal Club
Nephrology journal club is a forum for discussion of new research of relevance to nephrology and allied scientific fields. Both trainees and faculty members present recent clinical and scientific research articles. Fellows learn how to appraise research articles critically. This conference is held regularly during our Renal Grand Rounds time slot on selected Tuesdays.
Kidney Pathology Conference
Biopsy cases are selected from adult nephrology, pediatric nephrology, and kidney transplant patients at UCSF. Interesting cases referred from the community will also be reviewed and discussed. The UCSF Department of Pathology uses a state-of-the-art, high-resolution digital pathology platform that greatly enhances the quality of kidney specimens reviewed in conference, including light microscopy, immunofluorescence, and electron microscopy. The conference is a teaching and working conference; management decisions based on the pathology are discussed. UCSF rheumatologists routinely join the conference for mutual patients shared with nephrology. Our renal pathologists Drs. Vighnesh Walavalkar, Anatoly Urisman, and Zoltan Laszik lead this conference, which is held twice monthly on Monday from 12:00 to 12:45.
Transplant Nephrology Case Conference
The fellow on the inpatient kidney transplant service presents a challenging transplant case. Points of discussion include: differential diagnosis, diagnostic evaluation, HLA typing and crossmatching, kidney biopsy results, and therapeutic options. Our transplant nephrologist Dr. Allison Webber leads this monthly conference, which is held on the last Tuesday of the month from 12 to 1 p.m.
Coverage for Fellows During Teaching Conferences
To optimize learning during teaching conferences, the attendings and co-fellows cover pagers during conferences. The academic half-day activities on Wednesdays are recorded and available via Zoom for fellows providing coverage during the session.
