The mission of the Nephrology Division at Massachusetts General Hospital is to provide the highest level of patient care, expand the frontiers of basic and clinical investigation in nephrology, and enhance and support state-of-the-art training and education.

M. Amin Arnaout, M.D.
Chief, Nephrology Division
Massachusetts General Hospital

 

Introduction

The Nephrology Division at the Massachusetts General Hospital is part of the Department of Medicine and of the basic and clinical research communities of the Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School. Members of the Unit carry out basic biological and clinical research in a variety of fields such as protein structure and function, cell adhesion, mammalian gene expression, epithelial development and differentiation, branching morphogenesis, autoimmunity, signal transduction, ion transport, transplantation biology, hypertension, renal stones, and kidney development. Several model organisms are utilized in these research efforts including mice, monkeys, Drosophila, C. elegans and zebra fish. At present approximately 95 people, including 36 basic and clinical faculty and over 45 postdoctoral fellows and graduate students comprise the Unit. All faculty, postdoctoral fellows and graduate students have concurrent appointments at Harvard Medical School.

The clinical program in the MGH Nephrology Division includes hemodialysis, transplantation, chronic ambulatory peritoneal dialysis, continuous veno-venous hemodialysis, interventional nephrology, out-patient hemodialysis and in-patient services. The in-patient services are complemented by a vigorous out-patient program , with both general and specialized renal clinics. These include clinics for hypertension, inherited kidney diseases, kidney stones, nephritis and vasculitis, early renal failure, continuous ambulatory perintoneal dialysis and renal transplantation. A multidisciplinary end stage renal disease (ESRD) program staffed by members of the Nephrology Division and Transplant Unit, provides a comprehensive and cohesive quality care to patients at all phases of their renal disease, from the earliest signs of renal impairment to vascular access care, transplantation and post transplantation management.

The four-year renal fellowship program is combined in its clinical year with that of Brigham and Women's Hospital. The goal of the MGH renal training program is to produce outstanding academic nephrologists who are well prepared to become leaders in clinical and basic sciences at major medical centers.

Picture of some Nephrology Division staff and members, May 2006

Picture of some Nephrology Division staff and members, May 2007