Mayo Clinic offers a one-year Renal Pathology Fellowship that provides outstanding nephropathology training in all aspects of clinical practice, research, and education. In this program, you will have exposure to a broad spectrum of native and transplant kidney biopsy material.

Mayo Clinic has a large renal biopsy service, with a yearly volume of approximately 7,000 kidney biopsies, of which 1,500 are transplant biopsies and 250 are biopsies from pediatric patients. The renal biopsy service includes patient biopsies from Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, as well as tissue sent to Mayo Clinic Laboratories and processed in the Renal Biopsy Laboratory.

The Renal Pathology Fellowship combines diagnostic training with opportunities for basic science and clinicopathologic research projects. There are extensive opportunities for interactions with clinical colleagues, including:

• Working conferences where material from patients is reviewed and discussed
• Teaching conferences in which pathology is explained to clinicians and clinical trainees
• Research meetings
• Clinical conferences

As a renal pathology fellow, you will also have exposure to clinical and laboratory areas related to renal pathology, with rotations in the clinical immunology and tissue typing laboratories, as well as attendance at teaching lectures and journal clubs in conjunction with the Nephrology Fellowship. There are options for elective rotations in other areas within the Division of Anatomic Pathology, including urologic pathology and transplant pathology.

Mayo Clinic's renal biopsy practice is supported by a specialty laboratory that deals only with renal biopsy specimens, encompassing the processing and staining of the specimens for light microscopy, immunofluorescence, and electron microscopy. As a fellow, you will also gain technical experience in Mayo Clinic's electron microscopy core facility.

Accreditation

The Renal Pathology Fellowship is fully accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME).

Program history

The Renal Pathology Fellowship at Mayo Clinic started in July 2013 with its first fellow. Since that time, five fellows have completed their training in this program.