Nephrology
The major focus of clinical activity within the Nephrology Division remains tertiary care of patients with end-stage renal disease and post-renal transplantation. A major shift from inpatient to ambulatory care has occurred overthe past couple of years.
The division is Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada approved and provides complete postgraduate training in Paediatric Nephrology, as well as elective experience for Nephrology trainees from Ottawa and Edmonton. In addition, the division members contribute substantially to undergraduate training of medical students at the University of Toronto, as well as elective students from other universities.
A strong bench-research program has been developed and focuses in the area of renal morphogenesis; clinical research covers a broad range of topics including hypertension, antenatally diagnosed renal disorders, and vesico-ureteral reflux, renal transplantation and anemia in renal disease.
Visit sickkids.ca to read more about the Division of Nephrology.
The Pediatric Nephrology training program at the University of Toronto is a Royal College Accredited Subspecialty Program. The program, located in the Hospital for Sick Children, offers exposure to the full spectrum of renal disease in children aged 0-18 years, including General Nephrology, acute and chronic renal replacement therapy, and transplantation.
Trainees are exposed to a vast array and volume of common and rare nephrological and urological disorders in the out-patient clinics; during consultation on the general wards, the Paediatric Intensive Care, Cardiac Care, and Neonatal Intensive Care units, and the Emergency department; on the inpatient Nephrology ward; and in the outpatient dialysis unit.
The program boasts a large faculty of clinicians, clinician teachers, clinician-scientists, and clinician investigators with a strong commitment to excellence in patient care, research and education. There are well-established liaisons with Urology, Interventional Radiology and Pathology with regular multidisciplinary patient care and educational rounds. Trainees have protected teaching time, both at Sick Kids and through the joint Adult and Pediatric Nephrology academic half-day.
Trainees gain exposure to leaders in the field of Nephrology from around the world through the lecture series, through City Wide Nephrology Rounds, during Adult Nephrology and Pathology electives and through the University of Toronto Transplant Institute. In addition to fulfilling the Royal College criteria for clinical training, opportunities are available to obtain a Graduate degree in the School of Graduate Studies at the University of Toronto or to pursue training in basic laboratory research.
Objectives
Pediatric Nephrology is a 2-year program. Competency By Design (CBD), Competency Based Medical Education (CBME) has officially launched as of July 2018 with our program.
Over the course of the 2 years, trainees will move through the stages of CBD from Transition to Discipline (TTD), Foundations of Discipline (FOD), Core of Discipline (COD), and Transition to Practice (TTP). Trainees will be assessed using Work Based Assessments (Entrustable Professional Activities). Promotion between stages is reviewed at the Competence Committee and is based on successful completion of EPA's.
The clinical training provides extensive exposure to a wide variety of clinical problems in paediatric nephrology. This is accomplished by full participation in all the patient care activities within the division, including:
- direct care of nephrology inpatients
- serving as a consultant to both inpatient and outpatient divisional programs
- care of the transplant and paediatric dialysis outpatients
- care of the general Nephrology clinic outpatients
The care of hospital in-patients requiring acute dialysis or continuous renal replacement therapy. Trainees become proficient in all technical aspects of nephrology including, hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis. In addition, the trainees acquire experience through the Department of Pathology in the interpretation of renal biopsies by examination using light, immunofluorescence and electron microscopy. Through the Department of Radiology, trainees also acquire expertise in the interpretation of uroradiologic studies.
Applying To The Program
Candidates from Canadian or US programs must have successfully completed at least three years of training in core Pediatrics. For applicants from non-Canadian programs, completion of core Pediatric training with appropriate certification is required and some training in nephrology is favoured.
Nephrology training positions are available in general nephrology, transplant, and research.
The application system opens early November with the deadline being mid January of the year preceding the start of the clinical training year. Successful candidates begin July 1st of the following year (Example: For Academic Year 2027/2028 start date, applications will open November 2025, close January 2026, and successful candidates will begin July 2027).
Pediatric Nephrology faculty are also welcome to apply for periods of additional experience, training or research depending on availability and objectives.
All applicants who are interested in applying for a Paediatric Nephrology Fellowship must email nephrology.trainingprogram@sickkids.ca with their request in order to be registered. Once the application site goes live in June you will be notified via email with instructions on how to apply.
Candidates will be asked to provide the following documents for upload:
Introduction Letter:
Please state your goals and objectives for doing a fellowship at SickKids. Please include any Paediatric Nephrology training you may have done, as well as research experience and other clinical activities you find relevant.
Curriculum Vitae (CV):
Please attach the most up-to-date version of your CV.
Letter of Good Standing from Program Director:
A letter from your Program Director
Medical Degree:
A copy of your Medical Degree with English translation if applicable.
Specialty Certificate in Paediatric:
A Copy of your Specialty Certificate with English translation if applicable.
Three (3) Letters of Reference:
Three letters of reference are required from consultant physicians with whom you have worked clinically. The letters should comment on your clinical and management skills during training. These letters should not be assessments or evaluations, should be dated no later than 12 months and must appear on official letterhead.
English Proficiency:
Please indicate if English is not your native language, and upload the appropriate test results. TOEFL Score of 615, IELTS score of 7.0 minimum recommended.
Proof of Citizenship:
If you are an international applicant, the front page of your valid passport will suffice.
Training Sites
The Paediatric Nephrology Program's main training site is at The Hospital for Sick Children.
Consultation is also provided to the Neonatal Nurseries at Mount Sinai and Women’s College Hospitals.
Research Experience
The Nephrology Division at SickKids conducts internationally recognized cutting-edge scientific and patient-oriented research. The overall goal of our research is the acquisition of new knowledge that will advance our understanding of kidney biology and the pathogenesis and treatment of renal disease. One of the unique aspects of our training program is the ability to participate in ongoing research efforts in the Nephrology Research Laboratories. Trainees are advised in the selection of a research project approximately six months prior to initiating the laboratory research fellowship.
The scientific faculty in our Division conducts research in the areas of renal physiology, cell biology, epithelial transport, renal growth and development, immunology and inflammation, acute renal failure, molecular genetics, and polycystic kidney disease. Research is supported by funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, National Institutes of Health, Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, Kidney Foundation of Canada, American Society of Nephrology and private contributions.
Additional Educational Opportunities
The academic program includes a protected academic half-day program with a rotating curriculum over 2 years which includes more than 90 lectures in key topics of fluid and electrolytes, chronic kidney disease, hemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis, transplantation, hypertension and glomerular diseases. Additional learning opportunities include workshops in communication, career development, journal clubs with critical analysis and research. This program is provided in combination with the adult nephrology program. Additional rounds while on clinical rotations include weekly journal club, case presentation and research rounds.
Elective Opportunities
We provide rotations in pediatric nephrology for medical students, residents and fellows in active clinical training programs.
Undergraduate Student Electives link
For any additional information please contact us directly at nephrology.trainingprogram@sickkids.ca
Observership Opportunities
We provide observership opportunities for all trainees currently enrolled in an academic program (undergraduate, postgraduate, fellowship).
If you are an international applicant, please contact Mrs. Haya Al Husseini, the Program Coordinator for the International Office at the Learning Institute, at haya.al-husseini@sickkids.ca.
For more information please contact us directly at, nephrology.trainingprogram@sickkids.ca.
Fellowship in Complement-Mediated Diseases
The University of Toronto Departments of Medicine and Paediatrics is offering a new two-year clinical Fellowship in Complement-Mediated Diseases from July 2021. Training will occur across multiple U of T affiliated hospitals, including the Toronto General Hospital, The Hospital for Sick Children, St. Michael’s Hospital, and Sunnybrook Health Sciences. Clinical exposure will be via rotations in adult and paediatric specialty clinics (e.g. PNH, TMA, C3G, GN), consult services, and apheresis units. Specialist laboratory exposure will be provided, including translational complement and histocompatibility labs. Basic research experience will be available in the Licht lab at the SickKids Research Institute. Fellows may also gain exposure to clinical trials of new complement therapeutics. Further experience may be gained via participation in the activities of the Toronto Complement Center of Excellence including a clinical consultant service, via rotations at collaborating expert centres, and by attendance at relevant local, national, and international congresses.
The Toronto Complement-Mediated Diseases fellow will be expected to actively participate in the research activities at the Toronto Complement Center of Excellence, either project-based or via a graduate degree in an area related to the clinical training (e.g. clinical epidemiology/health research methods, biomedical science, education, QI). Sufficient protected research time is set aside in both years for scholarly projects. Fellows are expected to successfully complete at least one peer-reviewed publication during the fellowship.
The fellowship is fully funded to provide fellow’s salary, partial coverage of graduate studies, and travel to relevant meetings. Applications are invited from physicians who would have completed adult or paediatric subspecialty training primarily in Haematology or Nephrology at the time of commencing the fellowship.
Requirements
Interested applicants should submit:
- a letter of intent
- a current curriculum vitae, and
- a list of three references.
Applicants must have passed or be eligible for independent licensing in Ontario or must be eligible for an educational license (minimum four years residency training following medical school). Outstanding applicants with equivalent training in other medical systems are also encouraged to apply.
Please submit all application documents, addressed to Dr. Gloria Lim, c/o Christine Andrews (christine.andrews@uhn.ca).
For further information, please contact the Fellowship Co-Directors, Christopher Patriquin (christopher.patriquin@uhn.ca) and Christoph Licht (christoph.licht@sickkids.ca).
Additional Resources
Canadian Medical Protective Society
College of Physicians & Surgeons, Ontario
Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto
American Society of Pediatric Nephrology
Canadian Society of Nephrology (CSN)
International Pediatric Transplant Society (IPTA)
International Society of Nephrology (ISN)
Funding
Ministry of Health funding is provided for those qualified trainees who are eligible for licensure on the educational register of the Province of Ontario. This requires that the applicant be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident of Canada and have completed the Medical Council of Canada Qualifying Examination and may apply through CARMs.
Non-ministry funding may be available for certain highly qualified applicants who fail to meet these criteria for provincial funding. The applications of outstanding individuals for whom funding is provided by a foreign government will be seriously considered.
Please contact the program directly for more information nephrology.trainingprogram@sickkids.ca.
Qualified residents may also apply for research training positions funded by the Royal College Clinical Investigator Program. Successful candidates will be expected to obtain a graduate degree in a research field during the course of extended training. Funds are also available to support research training within the Division.
Contact
Training Program Director
Dr. Nithiakishna (Nick) Selvathesan
Email: nick.selvathesan@sickkids.ca
Education Administrative Coordinator (SickKids)
Massih Bidhendi
Email: massih.bidhendi@sickkids.ca