The ISN Fellowship Program provides relevant and contemporary nephrology training to physicians from low resource countries, with the ultimate goal of improving the standards of care in the Fellows' home countries upon their return and to help them become leaders in their fields.
The ISN Interventional Nephrology Scholarship Program provides short-term targeted training in Interventional Nephrology procedures.
ISN FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM:
Before you apply, please read the guidelines carefully. Download the detailed Fellowship Guidelines.
If you satisfy all criteria, you can register and create your application.
Deadline for submission: May 1 and October 1 every year.
Foundation Course and Online training
ISN aims to raise awareness of its Academy and what it can provide to young doctors with limited previous exposure to nephrology.
Fellowship Foundation Course
Applicants interested in a 12-month clinical training are required to complete the Fellowship Foundation Course on the ISN Academy and get the certificates of completion BEFORE they apply to the ISN Fellowship Program.
It includes modules on AKI, GFR, Glomerular Diseases, Dialysis and CKD:
- Module 1: AKI (1 talk)
- Module 2: GFR (1 talk)
- Module 3: Glomerular Diseases (4 talks, please choose of 1)
- Module 4: Dialysis (2 talks, please choose of 1)
- Module 5: CKD (1 talk)
This is an eligibility criteria to the ISN Fellowship Program.
Fellowship Online Components
In addition, all selected ISN Fellows are required to participate in courses on the ISN Academy during their hands-on training at their host center, to complement their learning.
A curriculum of shortlisted ISN Academy resources will be provided to successful ISN Fellows that will need to complete during their hands-on training, depending on their area of interest (i.e. clinical nephrology, hemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis, transplantation, pediatric nephrology, renal pathology, etc).
ISN Regional Training Centers
The ISN has selected 28 ISN Regional Training Centers to provide in-depth specialized training to improve patient care in different regions of the world.
Applications to train at one of the ISN Regional Training Centers will be given priority consideration by the ISN Fellowship Committee.
Our Partners
ISN works hand in hand with a number of partner organizations, encouraging intra-regional trainings and enhancing training possibilities in some specific fields of nephrology. These partners are listed on the right column of this page.
About Fellowship
ISN Fellows receive hands-on training in advanced Host Institutions, allowing them to acquire state-of-the-art knowledge in basic and clinical nephrology, dialysis, transplantation, and epidemiology. The training focuses on providing the exact skills and knowledge specifically required by the Home Institution.
The program offers two types of Fellowships:
- Long-term training (7–12 months);
- Short-term training (3–6 months).
The guiding principle of the program is that Fellows are required to return to their home countries after their training to convey knowledge and experience that they acquired during their Fellowship, thereby teaching countless young physicians and providing critical enhancement to kidney disease care in their local communities. A recent survey indicated that upon completion of training and return to their home countries, over 80% of the fellows are now in positions in local academic centers with direct impact on clinical care and teaching.
Over the past two decades, the ISN Fellowship Program has served as an effective vehicle for conveying knowledge, skills, experience and opportunities to younger renal physicians from less privileged parts of the world. Over 800 nephrologists from low and middle income countries have received invaluable training, thanks to the ISN Fellowship Program.
Special Fellowships
IACN-ISN-HKSN Scholarships
For young Nephrologists living and working in China and looking for training in clinical nephrology. IACN, ISN and HKSN have partnered to provide 3-month scholarships in China or Hong-Kong. Applications are available in Chinese.
Eligibility criteria:
• You are under 45;
• You are living and working in China as nephrologist or nephrologist in training;
• Your Home Institution guarantees that you will be re-employed after the scholarship;
• Your Host Institution is located in China or Hong-Kong. Applications for training overseas with a Chinese nephrologist as responsible supervisor will also be considered;
• You have agreed on a suitable training plan with your Host Mentor, which reflects the skills and knowledge that are required by your Home Institution and you can implement on your return.
Chinese candidates are of course still eligible for training in a center of their choice through the regular ISN Fellowship Program.
ISN-TTS Fellowships
The ISN and TTS join forces to support the training of young physicians from low resource areas receiving hands-on training in advanced host institutions to acquire state-of-the-art knowledge in transplantation. The ultimate goal of such training is to improve the transplantation standards in their home countries upon their return and become leaders in their fields.
The training focuses on providing the skills and knowledge specifically required by the home institution. ISN-TTS Fellowship trainings can be long (6-12 months) or short term (3-6 months).
Selection criteria
- Applicants must be within 5 years or less of their last doctoral degree
- From a low, lower middle or upper income country according to World Bank classification
- Training in tissue typing transplant nephrology, transplant coordination, transplant surgery or other relevant training related to renal transplantation
- Training must be relevant to local conditions and healthcare context
Training at partner institutions
ISN-Kidneys for Life Fellowship
For young nephrologists willing to train at the Manchester Royal Infirmary, Manchester, United Kingdom. Candidates are requested to contact Kidneys for Life (fundraiser@kidneysforlife.org) at the Manchester Royal Infirmary with the following 3 documents by February 1 for the May 1 deadline and by July 1 for the October 1 deadline:
- your CV;
- a letter of reference from your Home Mentor or Home Institution director;
- a personal statement of what you wish to accomplish during a training at the Manchester Royal Infirmary and how this training will contribute to the development of renal care at your institution/region when you return home after the training;
- please confirm if you have any English qualifications such as ILETS or OET or intend to undertake such qualifications as these are required by the General Medical Council in the UK for practicing fellowships.
Kidneys for Life can only support those wishing to undertake a long-term Fellowship of up to 12 months (one per year).
If you are selected by the Manchester Royal Infirmary for a training, you will need to establish a training plan with your Host Mentor outlining the objectives of the training. When you have agreed on a training plan you are ready to apply on the ISN Fellowship application portal.
ISN-Heartlands Fellowship
For young South Asian nephrologists willing to train at the Heartlands Hospital, Birmingham, United Kingdom, preferably for a period from 6 to 12 months. Candidates are requested to contact Dr. Indranil Dasgupta (indranil.dasgupta@heartofengland.nhs.uk)and Dr. Dele Ajayi (Bamidele.Ajayi@heartofengland.nhs.uk) at the Heartlands Hospital with the following 3 documents:
- your CV;
- a letter of reference from your Home Mentor or Home Institution director;
- a personal statement of what you wish to accomplish during a training at Heartlands Hospital and how this training will contribute to the development of renal care at your institution/region when you return home after the training.
If you are selected by the Heartlands Hospital for a training, you will need to establish a training plan with your Host Mentor outlining the objectives of the training. When you have agreed on a training plan you are ready to apply on the ISN website for an ISN Fellowship grant.
ISN-UHN ExpLoRe Home Dialysis Fellowship
The ISN-ExpLoRe Home Dialysis Program aims to provide practical and hands-on learning for nephrologists who are planning to implement and grow their home dialysis programs at their local institution. Please find additional information at http://www.explorehomedialysis.com/. Please apply on the ExpLoRe Home Dialysis website first before applying for an ISN Fellowship grant.
Honorary Fellowships
ISN - Schrier Fellowships Fund
To acknowledge great contributions from the Schrier and Salmasi families, Otsuka and Amgen, the ISN has established special fellowships bearing their name which are awarded to outstanding candidates by the ISN Fellowship Committee.
List of Schrier Fund Fellows as of 2020.
You can donate to the Schrier Fellowship Fund by PayPal. If you would like to donate by check or wire transfer, please contact the ISN Fellowship Program Coordinator, by email at fellowship@theisn.org.
ISN - Detlef Schlöndorff Fellowship Fund
The ISN has established a special fellowship fund in honor of Detlef Schlöndorff, MD, who passed away in October 2019.
To honor and sustain Detlef’s commitment to training fellows, ISN invites donations to the Detlef Schlöndorff Fellowship fund, which will provide training to one physician per year from a low-resource country with the ultimate goal of improving the standards of care in the Fellow's home country upon their return and to help them become a leader in their field.
You can donate to the Detlef Schlöndorff Fellowship Fund by PayPal. If you would like to donate by check or wire transfer, please contact the ISN Fellowship Program Coordinator, by email at fellowship@theisn.org.
The ISN wishes to thank the donors for their generous gift toward the fund so far, making this first sponsorship possible:
Donors to the Detlef Schlöndorff Fellowship Fund.
ISN - Ravi Mehta Acute Kidney Injury Fellowship Fund
The Ravi Mehta AKI Fellowship Fund has been set up in collaboration with Ravi Mehta’s friends and colleagues in recognition of his leadership and to honor his contribution to global health and education.
The ISN invites everyone to make a financial contribution to the Ravi Mehta AKI Fellowship to:
- Support a Fellow: One ISN Fellow per year from a low-resource country will be able to train in Acute Kidney Injury;
- Make a difference: Successful Fellows will be in a position to improve the standard of care in their home country after a period of training at an ISN-approved institution of their choice.
You can donate to the Ravi Mehta AKI Fellowship Fund by PayPal. If you would like to donate by check or wire transfer, please contact the ISN Fellowship Program Coordinator, by email at fellowship@theisn.org.
The ISN wishes to thank the donors for their generous gift toward the fund so far, making this first sponsorship possible:
Donors to the Ravi Mehta AKIFellowship Fund.
ISN INTERVENTIONAL NEPHROLOGY SCHOLARSHIPS:
The ISN has selected 17 ISN Interventional Nephrology Training Centers to provide in-depth specialized training to improve patient care in different regions of the world. These centers were selected on their capacity to provide training in non-tunneled CVC placement, tunneled CVC placement, native kidney biopsy; transplant kidney biopsy, PD catheter insertion, and endovascular procedures, both for the Foundation and Advanced Courses.
ISN Interventional Nephrology Scholars will be trained at one of the ISN Interventional Nephrology Training Centers to provide better quality of care for dialysis patients and to continue to train other healthcare professionals within their region. Applicants should contact the ISN Interventional Nephrology Training Center of their choice, based on the procedures they would like to get trained on, and agree on a training plan matching the applicant's aspirations, the host center’s offer and the strategy of the home center.
There are two levels of training: Foundation course and Advanced course:
- The Foundation Course (Level 1) is a training of 2 to 4 weeks designed for trainees who need training in a specific procedure listed in the training curriculum. Training Centers can provide observatory training or hands-on training with patients.
- The Advanced Course (Level 2) is a training of up to 3 months designed for trainees who need training in a broad spectrum of procedures listed in training curriculum, especially endovascular procedures. Training Centers should provide hands-on training with patients.
Successful ISN Interventional Nephrology Scholars MUST complete the ‘ISN Interventional Nephrology eLearning Program’ before starting the Foundation or Advanced Training Course at the Host Institution. These didactic components are standardized for all Scholars on the ISN Academy (more details to follow).
Download the detailed ISN Interventional Nephrology Scholarship Guidelines.
If you satisfy all criteria, you can register and create your application.
Please do not hesitate to contact the Program Coordinator at fellowship@theisn.org with any questions you may have.