Nephrology Subspecialties

Acute Kidney Injury (AKI)

Our goals in the acute kidney injury (AKI) workgroup include providing timely, accessible, personalized care for patients who have experienced AKI from any cause. We also aim at investigating previously unknown aspects of AKI, including risk-factors, determinants of AKI-outcomes, and mechanisms for providing quality AKI-care. Lastly, we strive at educating stakeholders in AKI, including medical trainees, established medical providers, and patients experiencing or at risk for AKI.

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Clinic

Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD)

Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) affects an estimated one in seven adults in the United States. CKD is associated with comorbid conditions including cardiovascular disease and an increased mortality risk. Although it may progress to end-stage kidney disease in some, CKD is treatable and the progression can be prevented or delayed. Given its significant effect and burden, improving the care for those with CKD has the potential to greatly impact the lives of many patients.

This workgroup aims to improve CKD-related care through three core tenants: 1) participate in research into the optimal care for those with CKD, including multidisciplinary efforts to improve outcomes, reduce morbidity and delay progression of CKD; 2) support education for multiple stakeholders in CKD-related care, including medical trainees, established providers, patients at risk for CKD and those already diagnosed with CKD; and 3) provide excellent and accessible clinical care, incorporating innovative and multidisciplinary care models for the benefit of patients with all stages of CKD.

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Clinic

Education Classes

Wednesdays 4:00-5:00pm or Thursdays 12:00-1:00pm.

Available for patients with early to late Chronic Kidney Disease. For more information, email renaldiv@umn.edu 

Critical Care / Point-of-Care Ultrasound (POCUS)

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Genetic Kidney Diseases

Our team provides medical care and counseling to adults, children, and families with genetic kidney diseases. We offer consultations with a kidney specialist and genetic counselor with expertise in genetic kidney diseases for diagnosis, genetic testing and counseling. We emphasize patient and family education. We provide recommendations for treatment and follow-up as well as guidance to referring nephrologists and other providers. Patients will be given the opportunity to participate in clinical research if available for their condition.

We can assist with a wide variety of genetic kidney conditions. If a specific genetic disease is suspected based on family history or classic presenting features, targeted genetic testing is facilitated. We also provide consultation when a genetic cause of kidney disease is suspected, but not clear.

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Clinic

Glomerular Diseases

The Minnesota Glomerular Disease Program offers expert, individualized care to patients with any glomerular disease, with ongoing Phase 2 and Phase 3 clinical trials in Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) and IgA Nephropathy. For more information, email MNGN@umn.edu

Clinical Trials

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Workgroup Members

  • Patrick Nachman, MD, Professor, Division of Nephrology & Hypertension
  • Michelle Rheault, MD, Associate Professor, Division of Pediatric Nephrology
  • Surabhi Thakar, MBBS, Assistant Professor, Division of Nephrology & Hypertension
  • Katti Woerner, DO, Assistant Professor, Division of Nephrology & Hypertension
  • Scott Rajala, CCRP, Clinical Research Coordinator, Department of Medicine

Home Dialysis

The mission of our interprofessional team is to provide people with kidney disease an individualized optimal transition to kidney replacement therapy with a focus on leveraging the benefits of home dialysis. We have developed a comprehensive program focused on improving the care of people with end stage kidney disease. This is achieved by:

  1. Providing timely information and education about home dialysis modalities to people with kidney disease.
  2. Empowering people with kidney disease who choose a home dialysis modality to prepare, learn, and use it optimally.
  3. Robust training for nephrology fellows to ensure graduates of the program are well prepared to provide high quality care to people on home dialysis.

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Hypertension

Deliver to patients with systemic secondary and resistant hypertension cutting-edge, personalized, and multidisciplinary comprehensive care with involvement of nephrology, cardiology, and endocrinology among others. Create a Program of Excellence for the management of secondary and resistant hypertension. Provide patients access to multicenter clinical trials and conduct epidemiological studies to better our understanding of the causes, consequences, and optimal treatment of this major public health issue.

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Clinic

M Health Fairview Website - Book an Appointment

Kidney Stones

The Kidney Stone Clinic provides comprehensive care for all aspects of kidney stone disease ranging from medical and surgical treatment of acutely symptomatic stones to the development of prevention strategies to keep stones from forming and recurring. Care is coordinated with urologic surgery so that an acute kidney stone event is properly monitored and managed.

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Clinic

Kidney Transplant

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Workgroup Members

Onco-Nephrology

Onconephrology is a rapidly expanding subspecialty that covers all areas of kidney involvement in persons with cancer. Patients with cancer constitute a significant and growing number of those seen by nephrologists in both the inpatient and outpatient settings. In collaboration with our colleagues in hematology and oncology, we strive to build a comprehensive multidisciplinary program dedicated to personalized and advanced patient care through our onconephrology clinic, clinical research to further our understanding of issues related to monoclonal gammopathies, kidney complications of bone marrow transplant, and drug toxicities among others. Our program provides a special educational opportunity for our fellows in this new field of nephrology. 

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Clinic

M Health Fairview Website

Vasculitis

The Minnesota Multidisciplinary Vasculitis Program provides patients with systemic inflammatory disease or vasculitis with cutting-edge, individualized, comprehensive and integrated multidisciplinary care and access to Phase 2 clinical trials in ANCA Vasculitis and Systemic Lupus Erythematosus. For more information, email mnvasculitis@umn.edu

Clinical Trials

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Workgroup Members

Cardiology

Dermatology

Nephrology

Otolaryngology

Pulmonary

  • Patrick Arndt, MD, Associate Professor, Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine
  • Nate Gaeckle, MD, Assistant Professor, Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine
  • Aahd Kubbara, MD, Assistant Professor, Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine
  • David Perlman, MD, Associate Professor, Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine
  • Hyun Kim, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine

Rheumatology

Research Team

  • Tina Weiss, RN, BSN, PHN Vasculitis & Lupus Program Nurse Navigator
  • Amy Hanson, CCRC, Clinical Research Coordinator, Department of Pediatrics
  • Jenna Skinner, CCRC, Clinical Research Coordinator, Department of Pediatrics
  • Scott Rajala, CCRP, Clinical Research Coordinator, Department of Medicine

Women’s Health

Our mission is to develop a nephrology-based, comprehensive program focused on the health of women with kidney disease. This is achieved through expert clinical care, high-quality education and advancing knowledge through dedicated research. The program aims to provide:

  1. Comprehensive care for women with kidney disease with access to nephrology, cardiology, endocrinology, gynecology, obstetrics, and urogynecology.
  2. Fertility, contraception, and safe family planning in women with kidney disease and kidney transplant recipients.
  3. Expert care for safe and healthy pregnancy for women with kidney disease as well as kidney disease-related pregnancy complications (including hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, pre-eclampsia and eclampsia), in collaboration with high-risk pregnancy specialists.
  4. Bone health, hormonal changes, and cancer screening in women with kidney disease.

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Clinic