Fellowships

ISN Fellowships

The ISN Fellowships give physicians from disadvantaged parts of the world the opportunity to pursue essential nephrology training abroad to advance kidney care in their home region.

These fellows become leaders in their field, training colleagues and setting up new services to improve local care.

Since 1985, over 800 nephrologists from 100 low-resource countries have received valuable training through ISN Fellowships.

The ISN thanks this round’s sponsors for their support of ISN Fellowships: the Detlef Schlöndorff Fellowship Fund; Elsevier; IPNA; and the Schrier Fund.

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. It includes modules on AKI, GFR, Glomerular Diseases, Dialysis and CKD. 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.

Fellowships & Application Process

General ISN Fellowship (Open to ISN members in LICs, LMICs & UMICs)

General ISN Fellowships have two separate application rounds per year: May 1 and October 1. Applications are open to ISN members from lower, lower-middle, and upper-middle income countries according to World Bank classification.

Applications are reviewed by the ISN Fellowship Committee.

Before you apply, please read the guidelines carefully. If you fit all the criteria, head to the ISN Fellowship Portal and complete the application form.

Special Fellowship Opportunities (topic, region, or country-specific)

The ISN proposes a variety of exceptional fellowship opportunities in collaboration with various partners and institutions:

Acute Kidney Injury:

  • The Ravi Mehta ISN AKI Fellowship is awarded to one Fellow each year to train in AKI and CRRT. This award was set up in honor of Dr. Ravindra Mehta in collaboration with his friends and colleagues to recognize his leadership and contribution to global health and education.

Pediatric Nephrology:

  • The ISN is proud to partner with IPNA to support pediatric nephrology training. Apply via the General ISN Fellowship application portal for pediatric training at the institution of your choice.

Dialysis:

  • ISN-UHN ExpLoRe Home Dialysis Fellowships

The ISN-ExpLoRe Home Dialysis Program aims to provide practical and hands-on learning at the Toronto University Health Network for nephrologists who are planning to implement and grow home dialysis programs at their local institution.
Learn more about eligibility and applying at http://www.explorehomedialysis.com/

Transplantation:

  • 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 lower-, lower-middle- or upper-middle-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.

Country/Regionally-Specific Fellowships

China:

  • IACN-ISN-HKSN Scholarship
    This scholarship is for young nephrologists living and working in China who plan to train in clinical nephrology. The International Association of Chinese Nephrologists (IACN), ISN, and Hong Kong Society of Nephrology (HKSN) have partnered to provide 3-month scholarships in China or Hong-Kong.
    Learn more about eligibility and applying on the ISN Fellowship portal.

United Kingdom:

  • ISN-Kidneys for Life Fellowships

    This fellowship is for young nephrologists willing to train at the Manchester Royal Infirmary, Manchester, United Kingdom.
    Learn more about eligibility and applying on the ISN Fellowship portal.

  • The ISN also partners with Kidney Research UK and the UK Kidney Association to support fellows training in the UK. Candidates can apply for these fellowships through the General ISN Fellowship application above.

  • ISN-Heartlands Hospital Fellowships

    This fellowship is for young nephrologists from South Asia interested in training at the Heartlands Hospital in Birmingham, United Kingdom, for a period of 6 to 12 months.
    Learn more about eligibility and applying on the ISN Fellowship portal.

Latin America and the Caribbean:

  • The ISN partners with SLANH to support fellows from the Latin American region. ISN-SLANH Fellowships are open to applicants who are members of both organizations and wish to train for up to three months at a Regional Training Center in Latin America. Candidates can apply for this fellowship through the General ISN Fellowship application above.

South Asia:

  • ISN-Heartlands Hospital Fellowships

    This fellowship is for young nephrologists from South Asia interested in training at the Heartlands Hospital in Birmingham, United Kingdom, for a period of 6 to 12 months.
    Learn more about eligibility and applying on the ISN Fellowship portal.

Oceania and South East Asia:

  • The ISN partners with the APSN, ANZSN, and Indian Society of Nephrology to support fellows from the Asia Pacific region. Candidates can apply for these fellowships through the ISN General Fellowships Application above.

Meet our Most Recent Fellows

Please click on the photos to read the biographies of each Fellow.

Support

The ISN works hand-in-hand with several partner organizations, encouraging intra-regional collaborations and enhancing training and education possibilities in selected fields of nephrology.

Fellowship Program Partners

Endowment and Donation Funds

ISN-Schrier Fellowships Fund

In acknowledgment of the considerable contributions made by the Schrier and Salmasi families, Otsuka and Amgen, the ISN has established funding opportunities in their honor awarded to outstanding candidates selected by the ISN Fellowship Committee.

List of ISN Fellows funded through the Schrier Fund as of May 2020

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 provides training to one physician per year.

Donations can be made via PayPal. If you would like to donate by check or wire transfer, please contact the ISN Fellowship Program Coordinator at fellowship@theisn.org.

The ISN wishes to thank donors for their generous gifts toward the fund so far:
List of donors to the Detlef Schlöndorff Fellowship Fund

ISN-Ravi Mehta AKI Fellowship Fund

The Ravi Mehta Acute Kidney Injury Fellowship Fund was 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.

To support one Fellow per year, ISN invites financial contributions to the Ravi Mehta AKI Fellowship.

Donations can be made via PayPal. If you would like to donate by check or wire transfer, please contact the ISN Fellowship Program Coordinator at fellowship@theisn.org.

The ISN wishes to thank donors for their generous gifts toward the fund so far:
List of donors to the Ravi Mehta AKI Fellowship Fund

If you are interested in supporting the ISN Fellowship program, please contact us via the contact section below.

Contact

For all inquiries on the Fellowship Program, please contact the Fellowship Coordinator at fellowship@theisn.org.

The Fellowship program is supported by the ISN Fellowship Committee.

What happens IN THE Fellowship Program?