Pre-Renal Initiative participants. Front row, from left: Winnie Ellerman, manager; Alondra Camrena, UC Berkeley; Rodrigo Salinas, Emory University; Angelina Powers, UC Santa Cruz; Avanti Ramraj, Stanford; Alexandra Bibby, coordinator; Mallika Reddy, UC Berkeley; Jeffrey Doeve. Back row, from left: Brian Van Lee, Rice University; Brevyn Belfield, Hampton University; Maria Luiza Periera Ortiz, Mount Holyoke College; Arianna Mejia, University of Pennsylvania
The Pre-Renal Initiative
Recruiting Nephrologists Early
Pre-Renal Initiative participants. Front row, from left: Winnie Ellerman, manager; Alondra Camrena, UC Berkeley; Rodrigo Salinas, Emory University; Angelina Powers, UC Santa Cruz; Avanti Ramraj, Stanford; Alexandra Bibby, coordinator; Mallika Reddy, UC Berkeley; Jeffrey Doeve. Back row, from left: Brian Van Lee, Rice University; Brevyn Belfield, Hampton University; Maria Luiza Periera Ortiz, Mount Holyoke College; Arianna Mejia, University of Pennsylvania
The Pre-Renal Initiative
Recruiting Nephrologists Early
Despite the need for more nephrologists, the field of nephrology has suffered an image problem. The subspecialty has been perceived as somewhat stale and stodgy, with limited therapies available for chronic kidney disease (CKD) and a scant research pipeline.
“By the time they enter medical school, many students already know what area of study they intend to pursue, such as cardiology, oncology, or general surgery,” says Vivek Bhalla, MD, associate professor of nephrology and director of the Stanford Hypertension Center. “Early exposure to the field of nephrology is crucial to attract more practitioners and researchers to this dynamic subspecialty, and that is exactly what our initiative is designed to do,” says Bhalla, who is co-director of the Pre-Renal Initiative, a summer research program for undergraduate college students aimed at attracting trainees to the field of nephrology.
Enter the Pre-Renal Initiative
The Pre-Renal Initiative was founded in 2019 to develop an interest in nephrology by planting a seed at the undergraduate level, especially among the very minority and underrepresented populations most affected by CKD. Through this outreach and recruitment effort, Stanford is creating the potential for a clearer path to this subspecialty for those who may not have considered it previously.
Students are recruited through the initiative’s website and social media accounts, as well as with campus outreach at local universities and student groups using targeted emails and virtual talks.
The initiative includes the subspecialties of urology and benign hematology — related areas of study that also need to draw attention as potential career choices.
Bhalla says that in the past 10 years, an explosion of new therapies has emerged for CKD. Multiple new drugs for treating the disease are now available, and amazing insights are revealing how those drugs can manage or even cure CKD. These developments, combined with the current nationwide epidemics of diabetes and obesity, have triggered a need for more nephrologists who can treat the 37 million Americans who have CKD, many of whom are ethnic minorities.
The 10-week program has three components: a research project, a lecture series, and professional development. Each summer includes twice-weekly lectures with nephrology, urology, and hematology faculty members, covering topics in clinical care and research. Additional activities include professional development seminars, social events, and a poster symposium at Stanford and at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which provides funding for the program.
Glenn M. Chertow, MD, is proud of the initiative’s success in “fostering the interests of women and other underrepresented groups into medicine, nephrology, and urology.” Chertow is a former division chief of nephrology and is currently associate chair of fellowship programs in the Department of Medicine.
Emerging From the Pandemic
The year 2023 was only the second time the Pre-Renal Initiative took place fully in person, with a group of 11 undergraduate students from California, New York, South Carolina, and Texas. They were paired individually with a faculty member and in groups of three with a fellow or resident.
Maria Luiza Periera Ortiz (at easel) is benefiting from early exposure to the field of nephrology.
“The faculty lectures are multidisciplinary and are a highlight of the Pre-Renal Initiative,” notes Winnie Ellerman, administrative manager for the division of nephrology. She adds that “the most thrilling part of the program has been seeing the students present their research at the end of the summer. They’d been able to establish a hypothesis and see it come to life in the lab.”
Stand By for Results
As for creating a pool of future nephrologists, the success of the program won’t be measurable for at least another 10 years. And, says Bhalla, “even if they don’t go to medical school or specialize in nephrology, they will have benefited from the experience.”
Ellerman adds, “I know the bonds that have formed here will follow these students into their future lives. That is very powerful.”
Brevyn Belfield makes a point during a presentation
I cannot thank you enough for this wonderful program! I feel so happy knowing there is a sphere of medicine that fascinates me as much as urology/nephrology does and that there is so much room for me to join and continue improving renal care!
— Pre-Renal Initiative participant
Despite the need for more nephrologists, the field of nephrology has suffered an image problem. The subspecialty has been perceived as somewhat stale and stodgy, with limited therapies available for chronic kidney disease (CKD) and a scant research pipeline.
“By the time they enter medical school, many students already know what area of study they intend to pursue, such as cardiology, oncology, or general surgery,” says Vivek Bhalla, MD, associate professor of nephrology and director of the Stanford Hypertension Center. “Early exposure to the field of nephrology is crucial to attract more practitioners and researchers to this dynamic subspecialty, and that is exactly what our initiative is designed to do,” says Bhalla, who is co-director of the Pre-Renal Initiative, a summer research program for undergraduate college students aimed at attracting trainees to the field of nephrology.
Maria Luiza Periera Ortiz (at easel) is benefiting from early exposure to the field of nephrology
Enter the Pre-Renal Initiative
The Pre-Renal Initiative was founded in 2019 to develop an interest in nephrology by planting a seed at the undergraduate level, especially among the very minority and underrepresented populations most affected by CKD. Through this outreach and recruitment effort, Stanford is creating the potential for a clearer path to this subspecialty for those who may not have considered it previously.
Students are recruited through the initiative’s website and social media accounts, as well as with campus outreach at local universities and student groups using targeted emails and virtual talks.
The initiative includes the subspecialties of urology and benign hematology — related areas of study that also need to draw attention as potential career choices.
Bhalla says that in the past 10 years, an explosion of new therapies has emerged for CKD. Multiple new drugs for treating the disease are now available, and amazing insights are revealing how those drugs can manage or even cure CKD. These developments, combined with the current nationwide epidemics of diabetes and obesity, have triggered a need for more nephrologists who can treat the 37 million Americans who have CKD, many of whom are ethnic minorities.
The 10-week program has three components: a research project, a lecture series, and professional development. Each summer includes twice-weekly lectures with nephrology, urology, and hematology faculty members, covering topics in clinical care and research. Additional activities include professional development seminars, social events, and a poster symposium at Stanford and at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which provides funding for the program.
Glenn M. Chertow, MD, is proud of the initiative’s success in “fostering the interests of women and other underrepresented groups into medicine, nephrology, and urology.” Dr. Chertow is a former division chief of nephrology and is currently associate chair of fellowship programs in the Department of Medicine.
I cannot thank you enough for this wonderful program! I feel so happy knowing there is a sphere of medicine that fascinates me as much as urology/nephrology does and that there is so much room for me to join and continue improving renal care!
— Pre-Renal Initiative participant
Brevyn Belfield makes a point during a presentation.
Emerging From the Pandemic
The year 2023 was only the second time the Pre-Renal Initiative took place fully in person, with a group of 11 undergraduate students from California, New York, South Carolina, and Texas. They were paired individually with a faculty member and in groups of three with a fellow or resident.
“The faculty lectures are multidisciplinary and are a highlight of the Pre-Renal Initiative,” notes Winnie Ellerman, administrative manager for the division of nephrology. She adds that “the most thrilling part of the program has been seeing the students present their research at the end of the summer. They’d been able to establish a hypothesis and see it come to life in the lab.”
Stand By for Results
As for creating a pool of future nephrologists, the success of the program won’t be measurable for at least another 10 years. And, says Bhalla, “even if they don’t go to medical school or specialize in nephrology, they will have benefited from the experience.”
Ellerman adds, “I know the bonds that have formed here will follow these students into their future lives. That is very powerful.”