The Division of Nephrology cares for patients with conditions including diabetes and hypertension, the two most common disorders leading to kidney failure and the need for dialysis, patients with slowly progressing genetic diseases, or those with kidney stones with the goal to prevent future stone episodes. Other patients might have immune diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus or an allergic drug reaction that affects kidney function. Given the range of presentation with kidney disease, the UConn nephrologists see patients in many settings: the hospital and intensive care unit, the office (both main campus and the East Hartford practice) and at ambulatory dialysis units.
Faculty members participate in education and training for first-year medical students through graduation, for internal medicine residents and for nephrology subspecialty training. Continuing Medical Education (CME) is also a large part of what we do, with local conferences including Medicine Grand Rounds, departmental CME courses and the Greater Hartford Nephrology Conference. Clinical electives for medical students and residents are organized to include both inpatient consultative nephrology as well as ambulatory nephrology exposure. We host visiting medical students and residents, as well as provide rotations for graduate nursing students in the APRN programs at UConn Storrs.
Research endeavors include collaborations with colleagues in other divisions and departments, and the School of Dental Medicine. Outcomes of dialysis and therapeutic apheresis, scholarly reports of unusual or rare disorders, systematic evaluation of chronic periodontal disease in our population of chronic kidney disease patients include some of the research activities. Each faculty member seeks to collaborate with colleagues to enhance new knowledge of disease, care or education.