Transplant, Medical Kidney, and Liver Pathology Fellowship Program
The Transplant, Medical Kidney and Liver pathology fellowship offers a unique and first of its kind opportunity that combines training in medical kidney, medical liver, and transplant pathology of liver, kidney, pancreas and gastrointestinal tract, all of which are emerging and challenging subspecialties in the field of pathology.
The educational mission of the fellowship program is to provide a comprehensive training in medical kidney, medical liver and transplant pathology with the emphasis of producing a competent diagnostician, a consultant, and an educator. Additionally, our transplant institute is embarking on starting a first in the world “heel transplant” this year which also requires expert pathology support.
This fellowship aims to produce trained future transplant pathologists who are equipped with highly sought-after skills in the field of pathology.
Fellowship Goal
By completion of the fellowship, the fellow will demonstrate competency in transplant, medical kidney, and medical liver pathology and be prepared to function as a skilled diagnostician, consultant to clinical transplant teams, educator, and contributor to scholarly activity.
Why train here
The Transplant, Medical Kidney and Liver pathology fellowship is a one-year fellowship that provides training in the subspecialties of transplant pathology (small bowel/other GI tract, kidney, liver and pancreas) and native kidney and liver pathology. Clinical material includes a diverse variety and enough volume of common and uncommon transplant pathology, medical liver and medical kidney materials. The fellow will be exposed to a wide spectrum of diseases of all age range and will gain clinical competency in examining pre-transplant and post-transplant specimens of kidney, liver, small bowel and pancreas, and evaluating for rejections (acute and chronic), infections, surgical artifacts, ischemia, and recurrence of primary disease (i.e. HCV, primary sclerosing cholangitis).
Curriculum
The one-year Transplant, Medical Kidney and Liver Pathology Fellowship provides comprehensive subspecialty training in transplant pathology, medical kidney pathology, and medical liver pathology. The curriculum emphasizes progressive diagnostic responsibility, multidisciplinary collaboration, scholarly activity, and individualized career development.
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Transplant, Medical Kidney and Liver Pathology (TLK)
Primary Site: MedStar Georgetown University Hospital, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
The TLK rotation is the core longitudinal experience throughout the fellowship year. Fellows evaluate a diverse volume of transplant and native organ specimens involving:
- Kidney and liver transplant biopsies
- Native kidney and medical liver pathology
- Pancreas and small bowel/other gastrointestinal transplant pathology
- Acute and chronic rejection
- Recurrent and de novo disease
- Infectious, vascular, ischemic, and drug-related transplant complications
Fellows develop competency in light microscopy, immunofluorescence, electron microscopy, immunohistochemistry, and molecular diagnostics and learn to integrate pathologic findings with clinical information and transplant history.
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HLA/Histocompatibility
Duration: Approximately 2 weeks
Fellows receive focused training in transplant immunology and histocompatibility, including:
- HLA typing and antibody testing
- Donor-specific antibodies (DSA)
- Crossmatching
- Pre- and post-transplant immunologic evaluation
- Correlation of HLA findings with transplant biopsy results
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Research and Scholarly Activity
Duration: Approximately 2–4 weeks
Research time may be completed as a dedicated block or distributed throughout the year. Fellows participate in a faculty-mentored research project and are encouraged to develop abstracts, posters, presentations, case reports, or manuscripts for regional, national, or international meetings.
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Elective Rotation
Duration: Approximately 2–4 weeks
Fellows may select an elective based on their educational and career goals. Options may include an approved outside transplant pathology program or an in-house experience in surgical pathology, cytopathology, renal pathology, liver pathology, or another relevant subspecialty. Outside rotations require Program Director approval and advance planning.
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Conferences and Didactic Education
Throughout the year, fellows participate in case-based conferences, multidisciplinary transplant conferences, HLA discussions, journal club, research presentations, and other departmental educational activities. Fellows are expected to progressively take an active role in case presentations and teaching pathology residents and medical students.
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Progressive Responsibility and Evaluation
Fellows begin the year with close faculty supervision and progressively assume greater responsibility for case evaluation and interpretation. By the latter part of the fellowship, fellows are expected to provide near-final diagnostic interpretations with minimal revisions, while all cases remain subject to attending review.
Fellow progress is evaluated through rotation evaluations, faculty feedback, direct observation, scholarly activity, conference participation, and formal Program Director/CCC review.
Training locations
MedStar Georgetown University Hospital
MedStar Georgetown University Hospital is part of the MedStar Georgetown Transplant Institute, one of the highest volume transplant programs in the United States. The hospital has performed more than 7,500 liver, kidney, small bowel, colon, stomach, and multi organ transplants. We also perform hepatobiliary surgery and offer auto islet cell transplantation for those patients suffering from the pain of chronic pancreatitis.
3800 Reservoir Rd., NW
Washington, D.C., 20007
MedStar Washington Hospital Center
MedStar Washington Hospital Center is the largest private, not-for-profit hospital in Washington, D.C., It houses 926 inpatient beds and is consistently ranked among the nation’s top hospitals in U.S. News & World Report.
110 Irving St., NW
Washington, D.C., 20010
Children’s National Medical Center
Washington, D.C.,’s only health care provider specifically for children has 140 years’ experience in pediatric illness. The hospital treats around 300,000 patients per year from all around the globe.
111 Michigan Avenue NW
Washington, D.C., 20010
Contact us
We’re interested in your questions about our program.
Program Director
Bhaskar Kallakury, MD
Residency and Fellowships Program Coordinator
Stephanye White, MPH