If a clinical track is chosen the usual training period is two years. Three years is preferable for a career in research.

The Pediatric Nephrology program is based at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) and the residency/fellowship is run through the University of Ottawa. It is fully accredited by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. It includes a mandatory rotation at the Hospital for Sick Children (University of Toronto) for a month of transplant service.

The Division of Nephrology provides comprehensive care to children up to18 years of age with all types of kidney diseases through 2,500 outpatient visits and 1,000 inpatient visits per year at CHEO. Comprehensive nephrology care is offered to children from the CHEO catchment area which includes Eastern Ontario, Western Quebec, Nunavut and parts of Northern Ontario.

The division provides a full range of renal replacement therapy with the exception of kidney transplantation surgery which is offered at institutions in Toronto and Montreal. We provide follow-up care for post-kidney transplantation children in our clinics.

Stipends and benefits for fellows are in accordance with the resident's level of seniority and correspond to the schedule paid according to guidelines set by the Professional Association of Residents of Ontario (PARO). There is also support available for attendance at educational meetings and for presentation of research.

We consistently have international fellows within our program with support provided by their governments.

Related links

• CaRMS
• Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada
• CEHPEA - Ontario International Medical Graduates
• Foreign Medical Graduates

The first year is devoted primarily to clinical experience in order for the trainee to acquire appropriate clinical skills and related basic science knowledge. The second year lends itself to various elective months with the goal of also consolidating/finishing a research project. The third year is largely reserved for a research endeavor.

Vacation - 1 month (Year 1 and Year 2)
Total # of rotations in 2 Years = 22

*Electives are available in both years - 2 months in the first year and 3 months in the second year

Throughout the program, tutorials are provided in basic science as well as comprehensive reviews of various pediatric nephrology topics being undertaken. There is protected teaching time on Wednesday afternoons.

The resident is expected to take part in critical reviews of the literature and present various topics at rounds and at journal clubs. There is also the opportunity for the fellow to attend biopsy rounds and conjoint rounds with urology and radiology, along with the opportunity to attend rounds at The Ottawa Hospital Riverside campus on Tuesday afternoons and evenings.

The Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) is a tertiary care referral centre serving a population of approximately 1.5 million. It is a 167-bed hospital and the only tertiary-level facility exclusively for pediatric care in Ottawa, Eastern Ontario, Western Quebec, Nunavut and parts of Northern Ontario.

The Division of Nephrology consists of both ambulatory and inpatient components with several new consultations per week in each area. This provides residents with the opportunity to be exposed to the full spectrum of renal disease in children up to 18 years of age.

There is a hospital-based hemodialysis and home-based peritoneal dialysis service for chronic renal failure patients and both modalities are used in the inpatient setting. Consultations to both the intensive care and neonatal intensive care units provide the trainee with a full spectrum of acute renal problems, fluid, electrolyte and neonatal renal disorders.

Renal transplantation is performed in the on-site adult facility with immediate post-operative transfer to CHEO. Smaller patients are transplanted at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto or the Montreal Children’s Hospital with care subsequently transferred to our service once there are no longer any surgical concerns.

Primary Site - Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO)

Secondary sites for electives – The Ottawa Hospital – General Campus, The Ottawa Hospital - Riverside Campus, Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto (transplant rotation month)

A variety of ongoing clinical research projects are available to the trainee. Within the Division of Nephrology, research interests include hypertension, nephritic syndrome, transplantation and complications of post-kidney transplant.

The CHEO Research Institute offers tremendous support to our trainees through various workshops, which discuss different statistical methods and different ways to get started with research projects.

As a team, we publish in peer review journals and contribute book chapters to textbooks. We have also actively participated at international conferences with more than 10 oral/poster presentations. Members of our division are active members of editorial boards of international journals in the field of pediatric nephrology and are sought after as peer reviewers for major pediatric journals.

Members of the division participate in national and international multi-centre studies and enrol patients into international registries such as the North American Pediatric Renal Trials and Collaborative Studies (NAPRTCS) database. Our team members are actively involved in several regional and hospital affiliated committees. 

Applicants must have completed their core training in pediatrics and be eligible for support by the Ontario Ministry of Health or by their institution. They also must also hold a valid Canadian visa. Foreign students can find relevant application information on the University of Ottawa Faculty of Medicine’s Postgraduate Medical Education website. 

Applicants are evaluated based on their performance during pediatric residency, recommendations from former program directors and mentors, and their apparent commitment to achieving excellence in training towards a career in academic nephrology.