The Division of Nephrology is committed to providing the best and most up-to-date medical care to patients with a variety of renal diseases, hypertension, renal failure, and kidney, kidney-pancreas and kidney-liver transplantation. The Division operates both in the public sector at LAC+USC Medical Center and in the private sector at USC University Hospital, USC/Norris Cancer Hospital, and DaVita-USC Kidney Dialysis Center.

At LAC+USC Medical Center, the Division of Nephrology has a 20-bed renal ward and an eight-bed Acute Hemodialysis Center. In addition, the Division provides approximately 200 consultations per month. The faculty of the Division of Nephrology provide medical care to mostly indigent patients with renal diseases. A large number of these patients are “Spanish-speaking” and have diabetes mellitus as the primary cause of their renal disease.

At USC University Hospital and USC/Norris Cancer Hospital, Nephrology faculty admit private patients and provide consultations to patients with renal disease. In addition, our faculty work very closely with the kidney, pancreas and liver transplant surgeons to provide care to patients with end-stage renal disease who require living-related, living-unrelated, and cadaveric renal transplant. The Division of Nephrology and the Division of Vascular Surgery are dedicated to providing care to patients with renovascular hypertension and ischemic kidney disease.

The Division of Nephrology follows almost 300 patients with end-stage renal disease on maintenance hemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis at DaVita-USC Kidney Dialysis Center. This unit is recognized as an example for the community due to its efficiency, quality of care, and dedication of the staff.

The Division of Nephrology is committed to providing excellent teaching to medical students, housestaff , and nephrologists in the community. To this end, the faculty of the Division conduct the Year II Renal System Course, which includes lectures, laboratory work and small group discussion. The faculty teach housestaff and medical students during their rotations on the renal service both at the bedside as well as through didactic lectures. The faculty also participate in the postgraduate education activity of the Department of Medicine. The Division of Nephrology has established a USC Renal Club with the idea of bringing together nephrologists to provide them with continuing medical education and established cooperative research protocols.

The Division of Nephrology is actively involved in both basic and clinical research. One area of basic research is aimed at studying the role of the sympathetic nervous system in hypertension associated with kidney disease, and the interrelations between angiotensin II and oxidative stress in central activation of the noradrenergic system. Another group of investigators is pursuing the role of tight junction proteins in renal tubular cell transport in physiological as well as pathological conditions. In clinical research, the Division of Nephrology is studying the role of the sympathetic nervous system, measured by direct mocroneurography in hypertension associated with kidney disease as well as essential hypertension. The faculty have a variety of clinical protocols dealing with management of bone disease progression of kidney disease and kidney transplantation.