We have the largest hospital-based research program at UHN and one of the most comprehensive nephrology programs in Canada.
Our division consists of many diverse subspecialties including home and hemodialysis, kidney/kidney-pancreas transplantation, glomerular disease, hereditary kidney disease, geriatric and palliative renal medicine, kidney, and onco-nephrology.
Our Laboratories
Across the division there are clinics covering a number of specialized areas including hypertension, diabetic kidney disease, glomerulonephritis, hereditary kidney disease and many more. In addition, our faculty participates in a full range of academic activities including basic science, translational and clinical research, and teaching. Our division is considered to be one of the leading institutions for training Nephrologists for both academic careers and clinical practice in North America. With this breadth of expertise, we are proud to be able to provide outstanding clinical care, conduct ground breaking research, and offer numerous training opportunities in nephrology.
Laboratories & Clinics
Home Dialysis Program
The documentation of cardiovascular advantages with the conversion to nocturnal hemodialysis is well substantiated. As a result, UHN is part of the NIH-sponsored Frequent Hemodialysis Network randomized controlled trial examining nocturnal hemodialysis as an established renal replacement therapy. The Division staff had an active role in the drafting and implementation of The Canadian Society of Nephrology (CSN) guidelines in peritoneal dialysis and intensive hemodialysis. The CSN has also recommended the use of nocturnal hemodialysis as a preferred dialytic method for patients with refractory hypertension and hemodynamic instability. Most recently, the team has shown that patients undergoing nocturnal home hemodialysis have survival comparable to a matched cohort of renal transplant recipients.
Kidney Health Education & Research Group (KHERG)
Our mission is to facilitate equitable access to living donor kidney transplant, shared decision-making and self-management, understanding of ethnocultural barriers, improved assessment and support of mental health, and a better quality of life and outcomes for people with kidney disease. To do this, we conduct research that identifies psychosocial, behavioral and cultural factors that impact patients’ clinical outcomes and quality of life. We carry out research-based quality improvement projects targeting routine clinical practice. We build partnerships with patients, researchers, clinicians, and community organizations, increasing public awareness and providing education about kidney disease and transplantation.
Kidney Transplant Program-Cardella
Dr. Carl Cardella is a respected and long serving staff nephrologist at UHN, specializing in kidney transplant. He has also been the Clinical Faculty Advocate for the Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, from 2009 to the present. He has also served as a Director both within the Division of Nephrology and Transplantation.
Kidney Transplant Program-Cole
In 2001 Dr. Edward Cole was appointed as Director, Division of Nephrology, University Health Network & Mount Sinai Hospital and in 2007 became the Amgen Professor of Nephrology. He is currently Professor of Medicine and, from 1996-2006, he was the Director of the Division of Nephrology, University of Toronto. He is founder and Chair of The Canadian Transplantation Society Kidney Working Group and Chair of the Steering Committee for National Kidney Registries. His major research interests are in immunosuppressive drugs and clinical trials in renal transplantation with over 130 publications.
Kidney/Pancreas and Clinical Islet Transplant Program
Dr. Jeffrey Schiff is active in Nephrology and solid organ transplant education at the local and national levels. He is currently the Director of the Adult Nephrology Residency Program and the Kidney and Kidney/Pancreas Transplant Fellowship at the University of Toronto. He has developed free web-based tools for transplant education, including Transplant Pearls and Transplant Now. He is also chair of the CST Pancreas Transplant Working Group and former chair of the CST Education Committee.