About the Division of Nephrology and Hypertension

Committed to setting the standard in patient care, education and research

The Division of Nephrology and Hypertension 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 Los Angeles General Medical Center and in the private sector at Keck Hospital of USC, USC/Norris Cancer Hospital, and DaVita-USC Kidney Dialysis Center.

At Los Angeles General Medical Center, the Division of Nephrology and Hypertension 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 and Hypertension provides 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 Keck Hospital of USC and USC Norris Cancer Hospital, Nephrology and Hypertension 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 Hypertension and the Division of Vascular Surgery are dedicated to providing care to patients with renovascular hypertension and ischemic kidney disease.

The Division of Nephrology and Hypertension 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 and Hypertension is committed to providing excellent teaching to medical students, housestaff, and nephrologists in the community. To this end, the faculty of the division conducts the Year II Renal System Course, which includes lectures, laboratory work and small group discussion. The faculty teaches housestaff and medical students during their rotations on the renal service both at the bedside as well as through didactic lectures. The faculty also participates in the postgraduate education activity of the Department of Medicine. The Division of Nephrology and Hypertension 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 and Hypertension 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 mechanism of reduction in renal solute clearance in acute kidney injury and chronic kidney disease. In clinical research, the Division of Nephrology and Hypertension is studying the role of the sympathetic nervous system, measured by direct microneurography 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.