Transplant Nephrology Fellowship

The Transplant Nephrology Fellowship is a one-year program accredited by the American Society of Transplantation (AST) designed to provide Nephrology graduates with experience in all aspects of renal transplantation. The curriculum provides trainees with the foundation to become the next generation of Transplant Nephrologists, program directors, clinicians, and medical educators. The fellowship includes involvement in medical education, patient safety, quality improvement, and utilization management. Clinical rotations take place at Keck Medical Center of USC, which has full UNOS accreditation for multi-organ transplantation including kidney, liver, pancreas, heart and lung transplant.

Email cover letter, CV, personal statement and three (3) letters of recommendation to Lodel Caplan at lodel.caplan@med.usc.edu.

• • Fellowship Program Director and Transplant Program Medical Director: Thin Thin Maw, MD, MS, FASN
  • Fellowship Associate Program Director: Sapna Shah, MD
  • Nephrology Fellowship Program Director: Neeraj Sharma, MD
  • Transplant Program Surgical Director: Jim Kim, MD
  • Transplant Pathologist: William Wallace, MD
  • Tissue Typing Director: Rajalingam Raja, PhD
  • Faculty Member: Miroslaw Smogorzewski, MD, PhD
  • Faculty Member: Santhi Voora, MD

Rotation Summary

Six months of inpatient service at Keck Medical Center of USC and six months of outpatient service at the Los Angeles – Norris Healthcare Center (HC3).

The USC Transplant Nephrology Program is deeply committed to advancing the science and practice of transplantation through robust research and academic collaboration. Our faculty lead and contribute to a diverse portfolio of clinical, translational, and outcomes research aimed at improving graft survival, minimizing immunosuppression-related complications, and expanding access to transplantation.

Current areas of focus include innovative immunosuppressive protocols, risk stratification for rejection and infection, kidney-pancreas transplantation in type 2 diabetes, living donor transplantation without transfusion, and complex multiorgan exchange programs. Our program also contributes to national and international registries and multicenter clinical trials, driving policy and practice on a broader scale.

Collaboration across disciplines—including surgery, pathology, pharmacology, and population health sciences—ensures that research efforts are comprehensive and impactful. The program’s academic output is reflected in frequent publications in high-impact journals, active participation in national scientific meetings, and a sustained commitment to mentorship and scholarly leadership in transplantation.

Fellows will have the opportunity to take part in research or other scholarly work with faculty mentorship.

Current Fellows

2024-2025 Arteen Pirverdian, DO General Nephrology Fellowship: USC/Los Angeles General Medical Center Residency: Texas Institute of Graduate Medical Education and Research

2025-2026 Eddie Khav, DO General Nephrology Fellowship: USC/Los Angeles General Medical Center Residency: Midwestern University OPTI (Cottonwood)

Alumni

• Harsha Aramada, MD (2020-21)

General Nephrology Fellowship: Allegheny Health Network Medical Education Consortium

• Aamir Raza, MD (2019-2020)

General Nephrology Fellowship: UC Irvine Medical Center

• Neeraj Sharma, MD (2018-2019)

General Nephrology Fellowship: Rutgers University

• Zaid Haddad, MD (2018-2019)

General Nephrology Fellowship: Los Angeles County+USC Medical Center

• Cesar Martinez, MD (2015-2016)

General Nephrology Fellowship: Long Island College Hospital

• Rahul Dhawan, DO (2014-2015)

General Nephrology Fellowship: Los Angeles County+USC Medical Center