Transplant Fellowships

The field of transplant surgery does not require an introduction. How ones becomes a transplant surgeon following urological training, however, does need a bit of a clearification. Dr. Venkatesh Krishnamurthi, the transplant fellowship director at the Cleveland Clinic, was able to set the records straight:

Can a urologist train in ANY transplant fellowship or does it have to be in a Urological department?
Venkatesh Krishnamurthi, MD: In general any urologist can train in any transplant fellowship, but the specific institutional requirements may preclude this. For example, some transplant fellows take General Surgery call -- this of course would not be feasible for a urologist. I did my transplant training at the University of Maryland with General/Transplant surgeons in 1999-2000. At that time I was the first urologist they trained and they accepted me and treated me as one of their own. Since then, they have trained at least 3 more urology graduates, including one of our Cleveland Clinic residents in 2006-2007.

Is there a list of programs that offer fellowships to urologists?
Venkatesh Krishnamurthi, MD: No specific list. List of all fellowships and accredited organs can be found on ASTS website.

How does the selection process usually work?
Venkatesh Krishnamurthi, MD: Prospective applicants should write or email. They can direct their inquiries to [program director] by either method. We would want them to come for an interview. Currently (summer 2008) we [at the Cleveland Clinic] are taking applicants for the 2010-2012 fellowship