Preyas Vaidya, MD

Get to know Preyas Vaidya, MD, nephrology fellow.

Career goal: I liked a couple of aspects in nephrology – transplant and the mix of nephrology and critical care. I will be introduced to interventional nephrology next year and want to keep an open mind.

“I received excellent support from graduate medical education colleagues even before I entered the hospital for the first time, and that itself speaks a lot about the quality of the place you are joining.”

What makes your LVHN training program different from others across the country?

The program at LVHN, which is a large tertiary care academic hospital in a community setting, exposes us to both real world practice as well as an academic setting. The attendings are extremely approachable and friendly while being thorough at the same time. We have monthly pathology conferences with the renal pathology department from Columbia University, which is one of the best in the country. We work closely with LVHN’s department of maternal fetal medicine and get good exposure in managing hypertension and renal problems in pregnancy.

Apart from state-of-the art nephrology services, we also learn the nuts and bolts of plasmapheresis, which is unique as it’s one of the services provided by the nephrology department, unlike at other major programs. We also get to rotate at an access center during our outpatient rotation in the second year, which exposes us to complex interventional nephrology procedures. We also have a transplant outpatient rotation where we work closely with the transplant surgeons and transplant nephrologists and learn exciting stuff.

What has been the most extraordinary part of your training experience so far?

Everything in the training has been very stimulating, but the diversity and complexity of pathologies that we see take the cake. We see rare pathologies that most people only read about.

What is one memory you have from your training so far that will stick with you for your career?

I got introduced to a lot of new health care aspects in the U.S. as I came from abroad and did my residency outside the U.S. Learning the water and sodium physiology, which most physicians find complex, from my program director will always be etched in my memory.

What is one piece of advice you would share with someone as they select a training program?

Nephrology has a lot of aspects in both inpatient and outpatient settings. Candidates should come prepared with a specific interest or a five-year career plan if possible so they can find the program with the structure and curriculum that is best suited to them.

What does it mean to be a fellow at LVHN?

LVHN is a great place to work. I received excellent support from graduate medical education colleagues even before I entered the hospital for the first time, and that itself speaks a lot about the quality of the place you are joining. The interdepartmental camaraderie, the nursing care and the hospital support that we get as fellows are definitely praiseworthy.