UAB Critical Care Nephrology is a multidisciplinary program within the Division of Nephrology dedicated to improving outcomes for critically ill patients with acute kidney injury and other organ dysfunction.

We integrate high-volume ICU kidney care with innovative education, data-driven quality improvement, and clinical/translational research—leveraging multimodal EHR and device data, biospecimens, and collaborative methodology. We collaborate closely with the UAB–UCSD O’Brien Center for AKI Research.

What We Do

• Clinical care & extracorporeal therapies (CRRT/CKRT, blood purification, anticoagulation, drug dosing)
• AKI & organ crosstalk (sepsis, biomarkers, recovery trajectories)
• Data science & AI (phenotyping, CDS, dashboards, prediction)
• Implementation & quality (KPIs, workflow, safety, clinical trials)

Faculty

Our multidisciplinary team includes experts in nephrology, critical care, data science, and clinical research.

• Javier A. Neyra, M.D., MSCS, FASN
• Ashita J. Tolwani, M.D., MSc, FASN
• Jin Chen, Ph.D.
• Jorge Gamboa, M.D., Ph.D.
• Lama Ghazi, M.D., Ph.D.
• Tiago K. Colicchio, Ph.D., MBA, FAMIA
• Devansh Patel, M.D.

Graduate Research Assistant: Sadia Yesmin Shampa (M.S. Student) 

Clinical Operations

The UAB Critical Care Nephrology Program delivers high-acuity kidney support through a robust, multidisciplinary clinical model that unites nephrology, critical care, nursing, pharmacy, rehabilitation, other specialties, and data science teams. We provide evidence-based CRRT and advanced ICU kidney care across the full spectrum of UAB Medicine’s critical care environment. UAB operates one of the busiest CRRT programs in the world, delivering more than 6,000 CRRT patient-days annually, reflecting deep institutional expertise and coordinated, high-volume clinical care.

Critical Care Units and Services Supported

CRRT and advanced kidney support are delivered across UAB Medicine’s extensive critical care services, which include:

• Medical Intensive Care Unit (MICU)
• Surgical and Trauma Critical Care (including trauma & burns)
• Cardiovascular/Cardiac Intensive Care (CICU)
• Neurosciences Intensive Care (NICU)
• Critical care for heart transplant, lung transplant, and advanced cardiopulmonary support
• Specialized support for bone marrow transplant patients and high-risk medical populations

CRRT Academy

An annual event to provide medical professionals (RN, MD, Pharmacist) with the knowledge and understanding for decision making for the effective utilization of Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy (CRRT) and to allow them to practice key management strategies using hands-on workshops and simulation.

Learn more

Careers: Education and Training

We train outstanding clinicians to be leaders in the field of critical care nephrology.

Observership Program

• The UAB International Critical Care Nephrology Observership Program provides international physician or physicians-in-training with structured exposure to advanced clinical practices in critical care nephrology, multidisciplinary ICU management, and scholarly research. Participants engage in rotations across specialized teams, attend educational academic sessions, and contribute to ongoing research initiatives

• Rotations include: ICU Nephrology Consult Service, Cardiopulmonary Critical Care Intensive Care Unit (CPCC) and Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO), Anesthesia Critical Care and ICU Primary Team, UAB Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy (CRRT) Academy, Scholarly Research Activities

Contact

We invite motivated trainees, researchers, and clinicians to join our multidisciplinary team. Join our team and help shape the future of critical care nephrology. For inquiries about opportunities, please contact Faculty directly.

For more information about the observership program, please contact Ms. Patricia Busta at pjbustaflores@uabmc.edu