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Division of Pediatric Nephrology

Saint Louis University School of Medicine's Division of Pediatric Nephrology provides comprehensive care for infants, children and adolescents with kidney and urologic disorders.

Advancing Pediatric Kidney Health

The Division of Pediatric Nephrology is a national leader in diagnosing and treating acute and chronic kidney problems. It offers full dialysis services, a hypertension clinic and a kidney transplant program, through which physicians have performed more than 150 transplants. 

Transplant and Clinical Services 

  • Renal Transplant Program
  • Consultations via the Fetal Care Institute
  • Weekly primary hypertension clinic
  • Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring program
  • Program for dialysis/transplant patients transitioning to adult care
  • Congenital and hereditary disorders involving the kidney tracts, including:
    • Urinary tract infections
    • Kidney stones
    • Hypertension
    • Acute and chronic glomerular and tubular disorders
    • Secondary kidney and renal diseases 

The division’s multidisciplinary team includes physicians, nurses, dietitians, social workers and play therapists — all of whom are committed to meeting the specific needs of children and families.  

Meet the Faculty

Pediatric Nephrology Research

Divisional researchers are involved in pharmaceutical studies as well as multi-center studies funded by the NIH and Midwest Pediatric Nephrology Consortium Study Group. They also participate in the North American Pediatric Renal Transplant Cooperative Study — a registry for transplant, dialysis and chronic renal insufficiency patients.  

Grants
  • NIH-NIDDK
    C.W. Belsha, M.D. – PI at St. Louis University
    Cure GN: Cure Glomerulonephropathy Network, a sub-award of “Integrative Proteomics & Metabolomics for Pediatric Glomerular Disease Biomarkers”
  • LR Feldenberg, M.D.- Co-investigator
    Proof of Concept: Identifying Genetic Causes of Congenital Renal Disease
Publications
  • Seifert ME, Dahale DS, Kamel M, Winterberg PD, Barletta GM, Belsha CW, Chaudhuri A, Flynn JT, Garro R, George RP, Goebel JW, Kershaw DB, Matossian D, Misurac J, Nailescu C, Nguyen CR, Pearl M, Pollack A, Pruette CS, Singer P, VanSickle JS, Verghese P, Warady BA, Warmin A, Weng PL, Wickman L, Wilson AC, Hooper DK; IMPROVING RENAL OUTCOMES COLLABORATIVE (IROC). The Improving Renal Outcomes Collaborative: Blood Pressure Measurement in Transplant Recipients. Pediatrics. 2020 Jul;146(1):e20192833. doi: 10.1542/peds.2019-2833. Epub 2020
    Jun 9. PMID: 32518170; PMCID: PMC7329257.
  • Belsha CW: Management of Hypertensive Emergencies, In: Flynn JT et al. (eds); Pediatric Hypertension, 4th Ed. Heidelberg: Springer International Publishing AG 2017, DOl 10. 1007/978-3-319-31420-4_37-1.
  • Feldenberg R, Beck A. Congenital Diseases of the Kidneys: Prognosis and Treatments. Neo Reviews 2017:18;345-56.
  • Bray-Aschenbrenner A, Feldenberg LR, Kirby A, Fitzpatrick CM and Josephsen JB. Bloody Stools in a 3-Day-Old Term Infant. Pediatrics 2017; pii; e20170073. Doi: 10.1542/peds.2017-0073
  • Lynch RE, Wood EG, Neumayr TM. Fluid and Electrolyte Issues in Pediatric Critical Care, 5th Ed. Philadelphia, PA, Elsevier, pp. 1007-1025, 2017.
  • Wen JX, Feldenberg LR, Abraham E, Sadiq F, Christensen KM, Braddock SR. Continuous Venovenous Hemodialysis Via Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation Pump for Treatment of Hyperammonemia Secondary to Propionic Acidemia in Monochorionic Diamniotic Twin Boys. J Pediatr 2016 175:231-2.
Presentations
  • Maliakkal J: “Pediatric Glomerulonephritis with Crescents” at Midwest Pediatric Nephrology Consortium Study Group, April, 2018.
  • Belsha CW: “Drug-Associated Acute Kidney Injury: Which Children Are at Risk?” Pediatric Grand Rounds, Saint Louis University, January 2017.
  • Beck, A: “Fluids and Electrolytes, Nephrotic syndrome, AGN, UTI, Congenital uropathies, Hypertension” at Osler Institute Board Review Course, 2016
  • Feldenberg LR: “Pediatric Kidney Transplantation” at Adventures in Medicine (AIMs) summer program for High School students with interest in studying medicine, June 2016.
  • Onder AM, Wood E, Billings AA, Eng F, Defreitas M, Katsoufis CP, Flynn JT. Complications and outcomes of permanent vascular access (PVA) in pediatric hemodialysis patients: A MWPNC study. Poster presentation #1474. 176; American Society of Pediatric Nephrology Meeting, May 2016
  • Belsha CW: “Assessment of Renal Function in CKD” at American Nephrology Nurses Association, St. Louis Chapter, October 2015
Abstracts
  • Onder AM, Wood E, Billings AA, Grinsell M, Patterson L, Jetton J, Flynn JT, MWPNC. Predictors of maturation time for permanent vascular access (PVA) in pediatric hemodialysis (HD) patients: a MWPNC study. Poster presentation at the American Society of Nephrology Meeting, Nov, 2016, Abstract #3568. J Am Soc Nephrol 27:TH-P01067, 2016.
  • Onder AM, Wood E, Billings AA, Deng F, Defreitas M, Katsoufis C, Flynn JT, MWPNC. Predictors of adverse outcomes of permanent vascular access (PVA) in pediatric hemodialysis (HD) patients: a MWPNC study. Poster presentation at the American Society of Nephrology Meeting, Nov, 2016, Abstract #3590. J Am Soc Nephrol 27:TH-P01066, 2016