Ultrasonography For Nephrologists
Description
This is a comprehensive didactic and hands-on course that covers the physics of ultrasound, operation of equipment, acquisition of images, kidney biopsy, vascular ultrasound, basics of interpretation, normal and abnormal findings, and logistics. There are 6 hours of scanning human subjects including patients with various abnormalities. This 2-day course is offered up to 3 weekends per year.
“The ultrasound course at Emory is foundational and essential for any nephrologist that wants to perform ultrasound in their daily practice. The detailed discussion on ultrasound physics and the hands-on experience with real patients makes this course truly stand out. The course faculty are warm, welcoming, and clearly passionate.”
- Daniel Ross, M.D. Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell
“This course is exceptionally well-structured, hands-on, and clinically relevant. It offers a strong foundation in renal sonography by focusing on core concepts and providing opportunity to scan real patients. Renal imaging, when included in general POCUS courses, is often minimized to little more than the detection of hydronephrosis. In contrast, this course is thoughtfully designed for nephrologists, covering a broad spectrum of pathologies and reflecting Dr. O’Neill’s decades of experience in teaching this craft. It’s no exaggeration to say that many nephrologists who have integrated ultrasound into their practice began their journey with this course.”- Abhilash Koratala, MD, Medical College of Wisconsin
"As a nephrologist, understanding the fundamentals of ultrasound of the kidney is crucial to speak about the pathologies of our organ system. The accurate diagnosis and monitoring of kidney ultrasound is incredibly useful and this course lays the groundwork to learn and perform kidney ultrasound. I found it was useful not only in my work as a nephrologist but as a leader in bedside ultrasound in my division" - Andrew Moses, M.D., Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell
“I completed the US course at Emory nearly 2 years ago. I decided to sign up for it, as I perform my own renal biopsies and was interested in performing the ultrasounds independently. The didactics were well prepared, lots of hands-on time with standardized patients. I am utilizing the skills I learned in my practice of performing native renal biopsies. I highly recommend this course to increase your skills in renal ultrasound”.
- Natalie Freidin, Medical University of South Carolina
Schedule
Saturday
8:30 - 9:30 Practical physics of sonography
9:30 -10:00 Knobology
10:00-10:15 Break
10:15-11:15 Imaging techniques
11:15-12:30 Hands-on session: normal kidneys, biopsy guidance, knobology
12:30 - 1:30 Lunch
1:30 - 2:30 Interpretation: Developing a mindset for interpreting ultrasonography
2:30 - 4:30 Hands-on session: cysts, stones, hydronephrosis, CKD, neoplasms, fistula.
4:30 - 5:30 Interpretation: Cysts, stones, hydronephrosis, artifacts, normal variants
Sunday
8:30 - 9:15 Interpretation: Parenchymal disease, vascular disease, neoplasms
9:15 - 9:45 Sonography in renal transplantation
9:45 - 10:30 Sonography of the lower urinary tract
10:30-12:30 Hands-on session: transplant, Doppler, general abdominal, biopsy phantom, practice interpretation
12:30 - 1:30 Lunch
1:30 - 2:15 Logistics: costs, coding, reporting, records, quality assurance
2:15 - 2:45 Interpretation: other abdominal organs
2:45 - 3:30 Hands-on session: bladder, practice interpretation, biopsy phantom
3:30 - 4:00 Interpretation: practice studies
Faculty
Charles O’Neill, M.D. is a professor of medicine in the Renal Division at Emory University School of Medicine, where he has directed the Renal Ultrasonography Program since 1994. He has extensive experience in teaching and training nephrologists in ultrasonography, including workshops at the National Kidney Foundation and the American Society of Nephrology national meetings and World Congress of Nephrology meetings. He is a founding member and past-president of the American Society of Diagnostic and Interventional Nephrology
Kevin Rooker, RT, RDMS, RVT is an ultrasound consultant based in the Dallas - Fort Worth region of Texas. He has over 35 years of clinical experience in the field of ultrasound. Mr. Rooker has been involved in the didactic and hands-on training of physicians and sonographers throughout the United States and internationally for over 30 years. He is a member of the American Institute of Ultrasound Medicine, as well as the Society of Diagnostic Medical Sonographers and Society of Vascular Technology.
Location
Emory University Hospital
2nd Floor Classrooms, E wing
1364 Clifton Road, Atlanta, GA 30322
Parking is across the street
Upcoming courses
October 25-26, 2025. Registration site.
Tuition is $1150.
There is no CME credit.
Pre-registration is required.
•Space is limited to 24 and the course usually fills, so early registration is strongly encouraged.
•There is no on-site registration, as we cannot accommodate extra attendees.
•You must receive confirmation to attend. If unsure, please email woneill@emory.edu• If you want to be put on a waitlist in case of cancellations or for future courses, please email as above.
Cancellation policy:
Because there are usually more people wanting to attend than there is room, cancellations often deprive someone of the opportunity to attend and are occurring at increasing frequency. Therefore, we have had to institute the following policy:
•If registration is not full, then cancellations receive a 100% refund (or credit towards the next course). If cancellation is less than two weeks before the course, there is no refund.
•If the registration is full and we are able to fill the slot, the refund (or credit towards the next course) is 100%, otherwise the refund is 50%. If cancellation is less than two weeks before the course, there is no refund.
For more information, contact woneill@emory.edu
