The Pediatric Nephrology Division aims to provide comprehensive, outpatient consultative care for children with kidney-related concerns including hematuria, proteinuria, hypertension, nephritis, nephrotic syndrome, recurrent UTIs, vesicoureteral reflux, congenital urinary tract anomalies, cystic kidney diseases, hereditary kidney diseases, kidney stones, tubular disorders, disorders of calcium/phosphorus/bone metabolism, kidney failure, and kidney transplantation.
We provide a full range of acute inpatient care for children experiencing hypertensive urgency/emergency, acute nephritis, and acute renal failure including diagnostic percutaneous renal biopsy. Our pediatric nephrology and dialysis support staff offer a complete range of renal replacement therapies including peritoneal dialysis, hemodialysis, CVVH, and CVVHD to support children requiring renal replacement therapy.
For those children with chronic kidney failure we offer home peritoneal dialysis or in-center outpatient hemodialysis in our state-of-the-art American Family Children’s Hospital. The goal of care for children with renal failure is successful renal transplantation. We offer nationally and internationally recognized expertise in transplant surgery and pediatric renal transplantation, particularly in the area of novel immunosuppression options including “prednisone-free.”
Recent News

NIH selects Benjamin Spector for K12 Grant to study kidney transplantation rejection
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Multidisciplinary K12 Urologic Research (KURe) Career Development Program awarded Benjamin Spector, MD, MS, assistant professor, Division of Nephrology, a NIH K12 grant for his project, “Identification of novel biomarkers and …
February 18, 2026
Kimberly Squires marks 35 years of pediatric nursing service with UW Health, primarily with the Department of Pediatrics Division of Nephrology
The Department of Pediatrics extends its enthusiastic congratulations and deep gratitude to Kimberly Squires, NP, nurse practitioner, as she reaches 35 years of service with UW Health working with pediatric patients. In that time, she …
February 3, 2026
Grant from Eurofins-Viracor will fund Rachel Engen’s work to study torque teno virus as a biomarker for immunological function in patients post-kidney transplant
Rachel Engen, MD, assistant professor, Division of Nephrology, recently secured a three-year grant in the amount of $621,000 for an investigator-initiated, industry-funded, multicenter study looking at torque teno virus (TTV) as a biomarker of immunosuppression …
June 27, 2025
Taylor House awarded Pediatric Research Loan Repayment Award
Taylor House, MD, assistant professor, Division of Nephrology, was awarded a two-year Pediatric Research Loan Repayment Award from the National Institutes of Health that will help cover some of her medical education loans. The award was …
May 28, 2025
Benjamin Spector receives Wisconsin Partnership Program grant
Benjamin Spector, MD, MS, assistant professor, Division of Nephrology, has been awarded a two-year Wisconsin Partnership Program grant of $149,962 for a project called, “Identification of novel biomarkers and pathogenesis of kidney transplant rejection using …
May 28, 2025
Division of Nephrology at PAS 2025
Three members of the Division of Nephrology will participate in the 2025 Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) meeting in Honolulu, Hawaii, April 24–28: Drs. Sharon Bartosh, Rachel Engen, and Taylor House.
April 21, 2025- More Division of Nephrology posts
