Histocompatibility and Transplant Immunology; HLA) Fellowship at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine

Job Type Full-Time,including on-call responsibilities

Duration: 4 years

The Northwestern University HLA Laboratory is seeking applicants for a Histocompatibility and Transplant Immunology (HLA) Fellowship designed to fulfill the American College of Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics (
ACHİ
) Director-in-Training (DIT) requirements and to prepare future leaders in histocompatibility, immunogenetics, and transplant immunology. This is a structured training position with an anticipated duration of 4 years. Candidates with previous post-doctoral experience in a CLIA-certified laboratory may qualify for a shortened fellowship and should confirm with the ACHI accreditation office. This fellowship provides advanced clinical, technical, research, and laboratory management training within a high-volume academic transplant program serving both adult and pediatric transplant recipients.

The HLA Fellowship at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine is a full-time, on-site training program based in Chicago, IL. DIT fellows participate in day-to-day activities within the HLA laboratory, including test ordering and interpretation, data analysis, and preparation of reports supporting solid organ and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Responsibilities include correlating laboratory findings with clinical information, contributing to case discussions with multidisciplinary teams, and ensuring adherence to regulatory and accreditation standards.

The fellowship also offers opportunities for scholarly activity, including research, presentations, and manuscript preparation in histocompatibility and transplant immunology.

• HLA typing by NGS and SSO methodologies
• HLA antibody detection and identification
• Flow cytometric cross matching
• Virtual cross matching and donor-recipient compatibility assessment
• Clinical consultation and result interpretation
• Donor-specific antibody (DSA) monitoring
• HSCT Chimerism testing

• The American Society for Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics (ASHI) accreditation standards granted deemed status by CLIA
• Quality management and regulatory compliance
• Laboratory operations and personnel management
• Assay validation and implementation

Training includes interaction with multidisciplinary transplant teams involved in:

• Kidney, Liver, Pancreas, Heart, Lung and Stem cell transplantation

Fellows are encouraged to participate in translational and clinical research projects and present their work at national meetings and contribute to peer-reviewed publications, under the supervision and support of the HLA directors.

• Candidate must fulfill the requirements for enrolling as an ASHI/ACHI director-in-training with a doctoral degree in an immunology-related field. (https://)
• Potential candidates should verify their eligibility to enroll as a DIT with the ASHI/ACHI Chief Accreditation Officer Melissa Weeks ((Use the "Apply for this Job" box below).) prior to applying.

The Northwestern Histocompatibility and Transplant Immunology training program builds upon a long-standing tradition of excellence in HLA laboratory education and leadership development. Since 2006, the Northwestern DIT and fellowship program has trained physicians and scientists from the United States and around the world, many of whom have gone on to become laboratory directors, associate directors, faculty members, and leaders in histocompatibility and immunogenetics at major academic medical centers.

More info about graduated fellows: /

The Northwestern University HLA Laboratory supports the Northwestern Medicine Comprehensive Transplant Center, one of the nation's premier transplant programs. In 2025, Northwestern performed total 689 solid organ transplants and is currently ranked No. 1 in Illinois and No. 10 nationally in overall transplant volume according to UNOS data. The program includes kidney, liver, pancreas, heart, lung and multi-organ transplantation.

The HLA laboratory also supports the Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant Program at the Robert H. Lurie…