Pediatric nephrology is the study and treatment of children with kidney disorders. A pediatric nephrologist is a physician who diagnoses and manages kidney disease and kidney function in infants, children and adolescents. This specialist consults with a surgeon regarding a young patient’s kidney transplantation, and will help manage blood pressure, fluid and electrolyte balance in the body, and dialysis procedures. This physician has special training in dialysis physiology, management of renal failure, pharmacology, hypertension, nutrition, and development of the kidney and urinary tract in children.

Doctor density varies by specialty and location. Massachusetts has 24 practicing pediatric nephrologists. Broken out by city, pediatric nephrology doctor density in Auburn is 1, in Beverly is 1, in Boston is 18, in Braintree is 1, in Cambridge is 1, in Fall River is 1, in Gardner is 1, in Newton is 1, in Newton Lower Falls is 1, in Somerville is 1, in South Weymouth is 1, in Waltham is 1, and in Worcester is 5.

Massachusetts became the sixth state in the union in 1788, and is steeped in history. Boston, the capital city, is home to Harvard University, the John F. Kennedy Museum and Library, the Paul Revere House, and many other historical sites. Massachusetts is home to the New England Pirate Museum in Salem, the Minute Man National Historical Park, and the Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, both in Concord. Four past presidents were born in Massachusetts; John Adams, John Quincy Adams, John F. Kennedy and George H. W. Bush. Other famous Massachusetts people include actors Leonard Nimoy and Bette Davis, composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein, and historical figures Susan B. Anthony, Edgar Allan Poe, Paul Revere, and Benjamin Franklin.

According to 2005 Census estimates, Massachusetts has a population of 6,398,743. Of this population, 1,419,389 are under the age of 18 and 848,924 are at or above the age of 65.