About Nephrology

The Weller Society brings together alumni, faculty, and friends of the U-M Medical School Division of Nephrology. The Society is named after Dr. John Weller, who served as the first Chief of Nephrology at the university from 1964-1977.

Established in 1964, the Division of Nephrology has grown tremendously over the last 50 years and is now internationally recognized for its patient care, research, and education. The division's success today has been built on a tradition of excellence which first started when Dr. John M. Weller accepted to become Nephrology's first division chief.

Dr. John Weller earned his bachelor’s degree at the University of Michigan in 1940 and his Doctor of Medicine degree at Harvard in 1943. After a decade in which he completed his residency and taught at Harvard, he returned home to U-M Medical School as an assistant professor in 1953. Shortly following his arrival, he was called away for a year and a half service in the U.S. Army Medical Corps. Following his stint in the Army, Dr. Weller resumed his career at the university, rising up through the ranks in Nephrology to become a full professor in 1963. He was tapped to become Nephrology’s first division chief as the growing unit was formed into an independent division of Internal Medicine in 1964. Dr. Weller held membership in numerous professional societies, played a key leadership role in the activities of the National Kidney Foundation of Michigan, and was the author of numerous scientific publications as well as several books concerned with diseases of the kidney. Dr. Weller held the position until 1977.