Education

EDUCATION: Infectious Diseases

The division’s long-time commitment to the education of world-class physicians and scientists in infectious diseases is reflected in the numerous teaching honors garnered by ID faculty over the years – including, most recently, Erik Hewlett (2013 Outstanding Faculty Award from the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia), Bill Petri (2012-2013 UVA All-University Teaching Award in Medicine), and Dick Pearson (Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award from the UVA Class of 2013). Division faculty also provide key leadership for the Department of Medicine’s medical educational programs: Gerald Donowitz serves as Vice Chair and Brian Wispelwey as Associate Chair for the graduate and undergraduate programs, respectively. Barbara Mann coordinates efforts to match graduate students to infectious diseases and biodefense labs.

The division’s Graduate Infectious Diseases Research Training program is now in its fourth decade, with interdisciplinary PhD, postdoctoral and medical fellowship programs that encompass biodefense and global health. They include:

• ID and Biodefense PhD program (eight predoctoral fellows)
• Clinical fellowship program (five MD fellows)
• ID and Biodefense research fellowship program (four postdoctoral fellows)

The centerpiece of the program, supported by long-standing NIH T32 training grants and foundation funding, is the side-by-side education of PhD students, scientific and medical postdoctoral fellows, who share classes and work together on basic and clinical research projects. The 36 faculty who teach and mentor in the program are drawn from seven different departments, with an array of expertise in fields such as microbiology, pathology, immunology, and epidemiology. The average preceptor in the program has trained more than ten pre- or postdoctoral students. In the last five years, 12% of the positions awarded have been to underrepresented minorities and individuals with a disability; women currently constitute 54% of trainees and 23% of preceptors.

The clinical fellowship program consists of two broad areas: clinical training in the care of ambulatory and hospitalized patients with infectious diseases, and research training focused on the development of the skills necessary to become a successful independent investigator. The first year is devoted entirely to research, with no clinical responsibilities; this allows for more rapid development of research skills, which leads to more productive research during the clinical years of training and higher degree of success in scholarship after the training period. During the second and third years of training, fellows have rotations in inpatient and outpatient settings, while continuing to refine research skills and work on projects initiated in the first year.

During FY2013, Infectious Diseases fellows were:

Third year:

• Shandra Rose Day, MD
• Scott Kirkland Heysell, MD
• Tania Ann Thomas, MD

Second year:

• Luther Bartelt,
• Poonum Korpe
• Rajat Madan

First year:

• Jessica Lewis
• Shannon Moonah
• James Platts-Mills

The Division of Infectious Diseases is one of a handful of programs in the country that offer a certificate in Tropical Medicine and Travelers Health. Run in association with the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, the certification course includes seminars, conferences, laboratory training, and outpatient experience, with particular emphasis on tropical medicine.