Clinical and Research Training
Clinical and Research Components
The fellowship is a three-year program. However, additional research training for one to two years is encouraged.
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Clinical Training
The first year of the program focuses on clinical training in infectious diseases. Rotations during this time include the inpatient consultation
service at UPMC Presbyterian,
providing exposure to diverse medical and surgical patients with infectious diseases. On average, eighty
inpatient consults and fifty outpatient visits are conducted per month.
In addition, fellows participate in:
- The HIV/AIDS Continuity Clinic at the Pittsburgh AIDS Center for Treatment (PACT), Falk Medical Building, 3601 Fifth Avenue, in the
Oakland area of Pittsburgh.
- The Sexually Transmitted Diseases Clinic at the Allegheny County Health Department, 3441 Forbes Avenue, in the Oakland area of Pittsburgh.
Fellows also spend one month in the Clinical Microbiology Laboratory at UPMC Presbyterian, and have the opportunity to round on the solid
organ
transplantation inpatient
service at UPMC Presbyterian. In summary, the Fellowship Program offers experience in:
- Inpatient and outpatient infectious diseases including HIV/AIDS
- Diagnostic microbiology and virology
- Antimicrobial pharmacology
- Hospital epidemiology and infection control
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Research Training
Research training begins during the second year of the program. The training occupies nine months of the second year and all of the
third and subsequent years.
The fellow selects a faculty mentor during the first year who assumes responsibility for guiding research
training. Mentoring faculty may be selected from the clinical
research or basic science faculty. Research opportunities are plentiful
in basic, patient-oriented, or epidemiological research. Examples of possible areas of focus
include molecular virology and microbiology,
HIV/AIDS, molecular epidemiology, and emerging infections. Fellows are encouraged to deepen their knowledge in their
chosen field
of research by enrolling in University of Pittsburgh courses related to their research interests. These courses may be selected from
the following areas:
- Biochemistry and molecular genetics
- Cellular and molecular pathology
- Immunology
- Molecular virology and microbiology
- Epidemiology
- Biostatistics
- Advanced infectious diseases and microbiology
- Clinical research training
A fellow's progress during research training is monitored by the mentor and presented to the faculty every six months.
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Minority Recruitment Plan
The University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine is committed to increasing the recruitment of qualified minority candidates for undergraduate and postgraduate
| education, and has had significant success in these efforts. During a time when national trends indicated a sharp decline in minority applicants, the level of
such applicants at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine remained approximately the same thanks to our recruitment efforts. Faculty members are
committed to recruiting qualified minority student candidates who desire training in the field of Infectious Diseases and related research.
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The Need for Well-Trained Leaders - Let the University of Pittsburgh Provide the Training
Infectious diseases present increasing challenges to human health as new infections emerge and old pathogens re-emerge with changing epidemiology,
manifestations, and antimicrobial susceptibility profiles. A few examples are given to illustrate the challenge: The impact of HIV infection on our global
society continues to be enormous. New epidemics of hospital-acquired infections are emerging from increasingly drug-resistant pathogens such as enterococcus, staphylococcus, and gram-negative bacteria. Finally, the recent outbreak of SARs and the growing influenza epidemic in 2003 are reminders
of the continued morbidity and mortality caused by infectious disease.
As a result, this is a time of tremendous need for well-trained leaders in the field of infectious diseases. The Infectious Diseases Fellowship Training Program
at the University of Pittsburgh provides superb training for physicians interested in academic careers. Our program offers extensive training in the crucial aspects
of basic science or clinical research and the critical analysis of data. Physicians entering this program benefit enormously from close interaction with basic
science faculty and accomplished physician-investigators. Physicians who complete the program will be competitive in the academic field of infectious diseases
and become highly productive investigators.
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Training Grant Faculty
In pursuing our goal of providing rigorous research training in Infectious Diseases to postdoctoral physicians interested in investigative careers, our Division competes
for the receipt of various institutional training grants. These training grants call for the combination of faculty from several schools and departments across the University
of Pittsburgh. The assembled faculty has a robust record of research accomplishment and training of postdoctoral fellows. Key training grant faculty members are listed below.
Molecular Epidemiology and Microbiology (MEM)
Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD)
| Name |
Role on Project |
| Sharon L. Hillier, PhD |
Section Director |
| Neal A. Deluca, PhD |
Mentoring Faculty |
| Robert L. Hendricks, PhD |
Mentoring Faculty |
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