Infectious Diseases Fellowship

Curriculum

The program trains four graduates of A.B.I.M. accredited medical residency programs. There are two trainees at each PGY4 and PGY5 level.

1. Thirteen months of inpatient consultations (9½ months during the first year) on a very active service that performs 90-100 consultations per month on all hospital services and responds to a varied distribution of diseases among highly ethnically diverse populations. Five ID attending physicians rotate on consultation service and perform daily rounds with fellows, rotating residents and medical students.
2. Five months of active participation on the inpatient multi-disciplinary Antibiotic Stewardship Program (ASP) overseeing selected antibiotic utilization at NYP/Queens based on clinical, microbiologic, and pharmacologic data and principles. Fellows evaluate and make appropriate interventions and implement facility-wide guidelines. This rotation extends the inpatient consultation experience and supervision is performed by the coordinator of ASP, a pharmD pharmacist, as well as one attending physician onsite.
3. Six months on the Outpatient Parenteral Antibiotic Therapy (infusion) unit where ID fellows select suitable outpatient and inpatient candidates, aid in transition of care, and manage all aspects of outpatient ID care including selection of antibiotics and coordination of care. Emphasis is placed on strong collaboration with multiple services including patients and/or designated family members, pharmacy, case management, microbiology, primary healthcare providers and other consultants. Fellows have exposure to insurance providers, pre-authorization process, and diagnostic and billing procedures appropriate for outpatient practice management. Supervision is performed by one of three ID attending physicians.
4. Twenty-four months continuity outpatient clinical experience in the Special Care Center, part of a NYS AIDS Institute Designated Center (ADC) delivering care to over 800 HIV-infected persons. Fellows are exposed to the spectrum of HIV infection, as well as obtaining experience in the management of co-morbid conditions seen in HIV-infected persons. In addition, fellows perform outpatient ID consultations and/or follow-ups. Supervision is performed by one of three ID attending physicians.
5. Five months of dedicated research under the supervision of the Infectious Diseases Research Director, a Ph.D. microbiologist and full time Training Program faculty member as well as mentorship by one or more of the ID attending physicians. The productive clinical and basic science research centers on mechanisms, epidemiology and control of antibiotic resistance in bacterial pathogens and translation of laboratory antibiotic susceptibilities studies into practical clinical implementation. In addition, the ADC is active in both HIV investigator-initiated, as well as pharmaceutical company novel antiretroviral agent studies. A minimum of 3-4 peer-reviewed journal articles are published annually and include the responsible fellow as a prominent author.
6. A one-month rotation in transplant Infectious Diseases is conducted at New York Presbyterian Hospital / Columbia University Medical Center campus.
7. Trainees have the opportunity to present their research at annual NewYork-Presbyterian Queens Research Day and at the annual Infectious Disease Society of New York meetings. In addition, trainees have the opportunity to attend and submit their research at annual international and/or national meetings, such as the Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy (ICAAC), Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA), Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI), Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA), etc.
8. Engagement in research and successful submission for publication in peer-reviewed journals are emphasized throughout the two-year program and prepare the fellow for a future of ongoing personal scholarship.
9. Didactic components include multiple weekly conferences that cover infectious diseases board review topics and questions, cases in clinical microbiology and infectious diseases. In addition, a weekly infectious diseases conference includes core curriculum, journal club, clinical case, research and invited speaker presentations.