Fellowship Program

Two programs, General Infectious Diseases and HIV, are offered. Each program leads to board certification in Infectious Diseases.

The Division of Infectious Diseases offers two postgraduate fellowship programs: one in General Infectious Diseases and one designed for individuals who which to specialize in HIV care. The General Infectious Diseases program has a two-year clinical track and a three-year research track for those interested in an academic career in general infectious diseases. The HIV program is, in general, a three-year program designed for the individual who wishes to pursue a career in academic medicine and research focused on the care and management of individuals infected with HIV. Over the past 10 years, approximately half of our fellows have secured positions in academic medical centers, while a substantial proportion have gone on to positions at the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control.

Year One

The first year is similar in both programs and tracks. This year is clinically oriented and is spent consulting on patients with problems related to infectious diseases. A very diverse experience is obtained through rotations at the University Hospital and Veterans Affairs Medical Center, the Marlene and Stuart Greenebaum Cancer Center, the R. Adams Crowley Shock Trauma Center, the inpatient HIV unit, Union Memorial Hospital and in the Clinical Microbiology Laboratory. Fellows see consults and supervise residents and medical students, and spend much of their time teaching and providing patient care. This is all performed under the guidance of full-time faculty, many of whom are experts in subspecialties within infectious diseases, such as infections in transplant recipients, neutropenic host infections, surgical infections and infections in HIV-infected individuals. During the first year the general and HIV programs differ only in the amount of time spent in outpatient clinic with the HIV fellow spending 2 half days per week and the General fellows spending 1 half day per week in clinic.

Year Two

General Infectious Diseases Program

Those individuals who have chosen a clinical track spend the second year equally divided between the various rotations and on electives. Available electives include rotations in the Shock Trauma unit, in the Baltimore City Health Department, on the ID service at the National Institutes of Health, and performing clinical research.

Those individuals who have chosen the research track spend the second and subsequent years of the program primarily engaged in original research. Research interests in the division include molecular pathogenesis of bacterial infections, the physiology of acute inflammation, CMV, infections in cancer patients or severely traumatized patients, and infection control and nosocomial infections. Research interests within geographic medicine include microbial genetics, pathogenesis of diarrheal diseases, pathogenesis of malarial infections, and vaccine development.

All General fellows continue to spend one half day per week in the outpatient clinic through at least the second year.

HIV Program

The goal of the HIV program is to train Infectious Disease specialists who are also expert in all aspects of HIV infection including research and the care and management of the disease.

Those individuals who have chosen the HIV track spend their second and subsequent years at the Institute of Human Virology immersed in research and clinical activities focused on the care and management of HIV, its complications, and co-morbid illnesses such as Hepatitis C. All second and third year fellows remain integrated into the Institute's Clinical Care program and spend 3-4 months each year on the Virology Consult Service and 2 half days per week in outpatient clinic to continue to hone their clinical skills. The rest of the second and subsequent years is spent engaged in research. A fellow's research can be laboratory based, translational, or clinical. General research interests in the institute include all aspects of HIV and other viral diseases such as basic pathogenesis and immunology of HIV, therapeutic and preventive vaccine development, animal models of HIV, Hepatitis C and clinical trials. Clinical Research at the Institute encompasses AIDS Clinical Trials Group trials, HIV Vaccine Trials Network trials, Investigator initiated trials evaluating new agents and novel treatment strategies, international ARV treatment and operational research, therapeutic vaccine trials, and Hepatitis C treatment. Those fellows interested in the treatment of HIV internationally can participate in our many programs in Africa and the Caribbean.

Application is made through the fellowship program director.

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To contact us:

Phone: 410-706-7560
Fax: 410-706-1992
Email: jklein@ihv.umaryland.edu