FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM

Welcome to the page of the Infectious Disease Fellowship training program at the University of Illinois College of Medicine. This is an exciting time to be entering the field of Infectious Diseases, and we are glad that you have decided to browse our webpage.

Our faculty members and fellows have a broad spectrum of interests, encompassing most of what is important and interesting in the field-e.g., studies of fungal virulence, viral and bacterial pathogenesis; studies of the host innate immune response to infections and neoplasia; clinical management of routine infectious diseases, transplant-related infections and refractory mycobacterial infections; international studies of HIV healthcare delivery and international educational initiatives; epidemiological studies of HIV, HCV and hospital related infections; and basic research related to bioterrorism.

The University of Illinois College of Medicine is a state supported institution. It’s hospital and clinics, the affiliated Jesse Brown VA Medical Center the University of Illinois School of Public Health, and University of Illinois School of Pharmacy are all located on the University Campus on the West Side of Chicago. The basic sciences departments of the College of Medicine, including Microbiology and Immunology, Biochemistry, and Molecular Genetics, are all located at the Medical Center campus. Together the two hospitals provide almost 1,000 inpatient beds and provide primary and tertiary care for a diverse patient population from all socioeconomic groups. Infectious Diseases trainees see a wide variety of infections, including infections with unusual pathogens that complicate transplantation and cancer therapy. Trainees also participate in a comprehensive HIV program that has been rated one of the best in the nation. The wonderful city of Chicago and its charm speak for themselves.

The Postdoctoral Fellowship Program in Infectious Diseases encompasses two or more years. This program is oriented to provide an opportunity for physicians to develop those clinical, research, and teaching skills necessary for academic careers.

The fellowship experience is arranged to meet individual goals. In general, trainees spend the first fellowship year in supervised clinical infectious diseases consultation activities and in the clinical microbiology laboratories. The subsequent year(s) is spent developing research, epidemiologic, and investigative skills. Fellows do not match into a designated clinical or research track, but a large proportion of trainees extend their fellowship for one or more years to gain further research experience.

The program is accredited, and successful completion of the program will lead to eligibility for the Infectious Diseases subspecialty board examination given by the American Board of Internal Medicine.

The clinical training program is structured around the following rotations and electives

• Adult Infectious Diseases In-patient Consultative Services at the University of Illinois Hospital (UIH)
• Adult Infectious Diseases In-patient Consultative Services at the Jesse Brown Veteran’s Hospital
• UIH General ID
• UIH Transplant ID
• VA General ID
• Pediatric ID
• Telemedicine
• UCCN/Outreach HIV clinics
• International Electives: DR, India
• HIV Outpatient
• Medical Education at COM and DOM
• Infection control/Hospital Epidemiology
• Antimicrobial stewardship
• OPAT
• Research opportunities

There is an additional one month rotation through a Pediatric ID Service and a one month rotation in Clinical Microbiology. Teaching rounds are held Monday through Friday for the consultation services, which provide about 150-200 consultations a month. Fellows also receive training in outpatient management of Infectious Diseases, including outpatient consultations for unusual or difficult to manage infections, as well as advice for travelers. Fellows are assigned to one half day per week of a continuity clinic at one of the clinical sites for two years in order to get experience with longitudinal care of patients with chronic disorders, such as HIV infection. There is an additional half-day clinic a week in the HIV/HCV co-infection clinic while rotating through the clinical service at the Veteran’s Hospital.Virtually every aspect of modern medical care is represented in this training program. Fellows gain clinical experience in private and public institutions and gain experience in common infectious disease problems, as well as the more specialized problems of infections in bone marrow and solid organ transplant recipients. Our AIDS population is also substantial, but HIV infection in no way monopolizes the clinical activities or educational experiences of the trainees. There is a growing program for the diagnosis and care of patients with difficult-to-manage mycobacterial infections referred from across the country. Chicago is certainly not a tropical region, but imported cases of tropical disease are also seen due to the large number of immigrants and travelers for whom these hospitals provide services.In addition to their experience on the clinical consultative services, fellows receive clinical and didactic training in medical microbiology, immunology, and in the science and art of infection control and hospital epidemiology. In this last area we have made considerable improvements creating an Infection Control (IC) on call schedule for our senior fellows. During the time assigned to Infection Control they interact with the IC practitioner staff, participate in IC committee meetings, investigate outbreaks and review sentinel events with the attending staff.During the second year and beyond our fellows have protected time to complete their mentored research projects.

A broad range of clinical, epidemiologic, and laboratory research opportunities are available. Fellows have the opportunity to develop an individualized research program that will prepare them for their future career plans. Fellows have the opportunity of developing a research program with clinical investigators and basic scientists at one of our institutions, including the University of Illinois Colleges of Medicine and Pharmacy and the University of Illinois School of Public Health. Each trainee develops a program in conjunction with a faculty research advisor who works with the Fellow throughout the period of training.

Research plans are reviewed and approved by the Fellowship Program Committee. Fellows will receive written evaluations of their progress and research skills from their preceptors and will have a number of different lectures and experiences that will assure success in their research efforts, including the sessions on study design and biostatistics during journal club, faculty research presentations, and the lectures on conducting research given at the departmental lecture series.

New trainees are provided with a list of faculty publications showing the research activities of the sections at each of the training sites.

The Infectious Diseases Fellowship Program at UIC is dedicated to providing excellent clinical training and broad opportunities for scholarly activity to our fellows. Our goal is to train outstanding clinicians, teachers and researchers. Our trainees should provide compassionate and comprehensive care for patients with a wide variety of infectious diseases, develop the skills of professionalism to become well-regarded colleagues and consultants, and practice evidence-based medicine. Through clinical experience, teaching and mentorship, our trainees should acquire the skills to develop a successful career in academic medicine.

The University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) Infectious Diseases Fellowship Training Program was accredited by the ACGME in 1987 as a joint program with the University of Chicago (U of C). Since its inception, the program has garnered a regional and national reputation for its academic excellence and for providing trainees with a rich educational experience. Our graduates hold important positions in private practice and academia at prestigious national and international institutions.

In 2005, UIC applied for independent accreditation by the ACGME and became a free-standing training program. Despite the cordial split, we continue to hold some educational activities jointly by videoconference, which allows trainees from both institutions to benefit from the experience and instruction of faculty on both sides. Dr. Jean-Luc Benoit, Program Director at U of C, and Dr. Jeremy Young, the Program Director at UIC, have developed a close working relationship and share responsibility for the curriculum of weekly lectures of the fellowship. All administrative, clinical and supervisory responsibilities are separate for each program.

Over the past several years we have considerably improved our educational program with the addition of a dedicated immunocompromised service rotation, a dedicated HIV service, an elective in tropical medicine, and dedicated experiences in infection control and hospital epidemiology. Our board passing rate has been 100% for at least the past 10 years.