Division of Infectious Diseases and HIV Medicine

Fellowship Training Program

Our Mission: Research, Clinical Training and Education

The mission of the Infectious Diseases (ID) Fellowship Training Program is to balance clinical and research activities and education to prepare fellows for their subspecialty boards in Infectious Diseases and careers as the next generation of academic Infectious Diseases physicians. The ID fellowship program is robust with a broad range of research and clinical experiences for trainees. Our research strengths include a special focus on international research, premier HIV & TB programs, the molecular basis of antimicrobial resistance, infections in the elderly, the epidemiology of Infectious Diseases , microbial pathogenesis and tropical diseases. The Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics in the Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) School of Medicine allows fellows to obtain master degrees in Epidemiology or in public health and an ASTMH Diploma Course is offered to all ID fellows. By offering a wide diversity of research, clinical and educational opportunities we encourage fellows a to develop their individual interests in areas of research and a comprehensive clinical acumen in all areas of infectious diseases.

Research

The Infectious Diseases Fellowship Training Program is balanced in terms of all areas of our mission: research and clinical activities and education. Special features of the program include our research strengths in HIV, mycobacteriology, antimicrobial resistance, therapeutics for emerging infections, infectious diseases in the underserved and the epidemiology of infectious diseases. Our program is heavily invested in HIV-related research as we have both an AIDS Clinical Trials Unit (ACTU) and a Center for AIDS Research (CFAR). Our NIH-funded Tuberculosis Research Unit (TBRU) is a leader in interdisciplinary TB research. Multi-disciplinary research combining epidemiologic studies and clinical trials in TB endemic countries with modern microbiology, immunology, and genetics is essential to make progress in the fight against TB. Case Western Reserve University and the Divisions of Infectious Diseases and HIV Medicine have a longstanding interest and reputation in international health with important collaborations established in Africa, Asia and Latin America. International research is focused on HIV infection, tuberculosis, STDs, and tropical infections such as malaria, filariasis, schistosomiasis, and leishmaniasis. There are many research opportunities available for fellow trainees. Trainees, under the guidance of a research mentor, will select an area of research best suited for their career goals in their first year. During the second and third years of training, fellows will be actively involved in research projects under the supervision of a research mentor.

Faculty and Research Interests

UHCMC & VAMC
Donald Anthony, MD PhD	Hepatitis C and HIV host innate and adaptive cellular immunity
Eric Arts, PhD	HIV-1 pathogenesis and evolution
David Bobak, MD	Hepatitis C, transplant infections
Robert Bonomo, MD	Antibiotic resistance
Henry Boom, MD	Tuberculosis and host immunity
David Canaday, MD	Immunology of tuberculosis and HIV-1
Curtis Donskey, MD	Antimicrobial Resistance, Infection Control
Scott Fulton, MD	Clinical ID and trials
Barbara Gripshover, MD	HIV, Antiretrovial therapy, metabolic complications in HIV
Christina Hirsch, MD PhD	HIV/TB, TB
John Johnson, MD	HIV, TB
Robin Jump, MD, PhD	Infections in the elderly
Michael Lederman, MD	HIV, immunology, clinical trials
Tracy Lemonovich, MD	Transplant infections
Michelle Lisgaris, MD	Epidemiology, Infection Control
Grace McComsey, MD	Metabolic complications of HIV/ART
Federico Perez, MD	Antimicrobial resistance, Infection Control
Benigno Rodriguez, MD	HIV, hepatitis
Roxana Rojas, MD PhD	Immunology of tuberculosis
Robert Salata, MD	HIV-1 prevention, ART clinical trials and sexually transmitted infections, therapeutic agents for emerging infections
Marion Skalweit, MD PhD	Structural biology of antimicrobials and relationship to resistance
Scott Sieg, PhD	HIV immunology
Usha Stiefel, MD	Gut colonization with resistant microorganisms, beta-lactamases, nosocomial infections, Staphylococcus aureus
Zahra Toossi, MD	HIV/TB, TB
Center for Global Health & Diseases
Robert Blanton, MD	Schistosomiasis, flavivirus infections, echinococcus, immunogenetics
James W. Kazura, MD	Malaria, filariasis, smallpox, immunoparasitology, vaccine development
Christopher L. King, MD PhD	Schistosomiasis, filariasis, malaria, immunoparasitology, vaccine development
Charles H. King, MD	Schistosomiasis, vector biology, ecologic factors in disease transmission
Rajeev Mehlotra, PhD	Malaria and HIV/AIDS
Eric Pearlman, PhD	Ocular immunology, inflammation, microbial infection, pathogen recognition
Peter A. Zimmerman, PhD	Malaria, HIV/CCR5 interactions, malaria/placental pathology, immunogenetics
Center for Medical Mycology
Mahmoud Ghannoum, PhD	Fungal Infections, pathogenic fungi
Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics
Daniel J. Tisch, PhD, MPH	Epidemiology of lymphatic filariasis, malaria, and schistosomiasis. Meta-analysis and mathematical modeling of parasite control strategies. Evaluation of integrated parasite control programs
MetroHealth Medical Center
Ann Avery, MD	Sexually Transmitted Infections
Robert Kalayjian, MD	Clinical immunology and HIV, HIV in older individuals, renal disease and HIV

Clinical Training

Rotations and training at the three facilities involved in the training program provide complementary experiences and faculty to our fellows. University Hospitals Case Medical Center (UHCMC) provides exposure to common as well as tertiary/quartenary ID problems such as stem cell and solid organ transplant associated infections. The Louis Stokes VA Medical Center (VAMC), which is an acute care hospital, has more emphasis on vascular-associated ID issues and post-operative problems but also serves a large catchment area for veterans in Northeastern Ohio and western Pennsylvania for ID related problems including HIV infection. Additionally, the special ID problems in spinal cord injury patients are encountered at the VAMC. MetroHealth Medical Center (MHMC) is a county facility and a major level 1 trauma center with a nationally recognized burn unit as well as a county TB clinic. The challenging infectious diseases seen with major trauma and burns are a complementary aspect of rotations at MHMC.

Education

The Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics in the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine provides an opportunity for selected fellows to obtain a masters degree in Epidemiology or in Public Health. One fellow every two years is selected for the program.

An ASTMH Diploma Course in Tropical Medicine and International Health is offered to all ID fellows. It is a fellow-run course and participation is voluntary. This course gives a thorough overview of the fields of Tropical Medicine and Infectious Diseases over the three years of Infectious Diseases fellowship training. It draws upon the extensive medical expertise at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, the Center for Global Health and Diseases and other affiliated institutions. Participants are educated through didactic lectures, seminars, clinical rotations, and laboratory exercises. There are also opportunities for travel to tropical locations for both clinical and research experience.

Fellows have the opportunity to attend local, regional and national conferences. There is robust faculty participation in our weekly, Divisional educational conferences (Fellows’ Core Curriculum Conference, Infectious Diseases Case Conference and ID Journal Club/Watch). The Division of Infectious Disease and HIV Medicine also hosts local and regional programs quarterly to include the Nancy A. Hagen Northeast Ohio Infectious Diseases Roundtable and the Phillip I. Lerner Infectious Diseases Citywide Conference. In addition, fellows may attend national conferences such as the Annual Meeting of the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA), Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy (ICAAC) and Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI).