Pediatric Infectious Diseases Fellowship Curriculum

The large and diverse patient population at the Baylor College of Medicine affiliated hospitals attracts many fellows for training in pediatrics and infectious diseases. The fellows receive a minimum of 12 months of in-patient training in clinical infectious diseases. The first year consists of five to seven months performing inpatient consultation services at Texas Children’s Hospital Main Campus.

During each clinical rotation, the fellow works directly under the supervision of a full-time faculty member in pediatric infectious diseases.

The remaining months of the first year are spent in the microbiology laboratory rotations, pediatric infectious diseases outpatient clinics and  research activities selected by the fellows (described below).

During the second and third years of training, there are two to three months of clinical rotations each year. Fellows are given a graduated level of independence on the clinical service. Upper level fellows also join both the Infection Control and Antimicrobial Stewardship team rounds and participate in operational activities (outlined below). The majority of the second and third years are spent developing skills as a clinical or basic science investigator.

If the fellows choose to participate in one of our specialized tracks (outlined separately), additional clinical or didactic time is modified based on the requirements of the specialized track.

During the second and third years of training, there are two to three months of clinical rotations each year. Fellows are given a graduated level of independence on the clinical service. The majority of the second and third years are spent developing skills as a clinical or basic science investigator.

An elective rotation during fellowship can be arranged; elective rotations are considered on a case by case basis.

Outpatient clinic opportunities: fellows see patients independently and are supervised by attending physicians in the following outpatient clinics:

• Pediatric outpatient general ID Clinic (Main Campus, West Campus (upper level fellows)
• Cytomegalovirus (CMV) clinic
• Zika virus clinic
• Tuberculosis clinic
• Retrovirology clinic (Texas Children's Hospital, Harris Health Clinics (Thomas St. Clinic, Transitional HIV Northwest Clinic)
• Transplant ID outpatient clinic
• Tropical Medicine Clinic (Harris Health)

Microbiology Laboratory Block: first year fellows rotate and participate in the real-time work of microbiology technologists in the identification of organisms and communication with the clinical teams. Fellows rotate through the following areas: specimen receiving area, the blood culture bench, urine/stool culture bench, respiratory culture bench, anaerobic culture bench, fungal culture bench, serology bench, and the virology laboratory. Fellows are also assigned microbe “unknowns,” which are identified through gram stain techniques and cultures, biochemical testing, manual and automated susceptibility testing, and morphologic identification. This activity is reviewed and discussed with the microbiology directors. Didactic experiences include: twice weekly clinical application rounds and daily work-rounds with the microbiology directors.

Infection Control/Antimicrobial Stewardship Block: upper level fellows work with clinical leaders in the infection control and antimicrobial stewardship, attend multidisciplinary meetings, infection control and antimicrobial stewardship inpatient rounds, and, if available assist with outbreak investigation and antibiotic utilization chart review.

Advanced Degree/Educational Opportunities: Past graduates have obtained the following additional educational degrees/certificates: Masters of Public Health, Masters of Clinical Science, Masters of Education, Masters of Epidemiology, Certificate/Diploma in Tropical Medicine

Didactic Activities Include:

• Faculty and Trainee Journal Club Presentations
• Infectious Disease Fellows’ Core Curriculum Lectures
• Baylor College of Medicine Fellows’ College Seminars
• Research Conference
• Fellows’ Case Conferences
• Texas Medial Center City Wide Infectious Disease Conferences
• Infectious Disease Society of America Conference Attendance
• Pediatric Academic Society Conference Attendance
• St. Jude’s Pediatric Infectious Disease Society Conference Attendance
• Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America Conference Attendance
• Biweekly Microbiology Plate Rounds

*Fellows Participate in Presenting Content 
#Monthly 

Subspecialty Fellows College Didactics and Activities

National/International Conference Attendance (fellows attend more than one conference per year)

• Infectious Disease Society of America (IDSA) Conference
• Pediatric Academic Society (PAS) Conference
• St. Jude’s Pediatric Infectious Disease Society (PIDS) Conference
• Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA) Conference
• Plus research interest-specific conferences 

The research training is designed to meet the educational and professional goals of each individual fellow and to successfully fulfill the research requirements designated by the Subboard of Pediatric Infectious Diseases. Given the size of the Pediatric Infectious Disease Division and the vast diversity of research expertise at Baylor College of Medicine, the potential research projects for fellows are many.

Research projects range from those concerned primarily with fundamental mechanisms pertaining to microbial (bacterial or viral) virulence and host defense to those pertaining to antimicrobial or antiviral pharmacology and efficacy. Both clinical and basic science research projects are under the direct supervision and mentoring of one of the full-time faculty. As a result of long-standing collaborative and liaison relationships with several basic science investigators, research experience in laboratories in other divisions is also available.

In the first year of training, fellows meet with the faculty individually to identify a research mentor and outline a prospective research project. The majority of the basic science or clinical research activity occurs during the second and third years of training (nine research months/year). It is during that time that the fellow is allowed an opportunity to develop independence as an investigator. The quality of the research training is illustrated by the fact that since 1982, each of our trainees seeking an academic position at the completion of the fellowship has been successful in securing such a position. In addition, the work performed by current and past trainees has been presented at national meetings and published in peer-reviewed journals.

Objective

To provide excellent clinical training and scholarship in both adult and pediatric infectious diseases.

Applicant Selection

Interested and qualified applicants are accepted to the Baylor College of Medicine (BCM) Combined Medicine-Pediatrics Infectious Diseases Fellowship on a case-by-case basis. As this track is not a formal combined infectious disease fellowship program through the NRMP, interested candidates should apply to both the BCM adult and pediatric ID fellowship programs through ERAS. Candidates should indicate in their personal statement if they wish to pursue combined training. The BCM adult and pediatric program directors will work together to review fellowship applicants. After a candidate matches with our program, a petition is submitted for combined training to the ABIM and ABP.

Previous combined medicine-pediatric fellow graduates include Jill Weatherhead M.D., Msc, DTMH (2017) and Janine Dailey Garnes M.D., M.P.H., M.S. (2016).

Please feel free to reach out and inquire about this exciting training opportunity!

Pediatric ID Program Director: Catherine Foster M.D. (catherine.foster@bcm.edu)

Adult ID Program Director: Prathit Kulkarni M.D.

Overview of Curriculum

The combined medicine-pediatrics ID fellowship is a dual, integrated 4-year training program with two years dedicated to clinical training (one year adult ID, one year pediatric ID) and two years of research. For more information on clinical and research rotations please contact Dr. Foster.

Objective

To provide post-graduate fellows in pediatric infectious diseases (ID) with the opportunity to acquire specialized clinical, educational and research training in transplant ID, and to build academic/research careers in pediatric transplant ID.

Pediatric Transplant ID Track Director: Kristen Valencia Deray, M.D.

Applicant Selection

After matching at BCM Pediatric ID fellowship program, post-graduate fellows will undergo an in-person discussion with the ID fellowship program director and Dr. Deray to evaluate if the fellow’s career goals would benefit from the pediatric transplant ID track. Post-graduate fellows accepted to the track will be expected to not only complete the expectations of the pediatric transplant ID track but also the clinical, research and educational expectations of the Pediatric ID fellowship program.

For more information, please contact Dr. Deray.

Clinical Opportunities/Requirements

• Rotate with the transplant ID inpatient clinical service for more than two months (over the second and third years of fellowship)
• Assist with the management of more than 12 transplant ID outpatients/year (during the second and third years of fellowship). Track participants will be required to keep a log of their clinic time and outpatients seen.
• Author at least one transplant ID case report/case presentation.
• Optional: one-two week clinical electives with the TCH Transplant Immunology service and the TCH Bone Marrow Transplant service.

Educational Opportunities/Requirements

Didactic Opportunities

• Lectures/ in-person didactics:
• Pediatric Transplant ID weekly meetings: attend more than 10 transplant ID weekly meetings/year during their second and third years
• Transplant ID Collaborative monthly meetings (six meetings/per year) – encouraged (optional)
• TCH Transplant Symposium (annual), encouraged (optional)
• BCM Transplant Symposium (annual), encouraged (optional)
• Organ-specific didactics (attend more than four meetings/year during their second and third years):
• Liver Transplant educational seminars (Mondays, one-two per month)
• Lung Transplant Collaborative educational seminars (Wednesdays, monthly)
• Heart educational seminars (Wednesdays, one-two per month)
• BMT educational seminars (Thursdays, weekly)

Online Opportunities

• PIDS Transplant ID online modules
• American Society of Transplantation Transplant ID online modules

Teaching Opportunities

• Present at least once at the Transplant ID Collaborative monthly meeting during the second or third years of fellowship.
• Lead more than four teaching sessions on the transplant ID clinical rotation during their second and third year of fellowship
• Create an interactive didactic session for trainees on the transplant ID clinical rotation
• Conferences (funding for one conference per year is provided by Pediatric ID Fellowship program):
• Attend conferences that best fit the post-graduate ID fellow’s research and/or career goals.
• Conferences with transplant ID content include:
• PIDS/ St Jude’s Transplant ID annual meeting
• American Transplant Congress (including the pre-meeting education day on Transplant ID)
• Symposium on ID in the Immunocompromised Host at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center (every other year)
• ID Week (Transplant ID track)
• International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation
• American Society of Transplantation’s Fellows Symposium in Transplantation

Research Opportunities/Requirements

• Post-graduate Fellows will meet with pediatric ID fellowship program director and the pediatric transplant ID track director to identify a research mentor who can provide research support for two years (second and third year of fellowship), salary support to be provided by the Pediatric ID fellowship program.
• In agreement with the pediatric ID fellowship program regulations, all Pediatric ID post-graduate fellows participating in the pediatric transplant ID track will be required to produce more than one academic research product (in the field of: clinical, translational OR basic science research).

Quality Improvement Opportunities

• Attend Transplant Quality meetings (six meetings per year in the second and third years).

Optional

• Post-graduate ID fellows will have the opportunity to contribute to a transplant ID QI project during their third year of fellowship.

Additional Scholarship Opportunities

• Author at least one transplant ID case report/case presentation.
• Create an interactive didactic session for trainees on the pediatric transplant ID clinical rotation.
• Collaborate with their mentor to complete a peer review of a transplant ID-related manuscript.

For more information, please contact Dr. Kristen Valencia Deray

Objective

To provide post-graduate fellows in pediatric infectious diseases with the opportunity to acquire specialized clinical, education and research training in tropical and global medicine, and to build an academic and research career in pediatric global infectious and tropical diseases. This track is offered in collaboration with the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine.

Track Director: Jill Weatherhead, M.D., MSc, DTMH

Applicant Selection

After matching at BCM Pediatric ID fellowship program, post-graduate fellows will undergo an in-person discussion with the ID fellowship program director and with Dr. Weatherhead, to evaluate if his/her career goals align with the experience offered in the Tropical and Global Medicine track. Post-graduate fellows accepted to the track will be expected to not only complete the expectations of the Tropical and Global Medicine Track but also the clinical, research and educational expectations of the Pediatric ID fellowship program. 

Fellows will have the opportunity to develop skills in the following areas:

Clinical Tropical and Global Medicine

Baylor College of Medicine is located in subtropical Houston, Texas, an international hub and the most diverse city in the United States. Baylor’s location in combination with the significant multi-cultural population creates a unique clinical environment with locally and internationally acquired tropical diseases. Chagas disease, cysticercosis, Dengue, leishmaniasis, strongyloidiasis, and toxocariasis are among several endemic neglected tropical disease locally acquired in the Houston region.

Post-graduate fellows will learn appropriate diagnostic, treatment and monitoring strategies in NTDs and neglected disease of poverty through hands-on patient care.

Post-graduate fellows will be required to complete an equivalent of two months of clinical time focused on tropical and global medicine during the three years of fellowship.

Clinic opportunities include:

• Adult Tropical Medicine Clinic
• Pediatric Tropical Medicine Clinic
• Obstetric and Post-partum HIV Clinic
• Pediatric and Adolescent HIV Clinic
• Pediatric Tuberculosis Clinic

Education in Tropical and Global Medicine

Post-graduate fellows will participate in monthly NSTM seminars as well as the TCH Foundations in Global Health Lecture Series. All post-graduate fellow track participants will be required to obtain a Diploma in Tropical Medicine through the NSTM at BCM. After completion of the Diploma Course, post-graduate fellows will be given the opportunity to enhance their educator skills through teaching tropical and global medicine courses in the Summer Institute series and as a teaching assistant in the Diploma in Tropical Medicine parasitology lab. Visit the NSTM website information regarding the Diploma in Tropical Medicine.

Research in Tropical and Global Medicine

In compliance with the Pediatric ID post-graduate fellowship training program, all post-graduate fellows enrolled in the Tropical and Global Medicine track are required to complete a scholarly/research project. Research projects include: clinical, translational or basic science projects with a focus on Tropical and Global Medicine. The Pediatric ID and Tropical Medicine Faculty lead a diverse array of projects in the areas of epidemiology and outbreak investigation including: basic disease pathogenesis, omics and systems biology, the development and testing of new vaccines and diagnostics, and global health public policy. Examples of faculty member research projects with a tropical disease focus include: arbovirus infections (e.g. Dengue virus, West Nile Virus, Zika virus), tick-borne infections, Chagas disease and leishmaniasis; parasitic helminth infections (including soil-transmitted helminthiases and schistosomiasis). Post-graduate fellows will meet Dr. Weatherhead to identify a research mentor that best fits his/her research goals.

About the National School of Tropical Medicine

The NSTM was developed by Dr. Peter Hotez, dean and Dr. Maria Elena Bottazzii, associate dean, which provides comprehensive training in tropical medicine and global health. The focus  of the NSTM is to train the next generation of global health scientists and global health care providers in the area of tropical medicine. This mission is achieved through hands-on, innovative education, novel clinical, translational and basic science research, public policy development and health communication training in neglected tropical diseases and neglected infections of poverty. Learn more about the NSTM.