Fellowship Training Program in Infectious Diseases

The University of Massachusetts Medical School Training Program in Infectious Diseases aspires to provide its trainees a broad foundation in all aspects of clinical infectious diseases and familiarity with the science that underpins our subspecialty.  For those with an interest in basic science or clinical research, we offer the opportunity to train and collaborate with accomplished scientists with a broad range of interests.  Our graduates will be fully prepared to succeed in whatever career path they choose, be it academic medicine or clinical practice.

During their training, all of our fellows will have the opportunity to:

• Acquire the clinical and cognitive skills required to provide high quality consultation in infectious diseases
• Evaluate and care for patients with a broad spectrum of infectious diseases in both inpatient and outpatient settings
• Learn the subtleties of providing care to patients and families with diverse backgrounds, languages, beliefs, customs, and socioeconomic circumstances
• Master the principles of hospital infection control and antibiotic stewardship
• Function successfully as a member of a multi-disciplinary team
• Improve their ability to communicate effectively with patients, other physicians, medical support services, medical trainees, health administrators and healthcare organizations
• Establish self-directed learning skills that will allow ongoing improvement in their practice and/or research
• Develop a critical approach to the medical literature, thereby acquiring a better understanding of study design, biostatistics, and their relevance to the care of both individual patients and populations
• Improve their understanding of the impact of governmental laws/regulations, medical-legal opinion, and third-party payer policies upon patient care
• Participate in a culture dedicated to ongoing improvement in patient safety and improved quality of care
  
  

The Division of Infectious Diseases provides:

• Inpatient and outpatient consultation at both the UMassMemorial University and Memorial campuses
• Outpatient clinical services in general ID, HIV, TB, hepatitis C, and Travel Medicine at the Memorial campus
• Outpatient clinical services in transplantation ID at the University campus
• World class basic science research in immunology, mycology, and vaccine development
• A fully integrated program of hospital infection control, occupational health, and antibiotic stewardship
• Clinical research in hospital epidemiology, transplantation ID, and new antibiotic agents
• Classroom and/or clinical training for UMass medical students, medical housestaff, hospital pharmacists, and UMass doctoral candidates.
  
  

ID Fellowship Structure:

• First year
  --Orientation and clinical microbiology (1 month)
  --Inpatient consultation (9 months, General ID & Transplantation ID)
  --Hospital infection control and clinic elective (1 month)
  -- HIV/General ID continuity clinic (11 months, 1 clinic weekly)
• Second year schedules are determined by the career goals of the individual trainee.  The following schedules are given as examples only.
           Clinical track:
               -- HIV/General ID continuity clinic (11 months, 1 clinic weekly)
               --Inpatient consultation (6 months, General ID, Transplantation ID & ICU/HIV)
               --Research and electives (5 months)
               --Vacation (1 month)
           
           Research track:
                -- HIV/General ID continuity clinic (11 months, 1 clinic weekly)
                --Inpatient consultation (2 months, General ID, Transplantation ID & ICU/HIV)
                --Research (9 months)
                --Vacation (1 month)
           
           Elective rotations available in:
                --Pediatric ID
                --HIV/ICU
                --Other specialties (e.g., GI, Dermatology, Critical Care, etc…
                --Outside electives, USA or international (must comply with ACGME regulations)
• Additional years of training are available to trainees with a career interest in academic ID, public health, or epidemiology.  Such training is subject to the availability of funding and may be limited by visa status.  It may include:
                --bench research (including MD/PhD)
                --clinical research   
                --advanced study (e.g., MPH, M. Epidemiology, or various certificate programs)
  
  

Specifics of the ID application process:

• Seven ACGME-approved positions
• Six fully funded GMEC-funded positions: usually 3 fellows each year
• Except in exceptional circumstances, we are committed to the ERAS match
• Program requirements for application: 

--Successful completion of three years in an ACGME-accredited residency or participation in an accelerated ABIM Internal Medicine/research track.

--Successful completion of all three steps of the USMLE

--Participation in ERAS

--Interviews:  September 1 through the first week of November

--Candidates are chosen based upon their academic record, letters of recommendation, standardized test scores and personal interviews. Prior research experience, although not required, is greatly respected.

Inquiries should be directed to:

Ms. Kathy Scalley, Program Coordinator                       
Kathryn.Scalley@umassmemorial.org
508-856-3158

Steven Hatch, MD, Fellowship Director
Steven.Hatch@umassmed.edu