On this page: Overview | Rotations | Compensations
Patient rounds
Overview
During the first year, our fellows concentrate on rotations at NIH, Johns Hopkins, George Washington University Hospital, Medstar Georgetown, Medstar and Washington Hospital Center.
The program offers
- a blend of general and specialized infectious diseases experiences
- diverse infectious disease pathologies
- comprehensive training in the pathophysiology of infectious diseases, including microbiology, mechanisms of pathogenesis and antimicrobial resistance, host immune response, and antimicrobial treatment, and stewardship.
- a weekly continuity clinic that facilitates the development of clinical skills in HIV care and general outpatient infectious diseases management
Rotations
Block Schedule
| Location | Approximate Duration |
|---|---|
| General and Transplant ID Consultation NIH | 12 weeks |
| Johns Hopkins Hospital | 8 weeks |
| George Washington University Hospital | 4-8 weeks |
| Georgetown University Hospital (MedStar) | (4-8 weeks |
| Washington Hospital Center (MedStar) | 4-8 weeks |
| Outpatient ID private practice | 2 weeks |
| Vacation (Read the full NIH vacation policy) | 3 weeks |
Wards and Consult Service at the NIH
NIAID Inpatient Ward Rotation
During this Rotation
- fellows spend two months at the Clinical Center
- fellows evaluate and manage opportunistic infections in adult and pediatric patients with a range of inherited and acquired immune defects
- fellows on the ward service supervise and teach four internal medicine residents from the George Washington University and Georgetown University Hospital who have patient care and night call responsibilities
Some of the conditions that fellows see during this rotation include but are not limited to
- parasitic infections
- chronic granulomatous disease
- disseminated mycobacterial infections
- pulmonary mycobacterial infections
- chronic active Epstein-Barr virus infection; X-linked agammaglobulinemia
- X-linked severe combined immunodeficiency, leukocyte adhesion deficiencies
- hyper-immunoglobulin (Ig)M syndromes; and GATA-2 mutations
Fellows acquire an in-depth understanding of immunology and how dysregulation of specific arms of the immune system confer particular infection susceptibilities.
ID Consult Service/Transplant ID at the NIH
- Infection management of inpatient and outpatient adult and pediatric patients undergoing
- stem cell transplantation
- intensive chemotherapy
- immunomodulatory treatment for cancer, autoimmunity, or immunodeficiency.
- Large surgical service with patients undergoing intensive experimental chemotherapeutic, surgical, and immune therapies.
Continuity Clinic
Weekly HIV continuity clinic at the NIH Clinical Center
- Weekly teaching via the HIV core didactic curriculum
- Clinic is precepted by expert faculty, and staffed with a multidisciplinary group including case managers, a social worker, and an HIV pharmacist
Teaching Conferences
There are four regular infectious diseases teaching conferences each week:
- Tuesday: HIV clinic begins with an HIV-related lecture or case discussion on topics such as antiretroviral medications; opportunistic infections; immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome; neoplastic, neurologic, and metabolic complications of HIV/AIDS; coinfection with viral hepatitis; and preventive care issues such as vaccination.
- Wednesday: Journal club and core curriculum lectures occur on alternating weeks. The lectures are broadcast to the Washington Hospital Center, whose fellows and faculty give some of the talks.
- Thursday: The weekly Infectious Disease Consultation Service management conference takes place with the participation of the infectious diseases and microbiology faculty, fellows, and colleagues of other departments (e.g., hospital epidemiology, nursing, critical care, hematology). The group discusses the management of interesting, difficult, or controversial cases that are presented by the consult fellow.
- Friday: ID fellows, faculty, and members of the Microbiology Service attend an interactive noon case conference in which the Washington Hospital Center and Georgetown University Hospital fellowship programs also participate remotely. The three programs alternate weeks to present and discuss a wide variety of cases.
Because Wednesday and Friday conferences are broadcast, NIH fellows can participate in these conferences at three of their five rotation sites. In addition, fellows participate in teaching conferences specific to their outside rotations, including both didactic and case-based sessions.
Orientation Month
First-year fellows spend the month of July building their knowledge base in preparation for their clinical rotations by attending:
- The Johns Hopkins infection control and hospital epidemiology course.
- A comprehensive course taught by NIH infectious diseases and microbiology faculty.
- Interactive and hands-on sessions that cover a thorough overview of bacterial, viral, fungal, and parasitic microbiology.
- Didactic presentations and case-based discussions on topics such as common consult questions and dilemmas, pharmacology of antimicrobial drugs, transplant infectious diseases, and host immune response to infection.
Compensations
Vacation
During the first year, fellows have three weeks of vacation and one week dedicated to exploring potential research options for the subsequent years of the fellowship via meetings with potential research mentors. Read the full NIH vacation policy.
Transportation
Free parking is available. NIH, George Washington University, and Washington Hospital Center are easily accessible by public transportation (Metro rail and bus), and the other hospitals are accessible to varying degrees. NIH will reimburse the excess miles of those usually traveled while rotating at outside hospitals.