Medicine-Pediatrics Infectious Diseases
Fellowship Program

Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) offers a combined Medicine-Pediatrics Infectious Diseases Fellowship training track. This four-year program offers robust clinical training and research opportunities in both pediatric and adult infectious diseases.

The first year of fellowship is spent primarily in adult clinical infectious diseases with an adult HIV continuity clinic. One month will be spent in outpatient pediatric ID. The second year of training is spent primarily on inpatient pediatric ID, with additional time in the outpatient adult and pediatric ID clinics, as well as a month spent on pediatric stewardship and microbiology. The third and fourth years are primarily research with few clinical rotations.

The Combined Medicine-Pediatrics Infectious Diseases track meets all clinical and research ACGME requirements.

Year 1 (Adult ID Clinical Year) 

The first year of fellowship consists of 13 four-week blocks on the clinical services. Of these, 11.5 blocks are inpatient clinical rotations and four weeks are outpatient ID. The inpatient rotations include general infectious diseases consult services at VUMC and the Nashville Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center, transplant infectious diseases, and the inpatient infectious diseases medicine hospital service. Fellows are also assigned to a longitudinal half-day HIV clinic once weekly during their first year. First-year fellows get three weeks of vacation. 

Year 2 (Pediatrics ID Clinical Year) 

Responsibilities on the clinical service include the evaluation and management of children admitted to Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt, as well as outpatient consultations in the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Clinic, the Pediatric HIV clinic, and the Pediatric Emergency Department.

Inpatient care is divided into two services, and fellows spend time on each service. The Edwards Service is responsible for the care of general infectious diseases while the Wright Service (Immunocompromised Host Service) cares specifically for children with underlying immunocompromising conditions. Fellows will spend a total of 13 months in clinical training, distributed across the three years of training. All clinical activities are directly supervised by one-on-one interactions with faculty. Fellows also have training experience in the Clinical Microbiology Laboratory and rotate with the Antimicrobial Stewardship Program during their first year.

For more information about the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Fellowship Program, click here

Year 3 and 4 (Research Years)

During their third and fourth year, fellows undertake a mentored research project. During research years, clinical time is minimal to allow fellows to focus on their research project. Fellows can choose their continuity clinic during the third and fourth years. Fellows will complete a minimum of two years in adult ID continuity clinic and a minimum of two years in pediatric ID continuity clinic, and will be able to do more outpatient clinic during their third and fourth year if desired. Fellows get three weeks of vacation during their third and fourth year.

During the first year, fellows will rotate at Vanderbilt University Adult Hospital (VUAH) and the Nashville VA. They will rotate on the Rogers Infectious Diseases service, the general ID consult service, the VA ID consult service, as well as the Transplant service at both VUAH and the VA. Fellows will also rotate in outpatient infectious diseases during their first year.

During the second year, fellows will rotate at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt. They will also see outpatient consultations in the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Clinic, the Pediatric HIV clinic, and the Pediatric Emergency Department. While inpatient, they will rotate on the Edwards service as well as the Wright service.

Fellows will complete a mentored research project during their third and fourth year. Fellows will be expected to identify their primary mentor by January of their second year. Oversight will be provided by both adult and pediatric ID faculty.

During their first year, fellows will take place in the adult general Infectious Diseases conferences. These include core curriculum, C7 conference (Clinical Management Conference), ID Grand Rounds, Antiretroviral Conference and Clinical Case Conference. The Tuesday Conference is a rotating conference including Journal Club, MM&I, Guidelines Review, Board Review and Fellows Meeting.  

During their second year, fellows play an integral role in Pediatric Resident teaching conferences, Grand Rounds, and Infectious Diseases conferences, including a weekly pediatric ID conference, moderated by the fellow on service.

Interested candidates should apply to both categorical ID fellowship programs through ERAS and indicate in their personal statement that they are interested in pursuing combined training. The program directors, Drs. Christina Fiske and Sophie Katz, work together to coordinate interview invitations for eligible candidates. The program directors have agreed upon the details of the combined fellowship program, including call schedules, didactics and continuity clinics. 

For questions and additional information, please contact the program coordinators below.

Adult Infectious Diseases Program Coordinator:

Nora Gilgallon-Keele
nora.m.gilgallon-keele@vumc.org

Pediatric Infectious Diseases Program Coordinator:

Rachel Brown
rachel.brown.1@vumc.org