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Clinical and Research Training in Infectious Diseases The University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) at Galveston, founded in 1891, has a long tradition of investigation and training in infectious diseases and host immunity. The program will train physicians in broad clinical scholarship and clinical or basic investigation in preparation for careers in infectious diseases. Fellows may elect training in either the Clinical Investigator or the Basic Investigator tracks. The program will prepare a physician for the subspecialty boards in Infectious Diseases. Fellows are generally admitted to the program after three years of residency in Internal Medicine. The primary training facility is the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, with its four schools, five hospitals, and two research institutes. The faculty includes members of the Divisions of Infectious Diseases of the Departments of Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, as well as relevant members of the Department of Microbiology and Immunology, the Department of Pathology, the UTMB Center for Tropical Diseases and Center for Biodefense. Opportunities exist for research training in several areas described below as well as areas listed within the faculty roster. A third year of fellowship devoted primarily to research is strongly advised. Development of teaching skills is also emphasized through participation with senior faculty in medical student and house staff teaching programs. Clinical and research training continues throughout all years of the training program, although most of the time spent in clinical training is during the first year. This approach is intended, first, to give intensive clinical exposure early with the opportunity to add to this experience in succeeding months of the program; and, second, to afford an opportunity to explore ideas for a research experience during the early part of the first year, and to provide time during the latter part of the first and the majority of the second and subsequent years to develop one's research program. Clinical training is accomplished primarily by intensive experience on the in-patient services of the UTMB hospitals and in the infectious diseases clinics including General Infectious Diseases Clinic, ID/AIDS Program Clinic, and the Travel Clinic. Fellows in Infectious Diseases see a broad variety of infectious diseases problems in both hospitalized and ambulatory patients. In addition, to add to the fellows' understanding of the role of the Clinical Microbiology Laboratory, the first month of the fellowship is spent in the Clinical Microbiology Laboratory learning diagnostic laboratory procedures. This program is designed to give the Infectious Diseases fellow a thorough understanding of currently used diagnostic techniques in bacteriology, virology, mycology, serology, and parasitology and to provide opportunities to perform such procedures. The intent is not to train experts in the performance of specific tests but to enhance the fellow's understanding of the sensitivity, reproducibility, and limitations of these techniques. Fellows also receive training in Hospital Epidemiology and Infection Control through the Healthcare Epidemiology Program of the Division. Emphasis is placed on research experience which begins in the first year and includes most of the second year. A third year devoted to research is available and strongly advised, as noted above. In the initial portion of the first year, the fellow gains familiarity with the research activities in the unit through attendance at research seminars and conferences, and through meeting with individual senior investigators. By means of this process, the fellow selects an area and a preceptor with whom he/she wishes to work, and the fellow and preceptor develop a program of research for the fellow to pursue. This can involve both "basic" laboratory and "clinical" investigative projects in related areas, or concentration in one of the investigative areas. The process proceeds with the advice and oversight of the Division Director and the Program Director. The major research interests and expertise of the faculty are in the areas of basic and clinical virology, viral immunology and pathogenesis, evaluation of viral vaccines and antiviral agents, healthcare epidemiology, and molecular cytometry. Individual areas of interest and expertise are indicated in the roster of faculty of the Division. Several types of viral infections are addressed by clusters of investigators with regard to both basic (e.g. molecular virology, viral immunology), and clinical (e.g. evaluation of candidate antiviral agents) studies: examples include human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), Epstein-Barr virus, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infections. The Division of Infectious Diseases faculty direct an NIAID-supported AIDS Clinical Trials Unit (ACTU). Thus, there are current opportunities for basic and/or clinical research training in several areas of infectious diseases. For more information on research, please visit our page! 1. Attending Rounds - Attending rounds are made daily by a member of the faculty with the fellows, residents and medical students. 2. Infectious Diseases Clinical Conference - This is a weekly in-hospital clinical conference which is run by the fellows and residents in Internal Medicine. 3. Morbidity and Mortality Conference - This is a monthly conference in which clinical and laboratory aspects of infectious diseases are discussed, with additional participation of Anatomic Pathology and Radiology faculty. 4. Journal Club - This is a monthly in-depth review of articles in infectious diseases. 5. GCRC Comprehensive Clinical Research Methods and Practice Course - This course is required for all fellows. The curriculum includes clinical practice and research guidelines, study design, statistics and data analysis, research methods, and grant preparation and data presentation. 6. Healthcare Epidemiology and Infection Control Seminars - This is a 20-hour series of presentations sponsored and conducted by the Healthcare Epidemiology program. 7. Formal Courses - Fellows are encouraged to attend UTMB courses relevant to their research, including but not limited to courses conducted by the Departments of Human Biological Chemistry and Genetics, Microbiology and Immunology, Pathology, and Preventive Medicine and Community Health. For more information on current conferences, please visit our page! The Division of Infectious Diseases' research laboratories occupy over 11,000 square feet. The laboratories are well equipped with both general and specialized equipment for studies in the areas of clinical and molecular virology and immunology of infectious diseases, with additional facilities for support including darkroom, walk-in cold room, common large equipment rooms, etc. Office space for fellows and secretarial service are provided. The Infectious Diseases outpatient facilities (ID Clinic, ID/AIDS Program Clinic, Travel Clinic) occupy an additional 4,000 square feet of space in the Rebecca Sealy Hospital. Extensive facilities and equipment of the Departments of Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, Microbiology and Immunology, and Pathology are also available, as well as UTMB core laboratories that support ongoing research programs with state-of-the-art expertise and facilities. Faculty, Infectious Diseases Training Program
The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston encompasses 85 acres on the eastern end of Galveston Island, with 54 major buildings, four schools, two institutes, and seven hospitals (total beds, 750) and has numerous off-campus sites in Galveston and clinic sites throughout Eastern and coastal Texas. UTMB, an important health sciences resource not only for Texas but for the nation, has a long tradition of special academic interest in infectious diseases, pathogenesis of infections, and host immunity. Space limitations prevent listing the numerous investigators addressing infectious diseases from departments other than Internal Medicine, including Pediatrics, Microbiology and Immunology, Pathology, Human Biological Chemistry and Genetics, the UTMB Retrovirus Research Program, the Center for Tropical Diseases, the Sealy Center for Molecular Sciences, and others. Only a few such faculty are listed as examples on this web site. A steady stream of exceptional visiting speakers in infectious diseases and immunology further enhances the environment for training in infectious diseases. Galveston has been recognized numerous times by national organizations and publications as a desirable area in which to live. An old, established and still active port, Galveston is a Gulf of Mexico barrier reef island with extensive shoreline (beach), and semitropical climate. It is a popular tourist resort, with approximately 65,000 residents and 6.5 million annual visitors. It has a comfortable, slow pace with a surprising amount of cultural activity for a city of its size. Thus, for example, its Grand 1894 Opera House hosts nationally and internationally known artists, symphony orchestras, and performance groups, as well as locally produced events. Galveston also benefits from being close to Houston, the nation's fourth largest city, with the extensive entertainment, services, and goods available in such a major city. Major sports, the Houston Grand Opera, Symphony, Ballet, and other attractions are readily accessible, within an hour's drive from Galveston. You may download an application form in either Word '98 or PDF (can be viewed and typed using Adobe Acrobat Reader 4.0) formats. Applications may also be obtained by writing to: Dr. C. Glen Mayhall, Division of Infectious Diseases Fellowship Program, University of Texas Medical Branch, 301 University Blvd., Galveston, TX 77555-0435; (409) 747-0229, FAX (409) 772-6527 or by e-mailing at cmayhall@utmb.edu. Starting on November 1, 2004, applications to our program will be submitted through ERAS. Appointments are for a
2 or 3 year period. Applicants may be invited for
an interview. Selections of fellows for
Infectious Diseases training
are made in accordance with procedures established by the Infectious Diseases Society of
America. The Division participates in the Residency Match Program for Infectious Diseases. The University of
Texas Medical Branch is an Equal Opportunity Employer, and applications from members of
minority groups are strongly encouraged.
as of June 4, 2001 |
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