Infectious Diseases Fellowship Program

Riad Khatib, MD
Section Chief

Leonard Johnson., MD
Program Director
Full-Time Faculty

Mohamad Fakih, MD
Hospital Epidemiology
Full-Time Faculty

Mamta Sharma, MD
Full-Time Faculty

Karam Obeid, MD
Full-Time Faculty

Anil Venugopal, MD
Full-Time Faculty

Joel Fishbain, MD
Full-Time Faculty

Louis D. Saravolatz, MD
Chief, Department of Medicine

Muthayipalam C. Thirumoorthi, MD
Section Chief, Pediatric Infectious Diseases

Rand S. Farjo, MD
Pediatric Infectious Diseases

Kathleen Riederer, MT (ASCP)
Manager, Infectious Diseases, Medical Education

Educational Program

St. John Hospital and Medical Center offers a two-year training program in Infectious Diseases with an optional third year for additional research experience.

Specific to the experience in Infectious Diseases, a wide variety of patients are available for training. These include immunocompetent and immunocompromised hosts in various age groups ranging from pediatrics to geriatrics. Includes AIDS, Hepatitis C and B, and kidney and pancreas transplant recipients.

The hospital laboratory offers a full complement of services. Assays for anti-microbial levels are done on site and monitored by a team of clinical pharmacists who provide pharmacologic consultations. Most fungal and viral serologic tests are also performed in our laboratory. Our clinical microbiology offers complete isolation and identification of aerobic and anaerobic bacteria, fungi, parasites, mycobacteria, mycoplasma, chlamydia and a variety of viruses. Our immunology laboratory provides the most current immunologic assays which complement our Infectious Diseases and Transplant programs.

Training is divided as follows:

• Clinical rotations 12 months
• Epidemiology 1 month
• Microbiology 1 month
• Bone Marrow Transplant 1 month
• Research 9 months

Inpatient Rotations

Clinical rotations are spent on the main campus with the exception of bone marrow transplant service which is provided off campus. During these rotations, the trainees work with senior medical students and rotating residents and are supervised by our full-time faculty with emphasis on education. Experience in Pediatric Infectious Diseases is acquired during rotation on our Pediatric Infectious Diseases service and through our conferences which are attended by our adult and pediatric Infectious Diseases faculty.

Ambulatory Care Facilities Experience

Throughout training, continuous outpatient experience is maintained at one to two half-days per week. Our outpatient facilities adjoin the hospital and provide convenient arrangements for proper and timely outpatient practice. During outpatient settings, trainees are supervised by the teaching faculty and topics relevant to outpatient practice are discussed. STD experience is complemented by rotating at an STD clinic in a nearby public health facility.

Epidemiology

Trainees gain progressive experience in the methods of infection control, surveillance, outbreak investigation and analysis of infection rates. During Epidemiology rotation in the second year, trainees are assigned an epidemiologic problem to solve under the direction of our hospital epidemiologist and present the results to the Infection Control Committee. Trainees are also provided an opportunity to attend one of the CDC-sponsored epidemiology courses to complement training in infection control.

Research

During the first year, trainees are assigned to work on a project with one of the faculty. During this year, emphasis is placed on gaining experience in different microbiologic and immunologic methods utilized in our research projects.

During the second year, trainees are encouraged to pursue an independent research project supervised by an attending physician. Additionally, trainees are encouraged to participate in supervising medical residents in their research project and help them in preparing an abstract for presentation at the Associates meeting of the American College of Physicians. Trainees are expected to present at one research conference in the hospital and an abstract at our annual Michigan Infectious Diseases Society, as well as at the annual meeting of the Infectious Diseases Society, American Society for Microbiology, ICAAC, or at the American Federation for Clinical Research.

Apply for Infectious Diseases Fellowship

All applicants for an ID Fellowship beginning in July, 2008 will need to apply through the online ERAS program, www.aamc.org/students/erasfellow Applications need to be completed, submitted and will be accepted through ERAS ONLY, once the ERAS Program opens for fellowships in December 2006. The last date that applications will be accepted is April 1, 2007.

For more information or an application you can write to the following address,
call (313) 343-7837, or email Deborah LaBuda.

Medical Education Department
St. John Hospital and Medical Center
22101 Moross Road
Detroit, Michigan 48236