Overview

Note: The information published on this web site is also available for download: Division of Infectious Diseases and International Health Fellowship Brochure

The Division offers subspecialty fellowship training leading to board certification in infectious diseases. The focus of our training program is academic, emphasizing clinical and basic science research in infectious diseases. The goal of our Division is to achieve excellence in the training of infectious diseases specialists; this includes the acquisition of new knowledge by applying the scientific method to clinical investigations.

Trainees must have 2 to 3 years of internal medicine experience prior to beginning the fellowship. Normally they will spend at least 3 years in our program. One of these years is devoted to clinical training, including an exposure to clinical microbiology. The remaining 2 years are devoted to an investigative project in clinical research or in one of the basic science laboratories. Trainees can choose from a broad range of research projects dealing with current problems in infectious diseases. The trainee's research is guided by a senior faculty advisor, and a close working relationship between trainee and advisor develops during these years. Of all the training undertaken in medical school, residency, and fellowship, this time is the most protected and most personal.

The Division offers training in clinical infectious diseases and three additional tracks:

Basic or Clinical Research
International Health
Medical Microbiology
Emerging Infections

Trainees in the ID fellowship are expected to complete a 3-year program which will include one continuous 12 month clinical block and 24 months of research during which time fellows will spend a half-day per week in the continuity clinic. Completion of this program confers the qualifications for Board-eligibility for Infectious Diseases.

Trainees in the basic or clinical research track will undertake 2 years of full-time research training, either at the bench in a research laboratory supervised by one of the Division faculty or by participation in formal course work in addition to the pursuit of a clinical research project. Usually, research training will be supervised by one of the Division faculty listed in this brochure, but a request by a fellow to train in another Duke research laboratory in another department for the 2 years of research will be considered favorably, providing the following conditions are met:

The field of research is within the scope of academic infectious diseases, for example, immunology, AIDS, or basic microbiology or epidemiology.
A specific research training program is defined, which is consistent with the current goals and activities of the ID Division.
The proposed supervisor is a full-time Duke faculty member with his or her own established research laboratory.
The proposed supervisor will assist in providing financial support for the trainee for the period of training.

Trainees in the Medical Microbiology track will spend 1 year in clinical training and 2 years in the medical microbiology laboratory under the joint direction of the Department of Pathology and the Division of Infectious Diseases. These trainees will be qualified to take the ID subspecialty boards, as well as the examination for special competence in medical microbiology.

Trainees in the International Health track will spend 1 year in clinical training and 2 years on clinical research in international health, at least 1 year of which will be spent overseas. Pursuit of this track requires special planning and is not always available.

Trainees in the Emerging Infections track will also spend 1 year in clinical training followed by clinical or basic research on this topic for two years.