Mission
The Infectious Diseases Fellowship Program at the University of Florida College of Medicine has been accredited by the Accreditation Council for General Medical Education (ACGME) since 1987.
Over 89 fellows have completed training with our program and have gone on to practice in various sectors, including private, hospital, governmental, non-profit, and academic settings.
The duration of our program is two years, with an optional third year following a Clinical/Education, Global Medicine/Planetary Health, or Research track.
About
The fellowship experience begins with an orientation to the University of Florida, UF Health/Shands Hospital, and the Malcolm Randall Veterans Administration Hospital, as well as an orientation to our inpatient and outpatient clinical services. During the first two months of training, Fellows participate in a didactic and interactive lecture series (Infectious Disease “Boot Camp”) devoted to developing a foundation in general infectious diseases. After the first two months of fellowship, didactics transition to a longitudinal and interactive lecture series consisting of journal clubs, management conferences, infection prevention and control conferences, case simulation, microbiology plate rounds, research conferences, board review sessions, infectious disease grand rounds, and combined microbiology and infectious diseases conferences. All fellows are responsible for regular attendance at didactics and can expect to present a topic at most conferences.
Fellows have various teaching opportunities by working with the Infectious Disease rotators, including both national and international residents and medical students. Fellows participate in a weekly half-day continuity clinic and are expected to provide follow-up on patient issues between clinic visits.
During the first year of fellowship, fellows identify a faculty mentor and develop an idea for a research project. First-year fellows will identify one of three training tracks: clinical/education, research, or global medicine/planetary health, depending on their specific career goals (the research and global medicine/planetary health tracks require a third fellowship year). They will also regularly meet with their mentor to identify progress made and progress desired in achieving their career goals. Mentors aid Fellows by helping them to identify and take advantage of the diverse and extensive training opportunities available, including an array of academic electives.
During the second year, each fellow will master the information in the Standard ID reference texts and become experts at the history and physical exam, consultation, diagnostic testing, and data interpretation processes. Second-years will also complete their data collection and analysis for scholarly activity and research projects, aiming for publication.
Schedule
The overall structure of the fellowship is listed below.
- Year 1: The first year is mostly clinical, with most inpatient experiences occurring during this time. Fellows will be on teaching services at either the Malcolm Randall VA Medical Center or UF Health/Shands Teaching Hospital for approximately 9 months. The remaining months will be devoted to obligatory rotations in the microbiology and transplant ID electives, as well as other elective blocks. The fellows have an array of electives to choose from, and will make these choices based on their desired career goals. Fellows will have a continuity clinic either at UF Health/Shands or the Malcolm Randall VA Medical Center.
- Year 2: The second year is mostly for electives in the fellows’ chosen career track. There are 4 months of inpatient service during the second year, which provides a total of 13 months of inpatient service over the course of the fellowship. The inpatient service occurs at the same sites as the first year, and the continuity clinic extends into the second year. The remaining academic blocks will be used to take electives based on their desired career goals. Second-year Fellows are expected to attend ID Week.
- Year 3: (Optional) Global Medicine/Planetary Health or Research track focused.
Current Elective Options
- Microbiology*
- Transplant ID*
- Tropical Medicine & Global Health**
- Inpatient Hospitalist Consult Team***
- Ambulatory ID
- Pediatric ID
- Tuberculosis
- Antimicrobial Stewardship
- Hospital Epidemiology & Sepsis
- MICU
- Radiology
- Wound Care
- Global Health (India or Colombia)
*Required for first years, optional in second year
**Required for second years
***Only for second years
Fellowship Career Tracks
- Clinical/Education Track: This track is the default for fellows interested in careers in private practice, industry, or other clinical practice. The duration is two years. Fellows completing the clinical/education track are expected to participate in scholarly activity.
- Research Track: This track requires three years in Fellowship and is intended for fellows interested in pursuing a career in academics or industry. Fellows interested in this track are encouraged to discuss their interest early on in the interview process or soon after onboarding so appropriate planning can take place. Fellows choosing the research track will be expected to author at least two abstracts for national or international meetings and submit as an author or co-author on at least two manuscripts to a peer-reviewed journal.
- Funded opportunities for research include Masters of Science in Epidemiology and T32 Translational Science Training to Reduce the Impact of Alcohol on HIV Infection.
- Global Medicine Track: This track requires three years in Fellowship and is intended for fellows interested in pursuing a career in academics, non-governmental organizations, government agencies, or other non-profits focused on working with international partners. Fellows choosing the global medicine track will be expected to author at least one review article, book chapter, or similar scholarly work agreed upon with the fellow’s faculty mentor.