Infectious Diseases Fellowship Program

Our fellows work with a diverse patient population under the mentorship of experienced faculty members, including experts at the Valley Fever Center for Excellence and other departments and colleges, such as the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health. They can hone their skills in robust and established research and clinical programs in HIV and transplant ID, and can train internationally with our expanding global health program, with clinical opportunities in Thailand and Bolivia. Our fellows enjoy a safe and supportive learning environment with abundant opportunities for mentorship, education and research.

The goals of our Infectious Diseases Fellowship training program are:

• To develop fellows’ expertise in treating common, as well as uncommon, infectious diseases
• To strengthen their skills in reading and critiquing the infectious disease literature
• To provide them with opportunities to perform clinical or bench research
• To offer fellows specific experiences and guidance tailored to their career goals

Fellows are expected to:

• Acquire a good working knowledge of the specific program content in clinical infectious diseases as outlined by the ACGME and ABIM
• Achieve proficiency in the key technical skills in infectious diseases as outlined by ACGME and ABIM
• Participate in scholarly activities and a research experience that prepares the trainee for lifelong learning and scholarship

Two to three candidates per year are accepted into the program.

The major infectious diseases training sites at Banner and the VA have access to a pathology laboratory for clinical microbiology, including diagnostic bacteriology, immunology, mycology, parasitology and virology. Facilities for isolation of patients with infectious diseases are available at these institutions. The training program is conducted in a setting in which training programs in surgery, obstetrics, gynecology, pediatrics, and other medical and surgical specialties and sub-specialties are available.

• Banner – University Medical Center Tucson, 1625 N. Campbell Ave., Tucson, AZ 85719
• Banner – University Medical Center South, 2800 E. Ajo Way Tucson, AZ 85714
• Southern Arizona VA Health Care System, 3601 S. 6th Ave. Tucson, AZ 85723

PGY-5

Varun Kaushal, MD

Fellow

vkaushal@arizona.edu

Arati Babaria Pandya, MD, MS

Fellow

ababaria@arizona.edu

PGY-4

Nicholas S. Bowman, DO

Fellow

520-626-6887

bowman94@arizona.edu

Inpatient consultations are performed at two hospitals, Banner – UMC Tucson and the Tucson VA Medical Center.

Each fellow works one half-day per week in an outpatient infectious disease clinic. Outpatient clinics provide care for patients with HIV infection and general infectious diseases. Each fellow is required to follow at least 20 HIV seropositive patients for a minimum of 12 months.

Fellows have the option of experiencing other unique training experiences. Some of these electives are conducted off-campus.

• Antimicrobial Stewardship
• El Rio: Special Immunology Associates
• Infection Prevention
• Infectious Disease Private Practice
• Infectious Diseases Transplant
• NJH: National Jewish Health
• Orthopedics Infectious Diseases
• Outpatient Parenteral Antibiotic Therapy (OPAT)
• Pediatrics Infectious Disease
• Tuberculosis
• Valley Fever
• Viral Hepatitis: Institute for Liver Health
• Wound Care

The training program provides a variety of conferences and educational experiences. Fellows are expected to participate in the following:

1. Case Conference (Fridays): Fellows and pediatric infectious diseases faculty present ID cases from the inpatient consultation services. Differential diagnosis, diagnostic techniques and patient management are emphasized. Fellows develop and master the skills of clear and concise case presentations with focused learning objectives.
2. ID/Plate Rounds (SAVAHCS, third Tuesday monthly; BUMCT, every Friday): Important real-time inpatient micro findings discussed in the microbiology lab. On the first Friday of the month, pathology faculty present cases relevant to ID, with clinical correlation by ID fellows or faculty as appropriate. Microbiology rounds are held on the subsequent Fridays; cell/molecular biology, ID diagnostics and microbiology lab topics are covered.
3. Didactic ID Curriculum and Board Review (Thursdays; monthly at SAVAHCS): ID fellows, faculty and guest speakers present core topics selected to cover the range of knowledge expected of an infectious diseases specialist as one prepares for the ABIM Board Certification Subspecialty Examination. Additionally, every year there is a summer core lecture series where high-yield lectures are presented, such as TB, HIV, CNS infections, endocarditis, etc.
4. Joint ID/Pulmonary Case Conference (quarterly, second Tuesday of the month): This is a joint pulmonary/ID conference where both pulmonary and ID fellows present pulmonary infections to faculty for a rich discussion.
5. ID Grand Rounds (BUMCT, fourth Tuesday monthly): ID fellows learn from expert faculty on specific topics that span the knowledge expected of an infectious diseases specialist in preparation for the ABIM Board Certification Subspecialty Examination. Expert and guest faculty cover their experiences that touch on infectious disease-related subjects and on their field of research.
6. Cocci Case Conference (quarterly, second Tuesday of the month): ID fellows meet with experts to discuss diagnosis and management of patients with coccidioidomycosis (Valley fever).
7. HIV Case Conference (quarterly, second Tuesday of the month): ID fellows meet with experts to discuss management of HIV including antiviral medications and drug resistance, opportunistic infections, AIDS-defining conditions and evaluation of patients with HIV admitted to the hospital.
8. Journal Club (monthly, first Tuesday): Fellow journal article review. Emphasis is placed on critical appraisal of the literature, understanding study design, study populations, measurement of outcomes and the study’s applicability to our practice. The investigations can be centered on basic sciences, translational medicine, quality-improvement initiatives and studies that impact the infectious diseases sub-specialty as a profession. It is strongly encouraged to choose articles from high-impact peer-reviewed journals.

Our Fellowship Training Manual includes an overview of the program and the following specific information:

• Program Content Details
• Faculty Listing
• Fellows Job Description
• Core Curriculum and Learning Objectives
• Electives and Research
• Teaching Settings: Goals and Methods
• Educational Goals and Objectives
• Moonlighting, Duty Hours, Supervision, Vacation and Sick Policies

The division has integrated learning modules on different clinical disciplines, including the Petersen HIV Clinics, which are operated by the Division of Infectious Diseases through federal grants from the Health Resources and Services Administration, a unit of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

All fellows are expected to undertake at least one mentored research project during their fellowship. Projects may range from clinical outcomes to bench research. Ideally, this project will be congruent with the fellow’s long-term career goals. The mentor for a project may be a member of the faculty in the division or have an appointment elsewhere, such as the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health or the R. Ken Coit College of Pharmacy.

Fellows will receive hands-on training in how to write an institutional review board (IRB) proposal and navigate the regulatory hurdles to perform research. They also will receive didactic lectures as well as one-on-one tutoring on how to design and analyze research studies. We are committed to providing strong mentorship, research training and guidance in grant writing for those interested in pursuing academic research.