Infectious diseases fellows can participate in clinical at the Center for Vascular, Wound Healing & Hyperbaric Medicine. This clinic takes an integrated approach that brings together specialists from several fields, including vascular surgery, podiatry, infectious diseases, orthotics and physical medicine and rehabilitation. This center is the only academic medical center in Boston to offer hyperbaric medicine.

Led by Genève Allison, MD, MS, the Wound Care/Hyperbaric Oxygen track offers the opportunity to develop a specialized skill set while working in an interdisciplinary team.

Educational opportunities

1. Attendance at a 6-day HBO/wound care training course (external).
2. Wound care/HBO clinic attendance up to twice per month during research time.
3. Attendance at a national meeting.
4. Rounding on the inpatient wound care service

Research and scholarly activity

1. Scholarly projects in HBO/wound care involve either research or quality improvement. Projects have included a systematic review of available diabetic foot literature.
2. Bi-monthly journal club/literature discussion with a mentor.

Teaching opportunities

Fellows in this track will have specific opportunities to develop their expertise as clinician educators. Teaching opportunities include leading small group discussions with pre-clinical medical students and lecturing to medical students on clinical rotations and housestaff.

View other concentrations: HIV | Transplant | Antimicrobial Stewardship | Infection Prevention | Clinical Educator

The Infection Prevention program at Tufts Medical Center (Tufts MC) was developed by David R. Snydman, MD, FACP, FIDSA, the emeritus chief of the Division of Geographic Medicine and Infectious Diseases. It is now led by Shira Doron, MD, MS, FIDSA, Hospital Epidemiologist at Tufts MC and Chief Infection Control Office for Tufts Medicine. The program consists of 2 infectious disease physicians, 3 highly experienced infection preventionists and informatics support.

While becoming board-eligible in ID, you will gain extensive experience in all aspects of infection control and antimicrobial stewardship. Fellows who choose this concentration can function independently as a hospital epidemiologist. We have several graduates who are functioning in this capacity across the country and worldwide.

The Infection Prevention Program is structured to meet all the requirements of the Department of Public Health and Medicare requirements. Tufts MC has a strong relationship with the Massachusetts Department of Health, and our faculty members serve on the statewide Hospital Acquired Infection (HAI) technical advisory board. 

The Infection Prevention Program has been at the forefront of the quality movement at Tufts MC. In a recent Joint Commission survey, a surveyor commented, "This is best Infection Prevention and Antimicrobial Stewardship Program I have seen in our surveys throughout the U.S." The Infection Prevention program has had several significant successes in recent years, including a near elimination of central venous catheter-associated bloodstream infections, improved hand hygiene compliance rates, reduction in multi-drug resistant bacterial infections, reduction in surgical site infections, reduction in Clostridioides difficile infections, reduction in catheter-associated UTI and high employee immunization rates. Learn more about the quality and patient safety initiatives at Tufts MC.

Educational experience

You will receive focused education on hospital infections:

• Didactic lectures on hospital infections, including case-based lectures  
• Weekly meetings with the infection prevention team
• Participation in CLABSI, CAUTI and VAP bundle task forces
• Monthly infection control committee meetings 
• Targeted reading in infection control
• Participation in quarterly infection prevention meetings
• Participation in microbiology rounds

Research

Many opportunities exist in infection control-related research for 2-year fellows and fellows interested in and eligible for our 3-year Physician-Investigator track. Two-year clinician educator fellows will choose a research project in an area of interest. Recent projects have included work on C. difficile, MRSA reductions, contamination of the environment with VRE and transmission.

Teaching opportunities

Fellows in this track will have specific opportunities to develop their expertise as Clinician Educators. Teaching opportunities include leading small group discussions with pre-clinical medical students and lecturing to medical students on clinical rotations and house staff.

View other concentrations: HIV | Transplant | Antimicrobial Stewardship | Wound Care/ HBO | Clinical Educator

Established in 2003, ASP is one of the most comprehensive programs in the country. It has successfully reversed resistance patterns, decreased inappropriate antimicrobial usage and lowered pharmacy costs.

Tufts MC's ASP closely works with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, and its members, including ID fellows, regularly participate in statewide initiatives. These include a recent statewide educational program for hospitals interested in implementing antimicrobial stewardship and an initiative to improve the management of asymptomatic bacteriuria in the elderly.

The program offers opportunities for fellows to gain hands-on learning experience with close supervision. Maureen also rounds with fellows on the inpatient consult teams, providing the fellows with extra training in pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics and pharmacology.

All fellows participate in Antimicrobial Stewardship during their ID fellowship as a core training competency. Every fellow will have a closely supervised experience in approving restricted antimicrobials with feedback from the antimicrobial stewardship staff on this activity.

Fellows choosing this concentration will have a more intensive experience. In the end, they can implement and lead similar programs, making them highly desirable in the present infectious disease employment market. Many of our trainees have gone on to jobs where this skill has been well-utilized.

Educational experience

• We are developing educational materials for hospital staff and trainees on specific antimicrobial stewardship issues.
• Internal and external speaking opportunities promoting prudent antimicrobial use.
• They were prospectively evaluating and authorizing restricted antimicrobials on a routine basis.
• You are contributing to the annual revision of the Tufts MC "Antimicrobial Treatment and Dosing Guide" by developing clinical algorithms and treatment pathways.
• Leadership roles in hospital quality improvement task forces, allow fellows to have important input and to experience working in a multidisciplinary hospital team. 
• Integral involvement in the Tufts Antimicrobial Stewardship Team, where key processes and execution of policies and practices are developed and implemented.
• Weekly journal club reviewing guidelines, articles and news at the forefront of antimicrobial stewardship.
• I participate in the Antimicrobial subcommittee of the Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee at Tufts MC, a multidisciplinary group that discusses essential antimicrobial use. 
• Participation in quarterly infection prevention meetings
• Participation in microbiology rounds

Research

For 2-year fellows and those interested and eligible for our 3-year Physician-Investigator track, many opportunities exist in antimicrobial stewardship-related research. Examples of recent projects include the effect of empiric therapy for neutropenic fever on C. difficile rates, implementation of an antimicrobial stewardship program in long-term care facilities and effect of mini-BAL results on de-escalation of antimicrobials for ventilator-associated pneumonia.

Antimicrobial stewardship is an exceptionally fertile area for QI/QA projects, and our fellows often choose projects from this area, even if not specifically enrolled in this concentration.

Teaching opportunities

Fellows in this track will have specific opportunities to develop their expertise as clinician educators. Teaching opportunities include leading small group discussions with pre-clinical medical students and lecturing to medical students on clinical rotations and housestaff.

View other concentrations: HIV | Transplant | Infection Prevention | Wound Care/HBO | Clinical Educator

All fellows in our program participate in the care of people who are undergoing or have undergone transplantation of solid organs or bone marrow. By participating in this concentration, you will gain extensive expertise in caring for people who have had solid organ or stem cell transplants while becoming board-eligible in infectious diseases. You will receive additional specialized training in transplant infections, such as management of ventricular assist device infections, pretransplant screening and post-transplant infection prevention and management.

We currently manage heart, liver, kidney and stem cell transplant patients, and as a division, we are actively involved in their care with our clinical specialty colleagues.

Fellows who choose this concentration will be able to provide the highest level of transplant infectious disease care at after their training and will be highly competitive for jobs in which transplant infectious disease experience is desired. Several alumni of the fellowship provide transplant infectious disease services at institutions worldwide.

You will have the opportunity to see a variety of patients who are being screened for solid organ transplantation and will manage patients with infections following transplantation.

Our program performs renal, liver, heart and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

You will also have the opportunity to participate in several subspecialized services for transplant infections, including:

• Ventricular assist device infection clinic
• Pre-transplant evaluations
• Post-transplant infection management 
• Developing and implementing guidelines for care in the pre-and post-transplantation period
• Multidisciplinary meetings for transplant evaluations and management

Educational experience

You will receive focused education on the management of transplant patients with:

• Didactic lecture series focused specifically on transplant infections
• Quarterly inter-city transplant infection conference 
• Focused curriculum of reading regarding transplant infections
• Participation in multidisciplinary conferences for renal, cardiac and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

Research

Many opportunities exist in transplant infectious disease research for 2-year fellows and for fellows who are interested and eligible for our 3-year Physician-Investigator track. Recent studies include the role of iron in infection in liver transplant recipients, the prognostic significance of the pre-transplant lymphocyte count on invasive infections in liver transplant recipients, the clinical significance of early neutropenia in liver transplant recipients and invasive fungal infections in solid organ transplant recipients. Two-year fellows in this concentration will choose a research project in this area.

Teaching opportunities

Fellows in this track will have specific opportunities to develop their expertise as clinician educators. Teaching opportunities include leading small group discussions with pre-clinical medical students and lecturing to medical students on clinical rotations and house staff.

View other concentrations: HIV | Antimicrobial Stewardship | Infection Prevention | Wound Care / Clinical Educator Track

While becoming board-eligible in infectious diseases (ID), you will gain extensive expertise in caring for people living with HIV and its complications. You will also receive additional specialized training in HIV care, such as management of HIV-associated metabolic issues, management of anal dysplasia and care of the HIV-HCV/HBV co-infected patient. Fellows who choose this concentration will be able to provide the highest level of HIV care at the end of their training.

Clinical experience

The ID clinic provides services for approximately 620 patients living with HIV. Patients come from diverse socio-economic, cultural, and ethnic backgrounds, reflecting the people living with HIV (PLWH) in Boston. We provide a wide range of specialized medical services both in the ID clinic and jointly with other departments, allowing trainees broad clinical exposure.

The clinic has:

• A dedicated on-site social worker to assist clinicians and patients in issues such as insurance, housing, transportation, HIV Drug Assistance Program (HDAP) documentation, legal services to help patients with immigration concerns, divorce and establishing health care proxies, as needed.
• 2 dedicated ID pharmacists.
• High-resolution anoscopy clinic.
• HIV-HCV/HBV co-infection clinic at Tufts Medical Center and at the affiliated Lemuel Shattuck Hospital.
• Dedicated experience in managing post-exposure prophylaxis.
• Multidisciplinary support for pre-exposure prophylaxis for HIV.

Additional clinical experiences can include:

• Prison-based clinics
• Telemedicine

Educational experience

You will receive focused education on the management of HIV:

• Didactic lecture series focused on HIV.
• Training in the interpretation of HIV genotypes.
• Participation in the fellow-led HIV Clinical Case Conference, which hosts invited speakers and where complex HIV-related issues are discussed.
• Paid attendance to a national or international HIV conference of your choice (e.g., C,ROI) during your fellowship.
• Oversight of monthly HIV Clinical Conference—organizing discussion of complicated HIV cases with internal and outside speakers.
• Collaboration with dental students/residents at Tufts Dental School, which provides dental care for PLWH.

Research

Many research opportunities are available for both 2-year Clinician-Educator track fellows and the 3-year Physician-Scientist track. These opportunities include both local and international projects. Clinician-Educator track fellows are encouraged to choose a research project in the area of HIV or HIV-related care. Our clinic also provides a wealth of opportunities for QI/QA projects.

Teaching opportunities

Fellows in this track will have specific opportunities to develop their expertise as Clinician Educators. Teaching opportunities include leading small group discussions with pre-clinical medical students and lecturing to medical students on clinical rotations and house staff.

View other concentrations: Transplant | Antimicrobial Stewardship | Infection Prevention | Wound Care / HBO | Clinical Educator

Frank Tally endowed infectious diseases fellowship + fellows at Tufts Medical Center

The Division of Geographic Medicine and Infectious Diseases at Tufts Medical Center is proud to honor the legacy of Dr. Francis (Frank) P. Tally through an endowed fellowship named in his memory.

The Tally Fellowship allows us to recruit some of the world’s most talented young physician-researchers who share Dr. Tally’s passion for revolutionizing the treatment of devastating infectious diseases.

Dr. Frank Tally was a visionary leader in infectious diseases research and treatment. From 1975 to 1986, he served as a physician, researcher and professor at Tufts Medical Center and Tufts University School of Medicine. He was internationally recognized for his work on bacterial drug resistance. Later, Dr. Tally led teams at Lederle Laboratories, Wyeth Pharmaceuticals and Cubist Pharmaceuticals in developing four major intravenous antibiotics.

As Chief Scientific Officer at Cubist, Dr. Tally co-invented a key patent that led to the development of Cubicin® (daptomycin for injection), a revolutionary antibiotic used to treat bloodstream and heart infections, particularly those caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).

Following his passing in 2006, Dr. Tally’s family and colleagues at Cubist established the Dr. Francis P. Tally Endowed Fellowship in Infectious Diseases at Tufts Medical Center. With generous support from his wife Barbara, children Kevin, Michaela and Patrick, as well as Cubist’s leadership and friends, a $1.25 million endowment was created to ensure future physicians can carry forward Dr. Tally’s commitment to advancing therapies that impact millions worldwide.

Since its inauguration in October 2011, Tally Fellows have included:

• Eavan Muldoon, MD
• Masako Mizusawa, MD
• Bradley Gardiner, MBBS
• Paul Adjei, MBBS
• Jessica Penney, MD, MPH
• Majd Alsoubani, MD

Infectious diseases fellow success during + after training

Fellows from the Infectious Diseases Fellowship at Tufts Medical Center achieve great things—during training and throughout their careers. Most importantly, they are highly competitive for the jobs they want after fellowship.

During training, our fellows present their research at major national and international conferences, including:

• ASM Microbe
• IDWeek (the joint meeting of several infectious diseases societies, including the Infectious Diseases Society of America)
• Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA) annual meeting
• Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI)
• American Society for Transplantation

Each fellow is sponsored to attend at least one major meeting, and many have received awards for their presentations. Fellows also take part in research that leads to publications and successful applications for NIH loan repayment and career development awards (K series).

We offer a two-year curriculum of didactic lectures to prepare fellows for the infectious diseases boards and build a strong academic foundation.

Graduates of our program go on to lead in many areas of medicine. Former fellows have become medical school deans, department chairs and vice chairs, chiefs of infectious diseases and leaders in national professional societies. Whether your goal is academic medicine, research, public health or clinical leadership, Tufts Medical Center helps you get there.

Meet our current infectious diseases fellows

Our current fellows bring diverse backgrounds and a strong commitment to advancing infectious diseases care and research. They benefit from personalized mentorship and a supportive environment that helps them grow as skilled clinicians, educators and investigators.

Meet our infectious diseases fellowship faculty at Tufts Medical Center

Our outstanding faculty are recognized leaders in infectious diseases, with numerous publications in top academic journals. They bring a wealth of clinical expertise and research innovation to support and mentor our fellows.