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.

In-depth infectious diseases training at Tufts Medical Center

Our fellowship offers a rich blend of clinical experience, research opportunity and mentorship in one of the country’s most vibrant medical communities. Fellows train across Tufts Medical Center, Lemuel Shattuck Hospital and Lahey Hospital & Medical Center, gaining exposure to diverse patient populations and a wide range of infectious disease challenges.

You’ll work closely with more than 40 attending physicians who are national leaders in infectious disease care, education and research. This includes experts in HIV, transplant infectious diseases, antimicrobial stewardship, infection prevention, global health and more.

Clinical training

Our program offers immersive clinical experiences across multiple sites and subspecialties, preparing fellows to manage both common and highly complex infections. Fellows benefit from direct supervision, progressive autonomy and strong interdisciplinary collaboration.

Key clinical experiences include:

• HIV care: We care for more than 600 individuals living with HIV and participate in clinical trials with national and global reach
• Transplant infectious diseases: Fellows support care before and after heart, liver, kidney and stem cell transplants—Tufts MC performs more heart transplants than any other center in New England
• Infection prevention: Led by Shira Doron, MD, MS, this program builds on the legacy of Dr. David Snydman and has significantly reduced hospital-acquired infections
• Antimicrobial stewardship: One of the most advanced programs in the country, with a strong record of reducing resistance and cost
• Global health and travel medicine: Fellows provide pre-travel services and contribute to research across Africa, Asia and Central and South America
• Outpatient antimicrobial therapy (OPAT): Fellows participate in complex care coordination for individuals requiring long-term IV antibiotics
• Wound care and hyperbaric oxygen therapy: Our team provides the only hyperbaric oxygen therapy at a Boston academic medical center, in collaboration with wound care and surgical specialists

Research + academic development

All fellows receive a minimum of six months of protected research time, with guidance from experienced faculty. Fellows are encouraged to pursue clinical, translational or quality improvement projects that align with their interests. Many go on to publish in peer-reviewed journals, present at major conferences and secure research funding.

Fellows regularly present at national meetings such as IDWeek, SHEA, ASM Microbe and CROI.

We are proud to train future leaders in infectious diseases and are committed to supporting each fellow’s unique path—whether in academic medicine, public health, research or specialty clinical care.

Mission statement

The mission of the Tufts Medical Center Infectious Diseases Fellowship Program is to provide a tailored and rigorous training experience that prepares the next generation of leaders in infectious diseases research and clinical care, while serving a diverse patient population with complex medical needs.

We, along with the broader Tufts Medical Center community, confront health disparities through research, advocacy, education and patient care. We strive to prevent disease and serve as responsible stewards of the tools we use to fight infections. We are committed to fostering a welcoming, professional, collaborative, culturally competent and collegial environment for our colleagues, trainees and the individuals we care for.

Build your research career in infectious diseases at Tufts Medical Center

Research training is a core strength of the Infectious Diseases Fellowship at Tufts Medical Center. Our Division of Geographic Medicine and Infectious Diseases supports a vibrant, collaborative research community with a strong track record of innovation and impact.

We host approximately 25 postdoctoral trainees each year, supported by funding from the National Institutes of Health as well as other federal and private agencies. Our world-renowned researchers lead groundbreaking studies across basic, clinical and translational infectious diseases science. Many of our faculty also serve as senior editors for Clinical Infectious Diseases, one of the top journals in the field.

The program is designed for fellows with an MD who have completed at least one year of clinical ID training, as well as for PhDs and DVMs pursuing postdoctoral research. During the first year, fellows are introduced to the division’s wide-ranging research through regular meetings and poster sessions. This helps each fellow choose a research mentor, develop a mentorship committee and identify a project that aligns with their long-term goals.

Infectious diseases clinical training at Tufts Medical Center

Our infectious diseases fellows gain broad experience through inpatient and outpatient clinical rotations across multiple hospitals. This training covers the full spectrum of geographic medicine and infectious diseases.

Key features of the clinical fellowship include:

• At least 6 months of protected research time and 12 months of clinical training
• 24 months of outpatient continuity clinic experience
• At least one sponsored trip to a major infectious diseases meeting
• Opportunity to choose a specific area of concentration, including:
  • HIV
  • Transplant
  • Antimicrobial stewardship
  • Infection prevention
  • Wound care/ hyperbaric oxygen
  • Clinical educator track
• Training in using electronic medical records to manage and communicate with patients

Clinical rotations at our three program hospitals provide exposure to a rich variety of infectious diseases cases. Board-certified infectious diseases faculty supervise fellows in all inpatient and outpatient settings.

On-call duties for nights and weekends are shared among fellows to cover Tufts Medical Center. There is no in-house overnight call.