The Pediatric Infectious Diseases Fellowship Program at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine and Connecticut Children’s exposes the fellow to a broad range of experiences in outpatient and inpatient clinical care, as well as training in the non-clinical skills necessary to be an effective infectious disease subspecialist. Fellows will partake in 12 to 18 months of inpatient work, spread over the three-year fellowship. The remaining of their time will be largely focused on research, including opportunities for laboratory-based projects at the University of Connecticut. The fellow will have specific teaching and experiences in infection prevention and hospital epidemiology, antimicrobial stewardship, and clinical microbiology. A weekly continuity clinic in our busy outpatient department rounds out the core training. Fellows will be expected to take on continuity patients with chronic infections or immune deficiencies, in addition to consultation for acute problems and hospital follow-ups.

The fellows will be expected to play a significant role in the hospital Antimicrobial Stewardship program, in preparation for the role of an infectious disease physician in the modern era of antibiotic-resistance and new hospital regulations for stewardship. In addition, we have a considerable number of patients with primary immune deficiencies and HIV infection, exposing the fellows to clinical cases that augment their understanding of opportunistic infections and immunology with hands-on care.

The division has 10 faculty, including two board-certified pediatric immunologists and a pediatric infectious disease pharmacist. Clinical staff include five social workers, two nurses, our medical office assistant, and an APRN. Connecticut Children’s is home to a full range of pediatric subspecialties, including pediatric intensive care, hematology/oncology, and solid-organ transplant patients seen in collaboration with the renal and gastroenterology divisions. A combined ID/Pulmonary clinic is present for patients with cystic fibrosis or other complex lung diseases.

On behalf of the Program Director, Nicholas Bennett MA(Cantab), MBBChir, Ph.D., faculty and staff, we welcome you to explore this program. Please feel free to contact Marianne Custer at mcuster@connecticutchildrens.org with any questions.