Rotation Schedule

Our program follows 4-week block schedule with 13 blocks per year. Fellows have several required block rotations in addition to their consult blocks as outlined below. In addition, fellow can participate in elective blocks with Peds ID Consults, Hepatitis C, Research, Global Health Rotation, Antimicrobial Stewardship/OPAT, Infection Control, Monongalia County Health Department, and Allergy/Immunology.

Required Rotations:

Adult Consult Service Rotation

Fellows will have 13 blocks of adult ID consults during their fellowship, all at Ruby Memorial Hospital. This is a quaternary referral hospital including 3 MICU, 1 SICU, 1 NCCU, 1 CVICU, and 1 BMT units with a wide variety of clinical presentations and diagnoses. The consult service includes two different consult teams (Gold service and Blue service). The Gold service is the traditional primary teaching team with faculty, fellow, residents, students, and our APPs. The Blue service is a faculty, fellow and APP team that was developed to help offload the volume on our Gold service. Fellows will rotate on both services throughout their fellowship as the Gold provides the opportunity for them to teach to all levels of learners, and the Blue provides them a more one-on-one rotation with faculty.

Solid Organ Transplant Rotation

Fellows will have one Solid Organ Transplant (SOT) rotation at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) under the direction of Dr. Ghady Haider. This is a 4-week rotation that the fellow spends in Pittsburgh gaining exposure and experience to the multitude of infections faced by the immunocompromised SOT patient population including heart, lung, pancreas, liver, and kidney transplant patients. At WVU, fellows will also have experience with SOT patients, but the UPMC rotation ensures an adequate volume to enhance learning.

WVU Positive Health Clinic

The WVU Positive Health Clinic (WVUPHC) is a Ryan White (Part C and D) funded clinic that provides comprehensive primary HIV care services to HIV positive patients in the northern 33 counties of WV, as well as adjacent states. The population served is rural, impoverished, and medically underserved. Fellows will have one half day of clinic each week in the WVUPHC and work one-on-one with a faculty member to allow for improved patient care and teaching. The clinic is supported by nurses, nurse educator, pharmacy, social work, psychiatrist, medical assistants, and financial counselor.

Infectious Disease Outpatient Clinic

Fellows will have one half day of outpatient ID clinic each week except for when on Gold Consult blocks. In this clinic, fellows will see a range of patients including new ID referrals (Hep B, Hep C, FUO, etc.) and hospital follow-up patients.

Research

Fellows will have six required blocks of research throughout their two-year fellowship, with the opportunity for additional research blocks in place of electives if wanted. Fellows will be guided by a faculty mentor with opportunity for clinical research, health care epidemiology, or basic research. With the WV Clinical and Translational Science Institute (WVCTSI), fellows have access to many support systems including patient databases, biostatistics support, and funding opportunities to further their research. Also, all first year ID fellows participate in the WVCTSI Fellows Research Academy which is a 12-month longitudinal program that all sub-specialty fellows participate in to enhance their research knowledge and skills, ending with an opportunity for funding of a fellow project.

Tropical Medicine Course

The WVU Tropical Medicine course is one of only eleven such programs in the US that is fully accredited by the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (ASTMH) and directed by Dr. Fisher. Our infectious disease fellows participate in this course as part of their fellowship training. It is comprised of four modules: Module 1 Global Public Health (online), Module 2 Clinical Practice/Travel Medicine (online) Module 3 Parasitology (lab portion), and Module 4 Infectious Diseases (online). Our fellows are required to complete Modules 3 and 4 as part of their ID fellowship requirements and have one block dedicated to Tropical Medicine. If our fellows complete all of the modules, they receive a certificate of completion and can sit for the certifying board exam by the ASTMH.

Microbiology Rotation:

First year fellows have a required microbiology block rotation that is scheduled during the first few months of their fellowship. Fellows will spend their days in the microbiology lab getting hands on experience in the processing of specimens, performing cultures and diagnostic assays, drug susceptibility testing, and molecular diagnostics. This rotation includes daily rounds with the microbiology staff under direction of Dr. Lasala.

Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology

Under the direction of Dr. Khakoo, fellows will have a required block in Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology. The block rotation will be combined with Antimicrobial Stewardship/OPAT and involve engagement with various departments throughout the institution including environmental services, ORs, employee health, pharmacy, etc. They will interact and work with the Infection Preventionists as well as attend monthly Infection Control meetings. For fellows interested in IC/Hospital Epidemiology they have the option of pursing additional rotations as part of their electives.

Antimicrobial Stewardship

The WVUH Antimicrobial Stewardship (AMS) program is under the direction of Dr. Guilfoose, one of the faculty members in the Infectious Disease Division. Fellows will have a required block rotation that combines AMS, Infection Control, and OPAT during their fellowship, as well as the ability for longitudinal activities including monthly AMS Committee meetings, involvement in quality improvement projects alongside our pharmacy colleagues. For those with an interest in AMS/OPAT, additional rotations can be through their electives.

Outpatient Parenteral Antibiotic Therapy Program (OPAT)

Our OPAT program is led by Dr. Johnson, faculty in the Division of Infectious Diseases, and supported by five ID trained pharmacists, nursing, and administrative care. This allows for all of our patients who leave the hospital on IV antibiotic therapy (or oral COpAT) to be followed closely for any adverse events or side effects in between their follow up appointments. Fellows will rotate with OPAT during their Antimicrobial Stewardship and Infection Control block rotation.

Ambulatory Block Rotation

First year fellows will have a required ambulatory block that is combined with the Infusion Service (below). During the ambulatory block, fellows have experiences in a variety of clinics that pertain to ID: ortho-ID clinic, HCV clinic, wound clinic, Transplant clinic, COpAT clinic, and STI/Travel at the department of health.

Inpatient Infusion Service

The Inpatient Infusion Service began in 2018 as a service dedicated to those requiring long term parental antibiotic therapy who are unsafe to leave the hospital. This service was developed given the increasing rates of infections related to the opiate epidemic here in WV. The service is directed by Dr. Cooper, infectious disease trained hospitalist who has a team of counselors, addiction therapists, nursing, and pharmacy that help to address not just the acute infection but also their addiction with help of medication assisted therapy (MAT) and other services. First year fellows will have one required block (in combination with ambulatory) of Infusion Service. Fellows interested in further rotations with this service can do so with their electives.

Elective Rotations

Pediatric Consult Services

Fellows can rotate with Pediatric Infectious Diseases doing inpatient consults in WVU Children’s Hospital. This is under the supervision of three board certified Pediatric Infectious Disease faculty at WVU where fellows will work alongside residents and medical students in pediatrics.

Hepatitis C clinic and ECHO Project:

West Virginia has the highest incidence rate for acute Hepatitis C Virus in the nation (9 times the national average). Access to Hepatitis C care and treatment in rural West Virginia is challenging and multi-factorial. Interested fellows can do a Hepatitis C elective that includes outpatient HCV clinic as well as participation in telehealth cases across the state. This is in addition to all fellows’ participation in the West Virginia University HCV/HIV ECHO Project twice a month, which aims to expand the availability of Hepatitis C care by connecting less experienced practitioners in the region with viral hepatitis/HIV experts through virtual learning sessions.

Global Health Rotation:

WVU School of Medicine has a well-established Global Health program under the direction of Dr. Fisher and Dr. Reece, both faculty in the Division of Infectious Diseases. In addition, the WVU Internal Medicine Residency has a Global Health Track (under direction by Dr. Jo Reece) where yearly there are faculty-led trips to multiple sites including prior sites in Ghana, Guatemala, Paraguay, Uganda, Fiji, and India. Infectious Disease Fellows would have the opportunity to choose a Global Health rotation as one of their electives during their second year.

Allergy and Immunology:

The Allergy and Immunology rotation is an elective available to either first- or second-year ID fellows. This is offered as a two-week elective for fellows interested in participating. The supervisor for this rotation is Dr. Brian Peppers, WVU faculty in Allergy/Immunology. The rotation is conducted at two ambulatory centers where Allergy and Immunology clinic are held: Suncrest Town Center and Cheat Lake clinics. The rotation is 90% ambulatory with occasional inpatient consults at Ruby Memorial Hospital.

Critical Care Rotation

The Critical Care elective rotation is only available for those ID fellows who are in the combined ID-Critical Care program. Fellows will have the option to use their elective time for Critical Care rotations under the direction of Dr. Rachel Leonard (PD for the Critical Care Fellowship). This rotation allows ID fellows pursing critical care training to stay engaged in ICU care throughout their two years of ID fellowship.

Monongalia County Health Department (MCHD)

The MCHD is our local health department that is within walking distance of our institution. Though on hold secondary to COVID, fellows will now have opportunity for an elective in public health where they will be exposed to the different departments/functions of the health department, including outbreak investigations and others.

Example Schedule

Year 1
Adult ID Consults (Blue)
Research
Adult ID Consults (Gold)
Microbiology
AMS/Infection Control Block
Research
Adult ID Consults (Gold)
Research/Elective
Adult ID Consults (Gold)
Research/Elective
Adult ID Consults (Blue)
Ambulatory/Infusion Block
TSP/Adult ID Consults (Gold)
6 consults/4 research/elective
1 micro/2 required blocks

Year 2
Trop Med Block
Adult ID Consults (Gold)
Research/Elective
Adult ID Consults (Blue)
Research
Adult ID Consults (Gold)
Adult ID Consults (Blue)
Research
Transplant ID (UPMC)
Research/Elective
Adult ID Consults (Gold)
Adult Consults (Blue)
Research
7 consults/5 research/elective
1 required block