Overview of Fellowship Training
Chief of Infectious Disease, Boston Medical Center: Tamar Barlam, MD, MSc
Program Director: Gopal Yadavalli, MD
Program Coordinator: Katelyn Sylvester
Chief of Infectious Disease, VA Boston Healthcare System: Kalpana Gupta, MD
The Section of Infectious Diseases at the Boston University School of Medicine includes staff located at Boston Medical Center (BMC, formerly Boston City Hospital and Boston University Hospital) and the VA Boston Healthcare System (VABHS).
We offer a rich Clinical Training Experience where fellows can see a wide variety of different infectious diseases in diverse populations.
Introduction to the BMC Department of Medicine
Yearly schedule and rotations
July – The fellow begins the first year with a four-week rotation in the Clinical Microbiology Laboratory learning basic microbiologic techniques. Fellows rotate to the different benches in the microbiology laboratory and have a dedicated microbiology teaching schedule during that month. A didactic curriculum focusing on antimicrobial agents is also provided during this time. During July, the fellows are also given lectures on approach to finding a research mentor and project as well as a lecture on the resources available for research at BU/BMC. Faculty from the four key research areas will present an overview of the research opportunities that are available. The fellows who have not yet identified a research mentor will review their research options with the help of the Program Director who will coordinate introducing the fellows to potential mentors. In addition to working closely with their mentor, each fellow is assigned a research oversight committee to oversee their progress.
Rest of the first year – After completion of the microbiology training, the majority of the first year is spent as a consultant, providing services for inpatients at the participating teaching hospitals, BMC, and the VABHS. For more information, please see Clinical Rotations and Facility Descriptions. A regular schedule of weekly clinical and research conferences is held at each teaching hospital. You can find more detailed information about BMC-based educational conferences at Our Conferences.
Ambulatory experience – The fellow’s longitudinal ambulatory care experience, which commences in the first month of training, consists of a weekly half-day clinic in the Center for Infectious Diseases (CID) at BMC and/or the HIV Clinic at the VABHS. There is also the opportunity to complete rotations in other clinics, such as the International Health Clinic, Sexually Transmitted Diseases Clinic or the TB clinic. Please see the Ambulatory Training Experience for more information.
Second Year – The major focus of the second year of training is on research. The fellow will have some clinical responsibilities including their longitudinal ambulatory clinic and 2-3 months of inpatient rotations on the consultation services and the transplant service at the Massachusetts General Hospital. Fellows on the Infectious Diseases/Addiction Medicine track will complete clinical rotations in addiction medicine during year 2.
Opportunities for a third year of fellowship
Third Year – Salary support is guaranteed for two years of training, but there are several options for a third year of training through research grants, training grants, and institutional sources.
- Fellows may pursue a 3rd year of training as part of the Hospital Epidemiology and Antimicrobial Stewardship Track, funded by the VA. Those fellows will have minimal clinical duties and can focus on their infection control program.
- Fellows may pursue an additional one to two years of research via training or other grants. (see Training Grants webpage). These fellows will have no clinical duties during that time. Education at the BUSPH will be supported for those enrolling in an MSc program within a training grant.
Research Training Experience: It is our goal that at the end of the fellowship, fellows interested in a research career will have the education and experience to continue as an independent investigator. Our research training is focused in four areas of concentration – HIV, Hepatitis C and Infections associated with substance use, Hospital Epidemiology and Antimicrobial Stewardship, Global Health and Tuberculosis, and Virology and Immunology. Please explore each specific concentration for more information.
For those interested in a clinical career pathway, our program offers a formal Clinician Educator Track
Benefits
The House Officers benefits package includes four weeks of paid vacation, individual health insurance, and other competitive perks and benefits.