Clinical Training (Years 1-2)

Clinical sites and consult service rotations

Our fellows see inpatients at three institutions: NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center (NYP/Weill Cornell), Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS), and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC).

NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center (NYP/Weill Cornell) is the primary institution of our fellowship training program. The medical center is located in a large clinical and research complex on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital (NYP) is the current name of what were formerly two distinct institutions: the Cornell-New York Hospital and the Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center. Currently, NYP is the largest health care facility in the New York metropolitan area, and one of the largest and most prestigious in the world.

The Greenberg Pavilion of NYP/Weill Cornell is a one million square foot facility with 862 patient beds. The hospital serves patients with a broad range of socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds, reflecting the diversity of New York City. NYP/Weill Cornell provides an extensive assortment of services through its Level I Trauma Center, Comprehensive Cancer Center, Burn Center, Bone Marrow and Blood Stem Cell Transplant Program, surgical services including neurosurgery and solid organ transplant, and OB-GYN, pediatric, neurologic, and psychiatric departments. Fellows learn to manage patients with both common and rare infectious diseases in a myriad of medical settings.

At NYP, fellows rotate on our General ID consult service, as well as the Transplant Oncology Infectious Diseases service (leukemia, lymphoma, solid organ, and stem cell transplant). Fellows perform inpatient HIV consultations under the supervision of experienced HIV practitioners from the Center for Special Studies. First-year fellows spend ~10 months on clinical rotations and second-year fellows spend ~2 months, with the majority of this time spent on the inpatient General ID consultation service. Fellows are directly supervised by members of the Division of Infectious Diseases. ID Pharm.D.'s  round daily with the General ID consult team providing invaluable education regarding the appropriate use and monitoring of antimicrobials. In addition, medical students and residents are integrated into the team.

NYP/Weill Cornell is contiguous with Weill Cornell Medical College, as well as physically connected to the ~200-bed HSS, which provides specialized orthopedic and rheumatologic care with an independent ID division, featuring expert ID faculty with joint appointments at Weill Cornell. HSS offers fellows unparalleled exposure to infectious diseases involving bones, joints, and prosthetics.

MSKCC, located across the street from NYP/Weill Cornell, is a 500-bed hospital specializing in oncologic evaluation and treatment, and is a designated National Cancer Institute Comprehensive Cancer Center. MSKCC offers fellows a unique opportunity to learn about infections in the severely immunocompromised host in a highly specialized institution. MSKCC fellows rotate on the NYP/Weill Cornell in-patient service in a reciprocal fashion, and attendings at MSKCC have faculty appointments at Weill Cornell Medical College. A combined TransYork NewYork-Presbyterian/MSKCC Infectious Disease clinical case conference is held once per month between January and May.

Clinical microbiology

Fellows spend two weeks in in our Clinical Microbiology laboratory, which is led by Dr. Lars Westblade (Director) and Dr. Rebecca Marrero Rolon (Associate Director). The laboratory performs ~500,000 requested procedures each year and is a major reference laboratory serving the New York City metropolitan area. Fellows can learn how to evaluate all major classes of infectious agents that cause bacterial, mycobacterial, viral, fungal, and parasitic diseases. Molecular testing is the most rapidly expanding portion of the laboratory and is incorporated in many areas (e.g., diagnosis of bloodstream infection, meningitis/encephalitis, gastrointestinal disease, respiratory tract infection, sexually transmitted infection, and tuberculosis). In addition, the laboratory is centrally involved in the testing effort for COVID-19 and has implemented several assays to detect SARS-CoV-2 in clinical specimens. A major research interest of the laboratory is the implementation and evaluation of assays and algorithms for infectious diseases diagnostics and their impact on clinical and financial outcomes.

Hospital epidemiology

On the two-week Hospital Epidemiology rotation in the first year, fellows develop an understanding of the roles and responsibilities of the hospital epidemiologist,the infection prevention & control and antimicrobial stewardship teams. Dr. David Calfee is the Chief Hospital Epidemiologist, Dr. Matthew Simon is the Associate Hospital Epidemiologist and physician leader of the Antimicrobial Stewardship Program, and Dr. Heidi Torres is the Assistant Hospital Epidemiologist. The rotation includes didactic, interactive, and case-based sessions with hospital epidemiologists, ID pharmacists and infection preventionists on topics such as surveillance and prevention of healthcare-associated infections, outbreak investigation, hand hygiene observation, emerging infections, antimicrobial stewardship, hospital construction, and high-level disinfection and sterilization of medical equipment. Fellows attend all regularly scheduled departmental meetings during which both acute and ongoing epidemiologic issues are discussed and managed.

Clinical electives

Subspecialty elective-rotations (two to four weeks) are available on the clinical in-patient service. These rotations provide fellows with more intense and dedicated exposure to specific types of infections that occur on the general consult service. The rotations are staffed by senior clinicians with specific clinical expertise/research interests in that area. Current electives include:

Fellows interested in global health also have the option of an international elective at Weill Bugando Medical Center in Tanzania.

Outpatient clinics

During the first two years, fellows have weekly half-day continuity clinic sessions which alternate between the Center for Special Studies (CSS) HIV clinics and ID Associates (the general ID clinic). At ID Associates, fellows evaluate new patients referred from the community as well as provide continuity care for patients seen on the NYP/Weill Cornell Medicine inpatient service. Fellows gain expertise in the acute and longitudinal care of patients with infectious diseases, as well as outpatient antibiotic management. Fellows acquire experience in the care of outpatients with HIV/AIDS through training individually with a CSS physician at one of two outpatient clinics: the Bernbaum Unit at NYP/WCM, or the Rogers Unit, located off-site in Chelsea, Manhattan.

Fellows may also rotate in the Travel Clinic, where they gain experience providing pre- and post-travel advice and infectious disease consultations regarding international travel immunizations. Finally, interested fellows may also obtain experience in the management of sexually transmitted diseases through a rotation at the New York City Department of Health Bureau of Sexual Transmitted Infection clinics.

Sample schedule

Sample schedule for Infectious Diseases Fellowship, Years 1-2
RotationFirst YearSecond Year
General ID consult service26 weeks6 weeks
Transplant Oncology ID6 weeks2 weeks
Clinical electives4 weeksOptional
Memorial Sloan-Kettering4 weeksOptional
Hospital epidemiology2 weeksOptional
Microbiology2 weeksOptional
Research4 weeks40 weeks
Vacation4 weeks4 weeks

Infectious Disease fellows - clinical training

Infectious Diseases

Roy M. Gulick, M.D., Chief

Avi Bueno, Administrator
Tel: (212) 746-4914
Fax: (212) 746-8675
aeb3001@med.cornell.edu

Infectious Diseases Fellowship Program

Matthew S. Simon, M.D., Program Director
Rosy Priya L. Kodiyanplakkal, M.D, Associate Program Director
Ole Vielemeyer, M.D., Associate Program Director


Lizzette Checo, Program Coordinator
1300 York Avenue, A-421
New York, NY 10065
Tel: (212) 746-7602
Fax: (212) 746-8675
lch4008@med.cornell.edu

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