Duke University is one of the leading medical centers in the world, providing a diversity of patients and specialized training experiences for our infectious diseases (ID) fellows.

The breadth and depth of our division, department, and the institution enable us to develop training plans customized to the unique needs and career goals of each fellow. Based on the fellows’ interests, we offer flexibility in scheduling based on their goals.

My favorite part about the Duke Pediatric Infectious Diseases fellowship program is how we are able to treat a wide variety of cases, yet the division maintains a close-knit, supportive feel. – Tessa Barclay, MD

Our program provides an excellent training environment for fellows planning a career as:

• a physician-scientist
• a clinical Infectious diseases expert
• or working in academic position overseeing:
  • antimicrobial stewardship
  • hospital epidemiology and infection control
  • immunocompromised host care
  • global health
  • medical education

Fellow-Driven Service

One of the main goals of the first year of our fellowship is becoming proficient at hospital-based pediatric ID care. During this year, when on service, fellows have primary responsibility for managing patients on the general ID service. Unlike many subspecialty consult services, our general infectious diseases service is fellow-driven. This means our fellows are given autonomy and become comfortable making complex medical decisions related to the care of children with infections during fellowship. We are also one of the few pediatric ID divisions that has a dedicated immunocompromised host ID service, which is staffed by a nurse practitioner and a full-time clinical faculty member, and fellows spend time learning on this service.

Additionally, first year fellows spend time on the following rotations:

• clinical microbiology/virology/mycology/mycobacteriology laboratory
• plus antimicrobial stewardship and infection control
• a professional development month (with exposure to research opportunities and mentors, along with exposure to various careers)

The Duke Difference

Although there are many fellowship programs that provide high-quality clinical training in pediatric ID, few provide the breadth of resources and mentors for research training that Duke offers. Our goal is to prepare fellows who wish to pursue an academic career for future independence. We have many different research opportunities, including clinical, basic science, global health, and quality improvement (more details on opportunities in sections on website). We have had tremendous success with fellows successfully competing for NIH career development (K) awards and other large research grants during fellowship or after the transition to junior faculty. Many of our former trainees are now NIH-funded clinical, translational or basic science researchers.

At Duke, our fellows complete their ID training having developed excellent clinical acumen and confidence, coupled with superb scholarly skills and accomplishments. Our training program routinely positions fellows quite favorably for their preferred faculty position. 

• Positions offered per year: One
• Program duration: Three years
• Accrediting body: Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education
• Match participation?: Yes

Other Program Information

• Average number of inpatient consults per week: Approximately 15 for General ID consult service and usually less for the Immunocompromised/Transplant ID service
• Weekend call schedule: 1 weekend/month (1st/2nd/3rd years)
• Support for conference attendance: St. Jude/PIDS Pediatric Infectious Diseases Research Conference (1st year) and IDWeek (3rd year)
• New computer provided: Laptop provided for use during fellowship
• Also provided: Nelson’s Pocketbook of Pediatric Antimicrobial Therapy