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John E. Bennett, MD
Entry Id: TP-63

Director: John E. Bennett, M.D.
Co-Director: Steven M. Holland, M.D.
Associate Director: Tara N. Palmore, M.D.
Head, Infectious Diseases Consultation Service: Juan Gea-Banacloche, M.D.

Eligibility Criteria
Qualified candidates must have completed three years of residency training in internal medicine in the U.S. or Canada prior to entering the fellowship program. Residents will be accepted after only two years of internal medicine residency if they are accepted in the ABIM Research Pathway.

Overview
The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAD) offers an intensive, three-year training program in infectious diseases. The first year of the program is largely clinical, while in the second and third years trainees pursue their individual research interests under the direction of a faculty member. The purpose of the program is to develop clinical and laboratory skills in young physicians who are already well grounded in clinical medicine, and who intend to pursue academic careers in infectious diseases.

Rotations
Clinical training in the first year of the Infectious Diseases Training Program consists of rotations within the NIH Clinical Center and at outside affiliated institutions. The first year is spent engaged in comprehensive training in the pathophysiology of infectious diseases, including infectious agents, mechanisms of pathogenesis, host response, and treatment. This is achieved by intensive exposure to the unique patient populations of the NIH: patients with inherited, acquired, and iatrogenic defects in immunity leading to infection susceptibility.

The NIAID clinical research service comprises patients on research protocols of the Laboratory of Clinical Infectious Diseases, the Laboratory of Immunoregulation, the Laboratory of Host Defenses, and the Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases. These patients have a wide variety of disorders including rare and novel infections; genetic and acquired immunodeficiencies; disorders of neutrophil and monocyte function; severe acute or chronic viral infections including herpes simplex, Epstein-Barr, and HIV infections; parasitic diseases; and mycoses.

The NIAID Infectious Disease Consultation Service oversees the infection management of patients receiving intensive chemotherapy and stem cell transplantation for cancer, autoimmunity, or immunodeficiency. In addition, there is a large surgical service with patients undergoing intensive experimental chemotherapeutic, surgical, and immune therapies.

In addition to work on the NIAID Infectious Diseases Consultation Service, fellows rotate through nearby institutions that provide complementary clinical experiences and provide further breadth to the clinical training:

• Johns Hopkins Hospital Infectious Diseases Consultation Service
• Washington Hospital Center Infectious Diseases Consultation Service
• George Washington University Medical Center Infectious Diseases Consultation Service
• Georgetown University Hospital Infectious Diseases Consultation Service

Didactic training is also provided in the NIH Clinical Center Microbiology Laboratory and the NIH ClinicaCenter Hospital Epidemiology Service

Roations Abroad
Opportunities are available for rotations at collaborating centers in Thailand, India, Brazil, Mali, and South Africa.

Continuity Clinic
All fellows are required to participate in 24 months of HIV continuity clinic held at the NIH. This clinic is staffed by experts in HIV management and pathogenesis and each week is accompanied by a didactic session.

Rounds and Conferences
There are three infectious diseases conferences each week, including journal clubs, outside speakers and case discussions. There are weekly conferences centered around activities on NIAID research ward and HIV clinic. Additional talks include the NIAID Grand Rounds, the Clinical Center Grand Rounds, and the monthly meeting of the Greater Washington Infectious Disease Society. Numerous conferences and didactic lectures are offered on a wide range of research and clinical subjects on an almost daily basis at the NIH.

The goal of the training program is to produce investigators, whether they be in clinical, basic, or translational research. The critical exposure comes through the experience gained through at least two years spent in research.

We offer both basic and clinical research opportunities, with a strong emphasis on translational research. Fellows typically decide what kind of research they will be conducting by the middle of the first year. Fellows who elect to do clinical research will be encouraged to apply for the Training in Clinical Research Program (TPCR) offered at NIH in collaboration with Duke University (http://tpcr.mc.duke.edu/).

Graduate-level courses are offered on site by the Foundation for the Advanced Education in the Sciences. Courses leading to an MPH are available in conjunction with Duke University and the University of Pittsburgh. In the second and third years, fellows undertake clinical, bench, or combined clinical and bench research projects under the direct supervision of senior staff members. The fellow may choose to work in any of the laboratories of the NIH. Laboratories in the NIAID include the following:

• The Laboratory of Allergic Diseases (mastocytosis, asthma, allergy)
• The Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Immunology (T cell regulation)
• The Laboratory of Clinical Infectious Diseases (pathogenesis of bacterial, fungal, viral, mycobacterial infections)
• The Laboratory of Host Defenses (genetic immunodeficiencies, gene therapy)
• The Laboratory of Human Bacterial Pathogenesis
• The Laboratory of Immunogenetics (tuberculosis, etc.)
• The Laboratory of Immunology (cytokine regulation of B cells, immune cell synapse)
• The Laboratory of Immunopathology
• The Laboratory of Immunoregulation (HIV pathogenesis, B cell pathophysiology)
• The Laboratory of Infectious Diseases (viral diseases)
• The Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research
• The Laboratory of Molecular Microbiology (HIV molecular biology)
• The Laboratory of Molecular Immunology
• The Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases (malaria, leishmaniasis, filariasis, schistosomiasis)
• The Laboratory of Viral Diseases (poxviruses, influenza and other viral diseases)

These laboratories are involved in investigations of all aspects of infectious diseases and clinical immunology. Research projects range in scope from clinical therapy to the most basic aspects of cell and molecular biology.

• Dr. John Bennet: Basic and clinical mycology
• Dr. Jeffrey Cohen: Pathogenesis of Epstein-Barr virus, varicella-zoster virus, and herpes simplex virus; immune responses to vaccinia virus in vaccinees
• Dr. Anthony S. Fauci: Immunopathogenic mechanisms of HIV infection, induction of expression of HIV, and control of HIV expression by endogenous cytokines
• Dr. John Gallin: Basic mechanisms of protection against microbial infection, physiology and molecular biology of phagocytic cell function, and development of therapeutic strategies for patients with genetic defects in these processes
• Dr. Barney Graham: Vaccine technology
• Dr. Steven Holland: Mechanisms of infection susceptibility; mycobacterial infection
• Dr. Clifford Lane: Clinical research efforts against AIDS; immunopathogenesis of HIV infection and HIV vaccine development
• Dr. Harry Malech: Phagocytic cell function in patients with immune deficiency disorders and recurrent infections, gene transfer to develop therapies to correct these abnormalities
• Dr. Henry Masur: Opportunistic infections that complicate HIV infection
• Dr. Phil Murphy: Chemokine receptors and cell signalling
• Dr. Tom Nutman: Immunopathogenesis of filariasis
• Dr. Irini Sereti: Immunopathogenesis of HIV/AIDS, immune-based therapies for HIV infection
• Dr. Stephen Straus: Molecular and immunopathogenesis of herpes virus latency and vaccines
• Dr. Tom Walsh: Diagnosis and treatment of mycoses in the immunocompromised patient
• Dr. Tom Wynn: Immunopathogenesis of schistosomiasis

Program Graduates
Of 99 former infectious diseases fellows graduating between 1979 and 2003, 43% are currently employed in translational research, 21% in clinical research, 19% in the pharmaceutical industry or government administration and 16% in private practice.

Loan Repayment
All fellows with significant school debt are eligible to apply for the ACGME loan repayment program (http://www.lrp.nih.gov). Fellows may also apply for other categories of loan repayment through this program.

Application Information
The NIH Infectious Diseases Training Program is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education. After successful completion of the second year, fellows are eligible to take the examination for the subspecialty Board of Infectious Diseases given by The American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM).

There are four positions available per year. Candidates should apply approximately one and one-half years prior to their expected date of entry into the fellowship program. Candidates are selected through the National Residency Matching Program. The length of the fellowship program is three years; however many fellows apply for one or more additional years in which to continue research projects. Fellows in the ABIM Research Pathway require four years of fellowship and this can usually be accommodated in our program.

Please read our requirements below:

• We ONLY accept applications via ERAS.
• Through ERAS, applicants will be asked to supply USMLE scores for Steps 1 and 2, a statement of career goals, college and medical school transcripts and three letters of recommendation, one of which should be from the internal medicine program director. We appreciate but do not require photographs because photos help us remember applicants after the interview during discussions about candidates.
• We accept applications up to three weeks before the deadline for the National Residency Matching Program.
• We do not accept J1 applicants. We accept U.S. permanent residents and citizens.
• Applicants must have passed USMLE Step 3 in order to begin fellowship training here.

Upon receipt of the required materials, you will be notified as to whether an interview will be scheduled. If financial or other constraints prohibit you from attending an interview, you should notify Dr. Bennett as soon as possible. You may also contact Dr. Bennett’s office to verify receipt of your applications, via phone, e-mail, or fax.

Electronic Application
Applications are only accepted through ERAS.

The NIH is dedicated to building a diverse community in its training and employment programs.