Rotation Director
Mary Czech, MD, MS
Rotation Description
The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) infectious disease training program welcomes medical students in their fourth year to a consecutive four-week clinical rotation at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Clinical Center. During the rotation, students participate in both the general and transplant infectious diseases consultation services. The transplant team evaluates patients undergoing hematopoietic cell transplantation. Solid organ transplants are not currently performed at the NIH. All other patients, many of whom are immunocompromised and receiving other cellular therapies, are managed by the general team. Across both services, patients present with a wide range of underlying medical and surgical problems, including many rare diseases.
The student is expected to work with the team every weekday between 8:00 a.m. and approximately 5:00 p.m. There is no required evening or weekend duty.
Each day begins with morning rounds with the fellow until 10:30 am, followed by microbiology rounds with laboratory staff to review daily results and receive a brief didactic presentation on a pertinent microbiology topic. Students then evaluate new consults and follow up on existing cases. Cases are discussed with the fellow and presented to the attending physician.
Students are encouraged to attend Medical Grand Rounds and other teaching conferences. Students have full access to the extensive resources of the NIH computer system and one of the nation's finest medical libraries to research patient care questions.
Students do not have an opportunity for laboratory work but can learn about the laboratory work by attending any of the many research conferences on the NIH Calendar of Events.
Rotation Objectives
- Gain extensive, unparalleled experience managing a diverse patient population with complex infectious diseases challenges.
- Learn about ongoing research studies involving patients with infectious diseases.
- Experience first-hand how collaboration with a leading diagnostic microbiology laboratory can enhance patient care.
- Present patients at the weekly informal patient case conference.
- Explore opportunities for pursuing infectious diseases subspecialty training after internal medicine residency.
Staff
- Christa Zerbe, MD, Director, Infectious Diseases Fellowship Program
- John Bennett, MD, Associate Director, Infectious Diseases Fellowship Program
- Kanal Singh, MD, Associate Director, Infectious Diseases Fellowship Program
- Veronique Nussenblatt, MD, Chief of Infectious Diseases Consult Services
- Jennifer Cuellar-Rodriguez, MD, Director of Transplant Infectious Diseases Consult Service
- Mary Czech, MD, MS, Clinical and Resident Electives Programs Director
- Various other core Infectious Diseases faculty