Penn State Milton S Hershey Medical Center Program

The Infectious Diseases Fellowship at Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center is a distinguished two-year program that is ACGME-accredited, with an option for an additional third year based on individual needs. The fellowship has the capacity to admit two fellows each year, aimed at nurturing future leaders in the field of infectious diseases.

This program is structured to provide candidates with a rigorous and comprehensive training environment. Trainees will develop their expertise across various infectious diseases, managing both inpatient and outpatient cases. Clinical experiences cover a wide breadth of conditions such as general infections, including COVID-19, skin and soft tissue infections, cardiac device infections, bloodstream infections, and many others. The program also emphasizes specific demographics like people living with HIV in comprehensive care clinics, infections related to solid organ transplants, cancer-related infections, and postoperative infections.

Fellows will actively participate in health system services like antimicrobial stewardship, hospital epidemiology, infection prevention, employee health, and involvement in special pathogen preparedness initiatives. The program integrates a significant amount of research and educational activities, providing a foundational understanding of clinical research methodologies and literature reviews.

Curriculum

Fellows will adhere to the Infectious Diseases Core Curriculum, which prepares them for the ABIM Board Examination in infectious diseases. The curriculum is flexible enough to allow fellows to tailor clinical or research months according to their individual career aspirations. Each fellow will meet with the program director at the start of the fellowship to arrange their first 12 months of training, which will predominantly be clinical, followed by an opportunity for clinical or laboratory research during the second year.

Clinical Rotations

The program's clinical training is robust, consisting of core inpatient clinical rotations, which total a minimum of 12 months. These core rotations are distributed among general infectious diseases, orthopedic infectious diseases, solid organ transplant infectious diseases, and hematopoietic stem cell transplant infectious diseases. In addition, fellows are required to attend a weekly continuity clinic, where they see patients regularly, providing comprehensive care and management.

Elective rotations can be customized, including experiences at UPMC Pinnacle Harrisburg Hospital for community-based ID exposure, outpatient infectious disease clinics, and microbiology education. The fellows will also benefit from hands-on participation in inpatient consult services, where they lead teams in assessing and managing patient care.

Research Opportunities

Research is a significant component of the fellowship, with each fellow expected to complete at least one clinical quality improvement project and one research project during their training. Publications stemming from these projects are encouraged, with the potential for case reports and clinical improvement findings to contribute to the body of knowledge in infectious diseases.

Application and Competitiveness

The application process for this fellowship necessitates submission through the ERAS System, and while specific requirements regarding graduation year or exam failures are not explicitly stated, the program is competitive. The fellowship aims to attract a diverse pool of applicants, including those from DO and IMG backgrounds, fostering an inclusive training environment.

Visa Support

The program is equipped to sponsor various types of visas for international fellows. This includes J-1 visas for exchange visitors as well as H-1B visas for specialty occupations, ensuring that international medical graduates can securely participate in the fellowship.

Wellness and Support Systems

Recognizing the demands of medical training, Penn State Health focuses on the wellness of its residents and fellows. Institutional resources for emotional, physical, and social wellness are available, alongside community-building initiatives that assist fellows in transitioning to life in Hershey, Pennsylvania.

Diversity and Inclusion

The program prides itself on its commitment to diversity, equality, and inclusion, with a dedicated Office for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion that coordinates various initiatives aimed at fostering an inclusive training environment.

The Infectious Diseases Fellowship at Penn State Health provides an extensive and enriching training experience designed to cultivate the next generation of experts in infectious diseases. Through its diverse curriculum, robust research opportunities, and supportive environment, fellows are well-prepared to meet the challenges of this vital field.