Fellowship Training Pathways
Our program offers two distinct pathways for infectious disease training. Please note that the Clinical Scholar Track and the Academic Research Track are separate recruitment pathways, and candidates are interviewed and recruited for them independently.
Clinical Scholar Track
Our ACGME-accredited two-year program is designed to cultivate highly competent and well-experienced infectious disease clinicians. The first-year curriculum follows a foundational core schedule for all fellows, providing a strong basis in the field.
Every fellow, regardless of their second-year focus, receives robust exposures, including inpatient ID consultation, antimicrobial stewardship, hospital epidemiology, clinical microbiology, specialty clinics, and longitudinal HIV/ID care during their 2-year training.
While the first year establishes broad clinical expertise, the second year offers a highly customizable experience tailored to individual career goals. We provide optional specialized tracks for fellows seeking deeper engagement in specific areas of interest. These tracks are elective and not a requirement for graduation; rather, they serve as a framework to support those pursuing a more specialized path during their second year of training.
Healthcare Leadership: Antimicrobial Stewardship & Infection Prevention Track
Building upon a foundation of clinical excellence, this track offers specialized training in the practical application of infection control and antimicrobial stewardship. Fellows engage in intensive mentored experiences, navigating complex clinical challenges and surveillance initiatives alongside our dedicated infection control and antimicrobial stewardship teams. The curriculum prepares fellows to design and implement impactful programs across diverse healthcare environments. Furthermore, fellows are expected to present their scholarly work through presentations at national conferences such as the Society of Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA) or ID Week.
Transplant Infectious Diseases Track
The Transplant Infectious Diseases track offers a 2-year-long, well-rounded experience in managing infections in patients with Solid Organ transplants (Liver and Kidney), Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant, CAR-T cell therapy, and Ventricular Assist Device. Fellows engage in at least 24 weeks of inpatient rotations on the transplant service, and optional elective rotations tailored to transplant ID and fellows' interests. During the second year, the track also includes rotations in the outpatient transplant clinic and VAD clinic, providing exposure to the continuum of care for transplant recipients, from inpatient management to long-term follow-up. Fellows will also have at least 12 weeks of research training to present their work at national conferences and submit a manuscript. The fellows will be required to attend weekly multidisciplinary selection and QAPI meetings and will get exposure to creating and revising institutional protocols.
HIV/AIDS and Community Health Track
This longitudinal track provides comprehensive training in the clinical management of HIV/STI while preparing fellows to mitigate health disparities in underserved populations. Clinical training includes rotations through inpatient services, the AIDS Project Worcester (APW) community clinic, and the Getchell-Ward TB clinic. To gain experience in resource-limited settings, fellows may participate in global health electives in Bolivia, Brazil, or Peru. As part of the mandatory annual Journal Club for all fellows, those in this track lead a session specifically focused on the intersection of infectious diseases and the social determinants of health. Additionally, participants have the option to pursue MPH-Worcester Graduate Certificate. Fellows are encouraged to participate in clinical or population-based research and present their findings at national conferences and submit a manuscript.
Medical Education Track
The ID-Med Ed Track is a longitudinal program designed to develop skills in medical education and scholarship, preparing them for careers as educators in academic medicine. Through guided teaching experiences, participants will improve their teaching abilities, create a comprehensive medical education portfolio, and complete a scholarly project. This track equips fellows to excel as leaders and educators, and those who complete the program will be awarded a Certificate of Distinction in Medical Education. It is designed for fellows with a strong interest in pursuing a career in medical education within academic medicine.
Academic Research Track
This 3-year ACGME-certified infectious diseases training program is a separate pathway open to one fellow per year and is specifically designed to train physician-scientists.
The program begins with the core rotations described in the clinical track for one year. Research Track fellows then join the group of any principal investigator on the UMass Chan Medical School campus for intensive research training. Many NIH-funded investigators work on a variety of infectious disease-related topics across the spectrum of basic, translational, and clinical sciences in several different departments and programs. To meet requirements from the ACGME, Research Track fellows will have a weekly infectious diseases continuity clinic for the entirety of this 3-year fellowship. In addition, they will be responsible for sporadic weekend coverage of the inpatient ID consult service and back-up call in their second year. For more info, view our research website.