Clinical Training

Other Services

Other Services

Antimicrobial Stewardship Program – The Antimicrobial Stewardship Program (ASP) at UPMC is a patient safety initiative that was developed to address infections related to C.difficile, increasing antimicrobial resistance in nosocomial Gram-negative organisms and increasing antimicrobial costs. It is based on the close collaboration between the Division of Infectious Diseases and the Department of Pharmacy and Therapeutics and is achieved through an interactive telephone approval service for a number of restricted antimicrobials in which the requested agent is reviewed with a caller and alternatives are provided in the context of the clinical situation.

ID fellows participate in the program starting in the second half of their first year of training and through this experience, they will develop understanding of the basic and clinical sciences pertinent to antimicrobial stewardship, recognize the nature of drug-resistant organisms and provide sound recommendations based on evidence of treatment response to various antimicrobial agents. The ID fellows work closely with the ASP staff to review the results/outcomes of their prescribing recommendations to enhance patient safety and improve patient care quality.

For fellows interested in pursuing a career in antimicrobial stewardship, our fellowship program offers a dedicated track during their second year of training.

Telemedicine – The Telemedicine service currently provides inpatient and outpatient consults to patients at two outlying UPMC facilities, UPMC Northwest and UPMC Bedford. Using state of the art equipment, Fellows would have the opportunity to participate in the care of patients at these facilities. Referrals are typically broad and have ranged from things such as endocarditis, liver abscess, necrotizing fasciitis and lyme disease. The questions will include any condition that could be managed by an Infectious Disease Consultant.

Pediatric Infectious Diseases – Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh (CHP) of UPMC is a highly respected, free-standing, tertiary pediatric health center that has been consistently ranked among the nation’s top ten pediatric hospitals by US News and World Report. Interested fellows may rotate on an elective basis with the CHP infectious diseases service, which is led by renowned pediatric ID specialists and cares for a diverse population ranging from general pediatric patients to pediatric recipients of solid and/or bone marrow transplants. Fellows who take part in this rotation are likely to gain experience with a wide array of illnesses including typical and atypical bacterial infections, primary viral infections, opportunistic infections in immune-compromised hosts, and sepsis in the newborns. Didactic activities include twice weekly discussion of challenging pediatric ID cases in addition to daily microbiology rounds.