Preparing for a successful career in research requires careful planning with the right project supervised by an experienced mentor, a supportive environment with excellent resources, and a proven track record in training outstanding investigators. The Infectious Diseases Division has all of the tools and resources to prepare our fellows to be outstanding physician scientists. The Division shares in the wonderful heritage and legacy of Washington University School of Medicine, one of the premier research institutions in the world whose mission is to train future leaders in medicine and science. It is a particularly propitious time for training in clinical and translational research at Washington University. The University has recently been awarded a multimillion-dollar NIH K12 grant to establish a formal Multidisciplinary Clinical Research Career Development Program (MCRCDP) that involves multiple departments and programs at Washington University in collaboration with St. Louis University School of Public Health. MCRCDP, a multidisciplinary effort, is headed by Victoria Fraser, Co-Director of Infectious Diseases and will be integrated and coordinated with existing programs to promote clinical and translational research training resulting in a Master’s Degree in Clinical Investigation or a Master’s Degree in Public Health for scholars who enroll in the program (see link for complete description of this program). Washington University also has an NIH K30 program which provides a two- year didactic curriculum in clinical research for fellows and junior faculty leading to a Master’s Degree in Clinical Investigation (Brad Evanoff, Principal Investigator). In addition, there is an NIH T32 Predoctoral Clinical Research Training Grant here to provide clinical research training for medical and Ph.D. students (Jay Picirillo, Principal Investigator).

The main focus of training in laboratory-based research is centered on the Divisions of Adult Infectious Diseases (Department of Internal Medicine), and Pediatric Infectious Diseases (Department of Pediatrics) and the Department of Molecular Microbiology. All three units are situated in a block on floors 6-10 of the McDonnell Pediatric Research Building, the Center for Infectious Diseases Research. Throughout the Center there are open stairways and shared conference rooms to facilitate interactions. Other participating labs of the Department of Internal Medicine and the Department of Immunology and Pathology are in close proximity. This remarkable concentration of infectious diseases/microbiology-focused investigators has fostered a vibrant, highly interactive and collaborative environment.

The research program of the Infectious Disease Division is supported by an NIH Training Grant which has been in existence since 1971. The Division has over 20 million dollars in grant support which provides the resources necessary to support an exciting and diverse spectrum of research projects. Research in the Division is also supported via the Midwest Regional Center of Excellence for Biodefense and Emerging Infectious Diseases Research (MRCE), a NIH funded center with an annual budget of over 8 million dollars founded at Washington University in 2003. The outstanding support for research generated by investigators in the Division is the best proof of the quality and breadth of the research projects that are available for participation by our fellows. Therefore, our fellows can choose to work on an incredibly broad and diverse spectrum of research topics.

The research agenda is divided into two major research programs. The clinical program is headed by Victoria Fraser and features major programs in HIV/AIDS Clinical Trials, Healthcare Epidemiology, Informatics, Pharmaco-epidemiology, Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Patient Safety, vaccine research and Clinical Microbiology and Virology. Multidisciplinary research training is supported by the NIH K12 MCRDP Center Grant directed by Dr. Fraser as well as grants from the CDC, AHRQ, HRSA and NIH. Dan Goldberg leads the basic science research agenda which contains major programs in molecular pathogenesis, immunopathogenesis, molecular microbiology, parasitology, mycology, virology, biodefense and emerging infections. Dr. Goldberg also directs the MSTP Program at Washington University which is the largest MD/PhD Program in the country. All of the faculty in laboratory based research have joint appointments in the Department of Molecular Microbiology and participate in joint research programs, journal clubs and research seminars. Several of the faculty have joint appointments in other basic science departments. Translational research is done by individual basic science or clinical faculty and is an important bridge connecting the research interests of both components.

The faculty of the Infectious Diseases Division and relevant faculty from other departments participating in the research program of the Division are listed below in the faculty section with links to description of their individual research interests and recent relevant publications. Our fellows are also free to work with any other faculty member in the University, should their research interests not be met by the faculty in our program.