Fellowship Curriculum

Education Program-Basic Curriculum

The Infectious Diseases Fellowship Training Program is a 2-year program with the option to add a research-focused 3rd year for those desiring a career in infectious disease research.  
Clinical training includes rotations in general infectious disease at the University of Colorado Hospital, Rocky Mountain Regional VA Medical Center, and Denver Health Hospital Authority. This is typically split 60% in the first year and 40% in the second year though this can be adjusted for fellows needing extended protected time for research in the second year. 
In addition, fellows rotate on specialty rotations in:

• National Jewish (non-tuberculosis mycobacterial disease)
• Orthopedic Infectious Disease
• Oncology Infectious Disease
• Transplant Infectious Disease
• Denver Public Health (TB, STI, viral hepatitis)
  

Additional electives are available through the CDC Division of Vector Borne Diseases and the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.

All fellows have an assigned continuity clinic at one of the 3 core sites: University of Colorado Hospital, Rocky Mountain Regional VA Medical Center, and Denver Health.   

Over the first year, fellows develop a plan for their 2nd year and scholarly work which includes their career goals, proposed scholarly work and work in progress aligned with those goals, planned use of research and elective time in the second year and a mentorship plan completed by their faculty mentor.  A number of tracks have been for fellows with specific focused interests to guide planning for the second year including tracks in:

• Transplant ID
• Orthopedic ID
• Antimicrobial Stewardship
• Infection Prevention
• ID and Addiction Medicine

A Research Scientist Track is also available with an additional 1-2 years of investigative work in the basic sciences.   

Each track is designed to complete all ACGME requirements of the training program within the first two years.  

Educational Conferences and Didactics

The ID division has weekly conferences that include alternating ID Grand Rounds and Case Conferences presented by the fellows. In addition, each presents one Journal Club per year paired with a faculty mentor. First year fellows also facilitate one ID Morbidity and Mortality Conference as part of their training.

Fellows receive training in quality improvement through the CU Quality and Safety Academy to support their development of a quality project which they carry out in their second year.

We have a 2-year cycle of didactic lectures that occur once a month covering the breadth of clinical topics needed for clinical practice and for preparedness for the ID boards. All second-year fellows present one Didactic Conference as part of this lecture series on a topic of their choice.