State University of New York Downstate Medical Center

TRAINING PROGRAM DIRECTOR:  Margaret Hammerschlag, MD

COORDINATOR:  Ms. Deborah Pointer

CHIEF, INFECTIOUS DISEASES:  Stephan Kohlhoff, MD

MAJOR FEATURES OF TRAINING PROGRAM:  SUNY Downstate Medical Center serves a vibrant multi-ethnic population in central Brooklyn. This offers a wide variety of clinical infectious disease experiences, including HIV infection, travel medicine, and most recently covid19. Research opportunities include clinical research in HIV and sexually transmitted diseases, including epidemiology and treatment of chlamydial infections, vaccine studies, antibiotic stewardship, travel medicine and covid19. Opportunities for bench research include immunology of C. pneumoniae infections and relationship to reactive airway disease, in vitro susceptibilities of chlamydia species and immunology of COVID-19 infection.

TITLE(S) OF RECENT FELLOWS’ PUBLISHED RESEARCH PAPERS:

1. Banniettis N, Thumu S, Weedon J, Szigeti A, Chotikanatis K, Hammerschlag MR, Kohlhoff SA. Seroprevalence of Chlamydia trachomatis in inner-city children and adolescents – implications for vaccine development. Sex Transm Dis 44(12):717-721, 2017.
2. Arun A, Swamy S, Jacob K, Sharma R, Kohlhoff SA, Hammerschlag MR. Evaluation of clinical outcome in children and adolescents receiving vancomycin for invasive infections due to methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus: Impact of increasing vancomycin MICs. Minerva Pediatr 2018; 70:207-211.
3. Banniettis N, Beekmann, SE, Polgreen PM, Kaushik S, Kohlhoff S, Gilbert D, Bennett JE, Hammerschlag MR. Management practices for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus bloodstream infections with vancomycin in North American adults – An EIN Survey. Open Forum Infect Dis 2018 May 19;5(5):ofy093. doi: 10.1093/ofid/ofy093. eCollection 2018 May.
4. Penton M, Otto C, Hammerschlag MR. Outsourcing microbiology services in medical centers: Is it worth it? J Pediatr Infect Dis Soc, 2019 Apr 16. pii: piz019. doi:10.1093/jpids/piz019.
5. Banniettis N, Wisecup K, Byland L, Watanabe I, Hammerschlag MR, Kohlhoff S. Association of routine Chlamydia trachomatis screening during pregnancy and seroprevalence of chlamydial infection in children, 1991-2015. J Pediatr Infect Dis Soc 2020 Jan 20. pii: piaa002.

GRANT FUNDING RECEIVED FOR FELLOW RESEARCH PROJECTS:

1. NICHD; A randomized trial to determine the role of valganciclovir for asymptomatic CMV infected hearing impaired infants.
2. Madu Rao Pediatric Resident Research Award; Markers of persistent infection with C. pneumoniae in patients with respiratory disease
3. New York State Empire Clinical Research Investigator Program; Seroepidemiology of Chlamydia trachomatis in children in Brooklyn, NY.
4. New York State Empire Clinical Research Investigator Program. Epidemiologic evaluation of the latency period before development of clinical allergic disease in immigrant groups in Brooklyn and relation to previous infection

AFFILIATED HOSPITALS:

Kings County Hospital Center
Maimonides Medical Center

NUMBER OF INPATIENT/OUTPATIENT CONSULTS PER YEAR:  450

FELLOWS ACCEPTED EACH YEAR:  1

VISAS ACCEPTED:  J1

FUNDING ENSURED FOR ALL 3 YEARS:  Yes

IS COMPLETION OF PEDIATRIC RESIDENCY TRAINING IN THE U.S. OR CANADA A REQUIREMENT:  No

Program provides training (didactic lectures, hands on experience, or antimicrobial stewardship meetings/membership) in:

1. Microbiology lab on site
2. Infection control and hospital epidemiology
3. Antimicrobial stewardship
4. Immunocompromised hosts

Opportunities to fulfill the ABP requirements for scholarly activity is available in the following general areas:

1. Antimicrobial agents
2. Antimicrobial stewardship
3. Bacteriology/bacterial infections
4. Bioethics
5. Chlamydial infections
6. Clinical trials
7. Epidemiology and statistics
8. Global health
9. HIV
10. Immunizations
11. Infection control and hospital epidemiology
12. Medical education
13. Public health
14. Quality improvement
15. Virology/viral diseases

Opportunities exist for research outside of the ID Division:  Yes

Program offers the opportunity to obtain a Master’s degree in a field such as Public Health, Education, Clinical Sciences, or Epidemiology (assuming appropriate arrangements are made):  Yes