McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston

TRAINING PROGRAM DIRECTOR:  Norma Perez, DO

ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR/CO-DIRECTOR:  Gloria Heresi, MD

COORDINATOR:  Ms. Kimberlie Maxcey

CHIEF, INFECTIOUS DISEASES:  Anthony Flores, MD, MPH, PhD

MAJOR FEATURES OF TRAINING PROGRAM:  The Pediatric Infectious Diseases fellowship at the University of Texas McGovern Medical School at Houston is a three-year ACGME accredited program. We are located in the Texas Medical Center, the largest medical center in the United States. Our location affords us the great opportunity to experience not only the diverse population, but to learn from a variety of infectious disease etiologies. We pride ourselves in our multicultural faculty and staff whilst providing our trainees a personalized family friendly training model. Our pediatric ID fellowship program provides a strong curriculum in clinical, research (basic and translational) and education with the focus of preparing our trainees for a career in academic medicine while assuring success with passing their subspecialty boards.

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

1. Alamarat ZI, Babic J, Tran TT, Wootton SH, Dinh AQ, Miller WR, Hanson B, Wanger A, Gary JL, Arias CA, Pérez N. Long-Term Compassionate Use of Cefiderocol To Treat Chronic Osteomyelitis Caused by Extensively Drug-Resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Extended-Spectrum-β-Lactamase-Producing Klebsiella pneumoniae in a Pediatric Patient. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 2020 Mar 24;64(4):e01872-19.doi: 10.1128/AAC.01872-19. PMID: 31871075; PMCID: PMC7179260.
2. Alamarat Z, Pérez N, Wootton S, Kamdar A, Smith K, Heresi GP, Chang M. Murine Typhus Outbreak Presenting as Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children During SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic. Pediatr Infect Dis J. 2020 Dec;39(12):e447-e449. doi: 10.1097/INF.0000000000002947. PMID: 33060516.
3. Tyungu DL, McCormick D, Lau CL, Chang M, Murphy JR, Hotez PJ, Mejia R, Pollack H. Toxocara species environmental contamination of public spaces in New York City. PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2020 May 5;14(5):e0008249. doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0008249. PMID: 32369482; PMCID: PMC7228133.
4. Zambruni M, Ochoa TJ, Somasunderam A, Cabada MM, Morales ML, Mitreva M, Rosa BA, Acosta GJ, Vigo NI, Riveros M, Arango S, Durand D, Berends MN, Melby P, Utay NS. Stunting Is Preceded by Intestinal Mucosal Damage and Microbiome Changes and Is Associated with Systemic Inflammation in a Cohort of Peruvian Infants. Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2019 Nov;101(5):1009-1017. doi: 10.4269/ajtmh.18-0975. PMID: 31482782; PMCID: PMC6838574.
5. Liu EW, Schwartz BS, Hysmith ND, DeVincenzo JP, Larson DT, Maves RC, Palazzi DL, Meyer C, Custodio HT, Braza MM, Al Hammoud R, Rao S, Qvarnstrom Y, Yabsley MJ, Bradbury RS, Montgomery SP. Rat Lungworm Infection Associated with Central Nervous System Disease – Eight U.S. States, January 2011-January 2017. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2018 Aug 3;67(30):825-828. doi: 10.15585/mmwr.mm6730a4. PMID: 30070981; PMCID: PMC6072054.

GRANT FUNDING RECEIVED FOR FELLOW RESEARCH PROJECTS:

• DUKE Pediatric Network Trials, since 2020
• Pediatric AIDS Initiative, State of Texas, since 2010
• NIH T32 Training Grant, since 2018
• R01 AI125216- NIH/NIAID, 1/2017 – 12/2021
• Grant A Starr Foundation Award, since 2010

AFFILIATED HOSPITALS:

Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital
Lyndon B. Johnson Hospital
MD Anderson Cancer Center

NUMBER OF INPATIENT/OUTPATIENT CONSULTS PER YEAR:  2,059

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:  Yes

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. Bioethics
4. Clinical trials
5. Epidemiology and statistics
6. Global health
7. HIV
8. Immunizations
9. Infection control/hospital epidemiology
10. Medical education
11. Mycology/fungal infections
12. Parasitology/parasitic diseases
13. Public health
14. Quality improvement
15. Transplant medicine
16. 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 arrangement are made):  Yes