University of Alberta

Training Program Director:  Dr. Michael Hawkes

Coordinator:  Denise Biziaev

Chief, Infectious Diseases:  Dr. Joan Robinson

Major Features of Training Program:

The outstanding features of our program are:

1. We all love clinical work and there is a huge emphasis on excellent patient care.
2. Most solid organ transplants in western Canada are performed at our center so trainees gain extensive experience in pre and post transplant management.
3. We are a referral center for pediatric cardiac surgery and have many patients on ECMO and VADs. Trainees will learn how to manage these complex patients.

Title(s) of Recent Fellows’ Published Research Papers:  

1. Treatment strategies for cerebrospinal shunt infections: a systematic review of observational studies.
   Robinson JL, Freire D, Bialy L.BMJ Open. 2020 Dec 10;10(12):e038978. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2020-038978.PMID: 33303443
2. COVID-19 – What does a paediatrician need to know?
   Robinson J, Freire D.Paediatr Respir Rev. 2020 Sep;35:3-8. doi: 10.1016/j.prrv.2020.05.001. Epub 2020 May 11.PMID: 32798115
3. Pregnancy Among HIV-Serodiscordant Couples: Case Report of Vertical Transmission and Retrospective Case Series.
   Choudhury B, Stadnyk M, Jijon DF, McLaughlin L, Kanji JN, Charlton C, Smyczek P, Vaudry W, Houston S, Tse-Chang A, Hawkes MT.Curr HIV Res. 2020 Dec 31. doi: 10.2174/1570162X18999201231211658. Online ahead of print.PMID: 33390144
4. Non-polio Enterovirus detection with acute flaccid paralysis: A systematic review.
   Suresh S, Forgie S, Robinson J.J Med Virol. 2018 Jan;90(1):3-7. doi: 10.1002/jmv.24933. Epub 2017 Oct 12.PMID: 28857219
5. A risk-stratified approach to cytomegalovirus prevention in pediatric solid organ transplant recipients. Suresh S, Lee BE, Robinson JL, Akinwumi MS, Preiksaitis JK.Pediatr Transplant. 2016 Nov;20(7):970-980. doi: 10.1111/petr.12786. Epub 2016 Aug 26.PMID: 27565955

Affiliated Hospital(s):  
Stollery Children’s Hospital

Number of Inpatient/Outpatient Consults Per Year:  800

Fellows Accepted Each Year:  1

Visas Accepted: Other

Funding ensured for all three years:  No

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 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. 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 experience 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