University of North Carolina

TRAINING PROGRAM DIRECTOR: Peyton Thompson, MD, MSCR

COORDINATOR: Kenyetta Farrington, MS

CHIEF, INFECTIOUS DISEASES:  Toni Darville, MD

MAJOR FEATURES OF TRAINING PROGRAM:

The Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at UNC offers a comprehensive training environment for physicians and researchers to receive a well-rounded educational experience, drawing on our close relationship with other world-class clinical teachers and researchers within the UNC School of Medicine community. Our training program consists of an unparalleled clinical and research experience that is intended for pediatric infectious disease physicians who desire to pursue a career in academic medicine.

Clinical experience on the UNC Pediatric Infectious Disease Consult Service and in outpatient Pediatric Infectious Disease, Travel Medicine and HIV Clinics will provide most of the clinical experiences in this subspecialty. Fellows rotate on the inpatient consult service 6 months during their first year, and two months each during the second and third years. The fellows spend time in outpatient clinic throughout their fellowship, not overlapping with inpatient service. Our curriculum is very flexible and participation in elective rotations is dependent upon the fellow’s specific interests.

Fellows will have ample time throughout their fellowship to pursue scholarly activities, whether in basic, translational or clinical research, global health, antimicrobial stewardship, infection prevention, quality improvement and/or medical education. Fellows will benefit from excellent mentorship within our Pediatric Infectious Diseases faculty and/or from other faculty members (such as in Microbiology and Immunology, the Institute for Global Health and Infectious Diseases, or Gillings School of Global Public Health). We are committed to equipping our fellows with the skills they need to pursue the career of their dreams.

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

1. Thahir S, Tulenko SE, Ngimbi P, Ntambua S, Matondo J, Mwandagalirwa K, Tabala M, Kaba D, Yotebieng M, Parr JB, Thompson P. Low knowledge about hepatitis B prevention among pregnant women in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo. PLOS Glob Public Health. 2022 Sep 23;2(9):e0000450. doi: 10.1371/journal.pgph.0000450. PMID: 36962537; PMCID: PMC10021814.
2. Maniaci JL, Thahir S, Bookhout C. A rare case of pediatric gastrointestinal mucormycosis with a review of the literature. IDCases. 2023 Jan 18;31:e01698. doi: 10.1016/j.idcr.2023.e01698. PMID: 36704027; PMCID: PMC9871736.
3. Thahir S, Muhindo E, Turigye B, Kabagambe K, Thompson P, Mulogo EM, Boyce RM. Implementation of Hepatitis B Screening Into Routine Antenatal Care to Prevent Mother-to-Child Transmission in Rural Western Uganda. Open Forum Infect Dis. 2023 Aug 25;10(9):ofad452. doi: 10.1093/ofid/ofad452. PMID: 37705692; PMCID: PMC10496864.
4. Arahirwa V, Thahir S, Hernandez L, Willis ZI. Disseminated Nocardia nova in a child with relapsed acute lymphoblastic leukemia: a case report. BMC Infect Dis. 2024 Feb 1;24(1):154. doi: 10.1186/s12879-023-08895-5. PMID: 38302864; PMCID: PMC10832261.
5. Thahir S, Morgan CE, Ngimbi P, Kashamuka MM, Ntambua S, Matondo J, Tabala M, Mbendi C, Kaba D, Yotebieng M, Parr JB, Banek K, Thompson P. Promoting Antiviral Access and Adherence in the Expansion of Hepatitis B Prevention Programs: Insights From the Democratic Republic of Congo. J Pediatric Infect Dis Soc. 2024 Nov 21;13(Supplement_5):S148-S152. doi: 10.1093/jpids/piae081. PMID: 39570895; PMCID: PMC12106858.

Grant Funding Received for Fellow Research Projects:
1. NIH/NIAID (2 fellows)
2. Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society Fellowship Award (1 fellow)
3. Burroughs Wellcome Fund/ASTMH Postdoctoral Fellowship (1 fellow)
4. Scholars at Carolina Health Scholar Program (1 fellow)
5. NIH Katz-Denny Fellow (1 fellows)
7. UNC Office of Global Health Education (OGHE) (2 fellows)
8. UNC Children’s Research Institute (1 fellow)

AFFILIATED HOSPITALS:

NC Children’s Hospital
UNC Hospitals

NUMBER OF INPATIENT/OUTPATIENT CONSULTS PER YEAR:  2,400

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