University of Tennessee Health Science Center/St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital

TRAINING PROGRAM DIRECTOR:  Timothy Minniear, MD, MSc

ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR/CO-DIRECTOR: Elisabeth E. Adderson, MD, MSc

COORDINATOR:  Trachia Wilson, MEd, TAGME, CAP

CHIEF, INFECTIOUS DISEASES:  Octavio Ramilo, MD and Sandra Arnold, MD, MSc

MAJOR FEATURES OF TRAINING PROGRAM: Le Bonheur and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital provide almost all specialist care for children in the Memphis metropolitan and surrounding three-state area. Fellows see a large and diverse patient population in modern and well-equipped inpatient and ambulatory facilities. The program has a unique emphasis on infections in immunocompromised children. St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is one of the nation’s largest pediatric oncology and stem cell transplant centers and offers comprehensive care to HIV-infected youth through its Pediatric AIDS Center of Excellence. Le Bonheur and the University of Tennessee Health Sciences Center (UTHSC) Transplant Institute host one of the country’s largest solid organ transplant programs, including a new pediatric cardiac transplantation service. Program faculty direct nationally and internationally recognized research programs in respiratory infections, HIV, infections of immunocompromised patients, vaccine and drug development, antimicrobial stewardship, and the microbiome. Unparalleled infrastructure, including research education, molecular, cellular, and tissue resources, biostatistics, data management and analysis, grants and publication assistance, and laboratory services supports fellows’ participation in these efforts. Fellows may participate in advanced degree programs with tuition assistance. Extended protected time for research is offered to highly qualified trainees.

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

1. Goggin KP,Lu L,Lee DE,Howell CR,Srivastava D,Brinkman TM,Armstrong GT,Bhakta N,Robison LL,Ehrhardt MJ,Hudson MM,Krull KR,Pui CH,Rubnitz J,Ness KK,Wolf J.; Severe Sepsis During Treatment for Childhood Leukemia and Sequelae Among Adult Survivors. JAMA Network Open. 2024, March 4. PMID: 38497960.
2. Castejon-Ramirez S, Chaisavaneeyakorn S, Ferrolino JA, Allison KJ, Peterson M, Dallas RH, Suliman A, Hayden RT, Maron G, Hijano DR. Clinical Outcomes of Human Rhinovirus/Enterovirus Infection in Pediatric Hemopoietic Cell Transplant Patients. J Pediatric Infect Dis Soc. 2024 Jan 29;13(1):75-83. doi: 10.1093/jpids/piad106.PMID: 38019957.
3. Jia X, Crawford JC, Gebregzabher D, Monson EA, Mettelman RC, Wan Y, Ren Y, Chou J, Novak T, McQuilten HA, Clarke M, Bachem A, Foo IJ, Fritzlar S, Carrera Montoya J, Trenerry AM, Nie S, Leeming MG, Nguyen THO, Kedzierski L, Littler DR, Kueh A, Cardamone T, Wong CY, Hensen L, Cabug A, Laguna JG, Agrawal M, Flerlage T, Boyd DF, Van de Velde LA, Habel JR, Loh L, Koay HF, van de Sandt CE, Konstantinov IE, Berzins SP, Flanagan KL, Wakim LM, Herold MJ, Green AM, Smallwood HS, Rossjohn J, Thwaites RS, Chiu C, Scott NE, Mackenzie JM, Bedoui S, Reading PC, Londrigan SL, Helbig KJ, Randolph AG, Thomas PG, Xu J, Wang Z, Chua BY, Kedzierska K.Cell. High expression of oleoyl-ACP hydrolase underpins life-threatening respiratory viral diseases. 2024 Aug 22;187(17):4586-4604.e20. doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2024.07.026. Epub 2024 Aug 12.PMID: 39137778.
4. Flerlage T, Crawford JC, Allen EK, Severns D, Tan S, Surman S, Ridout G, Novak T, Randolph A, West AN, Thomas PG.Nat Commun. Single cell transcriptomics identifies distinct profiles in pediatric acute respiratory distress syndrome. 2023 Jun 30;14(1):3870. doi: 10.1038/s41467-023-39593-0.
5. Shapiro K, Cross SJ, Morton TH, Inaba H, Holland A, Fasipe FR, Adderson EE.Emerg Infect Dis. Healthcare-Associated Infections Caused by Mycolicibacterium neoaurum. 2023 Aug;29(8):1516-23. doi: 10.3201/eid2908.230007.

GRANT FUNDING RECEIVED FOR FELLOW RESEARCH PROJECTS:

1. Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital Fellow Research Grant (2 fellows)
2. PIDS-St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital Fellowship Award in Basic and Translational Science (1 fellow)

AFFILIATED HOSPITALS:

• Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital
• St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital

NUMBER OF INPATIENT/OUTPATIENT CONSULTS PER YEAR:  3,000

FELLOWS ACCEPTED EACH YEAR: 2

VISAS ACCEPTED: J1; H1B, Other

FUNDING ENSURED FOR ALL 3 YEARS:  Yes

IS COMPLETION OF PEDIATRIC RESIDENCY TRAINING IN THE US 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. Clinical trials
5. Epidemiology and statistics
6. Global health
7. HIV
8. Immunizations
9. Infection control/hospital epidemiology
10. Mycology/fungal infections
11. Public health
12. Quality improvement
13. Transplant medicine
14. 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