Clinical
Perhaps no field of clinical medicine has advanced more rapidly than the field and study of infectious diseases, with the continuing discovery of new illnesses or syndromes - Legionnaire's disease, toxic shock syndrome, Lyme Disease, AIDS, West Nile Virus, SARS, Bioterrorism. In addition, tantalizing evidence suggests that many of the degenerative neurologic diseases, peptic ulcer disease, and possibly even coronary atherosclerosis may have an infectious basis.

Moreover, the most exciting advances in molecular medicine -- particularly the use of recombinant genetic techniques for diagnosis, drug development and even gene therapy itself -- have their foundation in the achievements of basic microbiologic research over the past decade. Advances in all areas of medicine have resulted in a large and growing population of aging patients vulnerable to increasingly complex and life-threatening infections. Many of these infections are preventable, based on current knowledge of pathogenesis and epidemiology, and most are now treatable.

The Section of Infectious Diseases combines a commitment to superior clinical care, innovative medical education and cutting-edge research. The Section is comprised of 13 full-time faculty members -- Drs. David Andes, William Craig, Christopher Crnich, Barry Fox, Greg Gauthier, Shannon Kenney, Dennis Maki, George Mejicano, Richard Reich, Nasia Safdar, Robert Striker, Andy Urban and Bennett Vogelman -- and four affiliate members, Carol Spiegel, PhD of the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine and Drs. Bruce Klein, Gregory DeMuri and James Conway of the Department of Pediatrics. Members of the Section have vast experience in the broad range of clinical infectious diseases and research expertise in the pharmacology of anti-infective drugs, the diagnosis and management of deep fungal infections, the evaluation and treatment of complex staphylococcal infections, the control of nosocomial (hospital-acquired) infections and clinical epidemiology.

The Infectious Disease Section is actively involved in clinical care throughout the UW Hospital and Clinics and the affiliated William S. Middleton Memorial Veterans Hospital, both in the inpatient consultation services and in the outpatient clinics. The Section provides the main clinical support for patients requiring outpatient intravenous antibiotic therapy for treatment of osteomyelitis, endocarditis, deep fungal infections, AIDS, and a variety of other diseases previously managed in an inpatient setting. The Section also plays several other important roles in the hospital including infection control, hospital epidemiology and clinical trials.

The outpatient infectious disease clinic provides consultation and continuing care for patients with general infectious diseases, tropical medicine and HIV infection/AIDS. The clinic's multi-disciplinary team approach combines the efforts of clinical nurse specialists, a physician assistant, clinical pharmacy, home health and clinical research nurses. Drs. Urban and Vogelman provide leadership to the section's activities in the care of patients with HIV infections and AIDS and are part of a four-physician team caring for over 700 HIV/AIDS patients.

UW Hospital has one of the most renowned nosocomial infection control programs in the country and is recognized worldwide for its research on bloodstream infections originating from intravascular devices, the use of isolation for prevention of infection, and studies of the epidemiology of infection in the ICU. Findings from studies in the infection control program have formed the basis for infection control practices followed in hospitals throughout the world. Directed by Dr. Maki, the hospital infection control department provides 24-hour-a-day consultation assistance with hospital outbreaks and other problems pertaining to nosocomial infection control.

The Section of Infectious Disease provides inpatient, outpatient and emergency consultative services for the diagnosis and management of complex infectious diseases and unexplained febrile illnesses, especially those that may become life-threatening. Members of the medical staff are board certified internists who provide the busiest and most sought after consult service at UW Hospital and Clinics. The Section has special interests in the diagnosis and management of infections in immunologically compromised patients (patients with leukemia, organ transplant recipients, patients with AIDS or HIV-related diseases) and bacterial infection, including endocarditis, meningitis, and acute and chronic osteomyelitis. Additional interests include nosocomial infection control, in-hospital antimicrobial utilization review, antiparasitic and antiviral drugs, rational use of immunizations and vaccines, tropical diseases and parasitic infections, tuberculosis, deep fungal infections, diagnosis and treatment of viral diseases, Lyme disease, evaluation of patients with recurrent infections, and necessary immunizations for foreign travel.

Faculty Members include:

David R. Andes, MD
Chief, Associate Professor of Medicine
Fellowship Director

William A. Craig, MD
Professor of Medicine and Pharmacology

Christopher J Crnich, MD
Asst Prof of Medicine

Barry C. Fox, MD
Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine

Gregory M. Gauthier, MD
Asst Prof of Medicine

Shannon C. Kenney, MD
Professor of Medicine and Medical Microbiology

Bruce S. Klein, MD
Professor of Pediatrics and Medicine
Chief, Pediatric Infectious Diseases Section

Dennis G. Maki, MD
Ovid O. Meyer Professor of Medicine

George C. Mejicano, MD
Associate Professor of Medicine
Assistant Dean for CME

Richard M. Reich, MD
Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine

Nasia Safdar, MD
Asst Prof of Medicine

Robert T. Striker, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor of Medicine

Andrew W. Urban, MD
Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine

Bennett S. Vogelman, MD
Professor of Medicine
Senior Associate Chair for Education
Program Director, Residency Program