Welcome to the Division of Infectious Diseases and International Health! The University of Virginia has one of the top clinical and research divisions of infectious diseases and international health.  We are comprised of 26 faculty with clinical, research and educational activities in microbiology, immunology, epidemiology and clinical investigation.

Our Clinical Infectious Diseases Fellowship Program is designed to produce the next generation of physician-scientists.  Ninety percent of our graduates are currently on the faculty of medical schools.

Many of the editors of the key texts that define our field are current or former members of the Division, including Gerald Mandell (Principles and Practice of Infectious Diseases), Richard Guerrant (Tropical Infectious Diseases:  Principles, Pathogens and Practice), Michael Scheld (Infections of the Central Nervous System), and Fred Hayden (Clinical Virology).

Research activities are supported by $21 million in annual extramural funding and include

• global health with Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and NIH supported field research in Bangladesh, Brazil, Haiti, South Affrica, Tanzania, and Uganda (Drs. Dillingham, Guerrant,  Houpt, Pearson, Peterson, Petri, and Scheld)
  
• biodefense and emerging infectious diseases including anthrax, tularemia, c.difficile, cryptosporidiosis, influenza and enteric pathogens (Drs. Gilchrist, Guerrant, Hewlett, Mann, Petri, Ramakrishnan, Roche, and Warren).  UVA is a major participating institution in the Middle Atlantic Regional Center of Excellence for Biodefense and Emerging Infectious Diseases Research.
  
• HIV/AIDS and STDs with clinical research in Charlottesville, Brazil, Haiti, Tanzania and Uganda (Drs. Guerrant, Houpt, Scheld, Townsend, Wispelwey, and Yuan)
  
• clinical trials of anti-viral agents, anti-fungals and antibiotics, vaccines, and immune modulators (Drs. Donowitz, Hayden, and Scheld)
  
• parasitology (Drs. Gilchrist, Guerrant, Mann, Pearson, Peterson, and  Petri)
  
• vaccine development (Drs. Houpt, Mann, Petri, and Yuan)
  
• host genetic susceptibility to infection (Drs. Guerrant, Petri and Sifri)
  
• bacteriology (Drs. Guerrant, Hewlett, Hoffman, Houpt, Mann, Ramakrishnan, and Sifri)
  
• virology (Drs. Hayden, Kedes, and Yuan)
  
• hospital epidemiology and healthcare worker safety (Drs. Sifri and Jagger)

The Division is also home to interdisciplinary NIH and foundation-supported training programs in infectious diseases, biodefense and global health that involve faculty in 7 Departments in the Medical School that train graduate students and postdoctoral fellows.

Clinical activities include the management of virtually all infectious diseases, with specific areas of expertise in

• HIV medicine (Drs. Townsend, Scheld, and Wispelwey)
• nosocomial infections and hospital epidemiology (Dr. Sifri)
• pneumonia (Drs. Donowitz and Houpt)
• diarrheal diseases (Drs. Guerrant and Petri)
• respiratory viral infections and sinusitis (Drs. Hayden and Petri)
• cellulitis (Dr. Hughes)
• infections in cancer patients (Drs. Donowitz and Wispelwey)
• sexually transmitted diseases (Drs. Eby and Warren)
• tropical medicine (Drs. Guerrant, Pearson, and Petri)
• tuberculosis (Dr. Houpt)
• tick-borne diseases (Drs. Petri and Scheld)
• opportunistic viral infections (Dr. Kedes)
• meningitis and brain abscess (Drs. Wispelwey and Scheld)
• fungal infections (Drs. Donowitz and Scheld)
• transplant infectious diseases (Drs. Sifri and Wispelwey)

Infectious diseases physicians have leadership roles on the Infection Control, Formulary, and Antibiotic Utilization Committees.  Inpatient consultations in Infectious Diseases and in Transplant Infectious Diseases are provided at the University Hospital and at the Augusta Medical Center. Infectious disease physicians also provide substantial inpatient general medicine care.  Outpatient clinics include the Infectious Diseases Clinic (HIV and general infectious diseases), Sexually Transmitted Diseases Clinic, and Travelers’ Clinic. 

It is an exciting time to be involved in the study of infectious diseases.  Virginia has a long and storied tradition of excellence as a foundation for what is now a rapidly growing clinical, research and educational mission in infectious diseases in Charlottesville.

Sincerely,
Bill Petri