Welcome

0:01 — Jessica Weber: one of the things that really drew me to Primary Children's and University of Utah was that Community atmosphere that collaboration of practice when I [SUBTITLE: Jessica Weber, PGY6 Pediatric Endocrinology Fellow] interviewed I really felt like I was part of this group and I hadn't even accepted you know an offer to be a fellow here

0:24 — Paola Blanco: the first time I was here like all [SUBTITLE: Jessica Weber, PGY5 Pediatric Gastroenterology Fellow] of the attendings were saying don't call me doctor so and so they were just saying call me by my first name here it's very professional but it's very informal so it allows it just a nice environment to grow and to ask questions was born and raised in Florida um I knew I wanted something different I ended up choosing to to come to the to the West specifically to Utah um I think the one thing that Drew me the most was our our large catchment area we have Utah but then we have the five surrounding states

1:02 — Francis Lomata: I heard that you know this is the only children's hospital with a very large catchment area and [SUBTITLE: Francis Lomata, PGY6 Pediatric Nephrology Fellow] so at that point I knew I was going to get um some good training especially being exposed to different pathologies and whatnot I take phone calls from hospitals that are uh essentially at the border of Canada and I've had to provide uh rural medicine uh through the phone that is a very unique um experience for me and I really wanted to learn how to ski and I was like you know what I think Utah would be a good place to live and do the outdoorsy stuff and at the same time learn some good pediatric nephology

1:47 — Paola Blanco: it's wild to me um to think that I can drive you know from the city minutes out and I can I have access to countless of Hiking Trails camping spots you also have the City itself which has you know tons of restaurants it's like the world is your oyster here

2:07 — Jessica Weber: I was worried about being at a smaller or mediumsized program but really found that I've been able to get what I was looking for by having those cool fellows around and and having them to learn from they're very much a fellow centered program and so everything is around centered around the Learners and what's best for you as a learner it's more of what can we do to be better for what can we do to make sure that you have all of the opportunities that you want or need I really think that speaks to like we're fellows and we're we have that camaraderie together but our attendings really treat us as if we're colleagues

2:46 — Francis Lomata: with the pediatric nephology department everybody is at a different stage of training or career in their life having those faculty members that are in different stages of their career I kind of get pieces and bits of like their [Music] experiences

3:05 — Paola Blanco: I've come to realize that all the other programs offer as much as you know as we might hear we have our you know our general endoscopy our upper and our lower Scopes but um we have the the opportunity to do Advanced endoscopy so like esophageal dilations Endo knife some programs offer like an extra year Fellowship for these like to get good at these but we have the volume and we have we have our attendings that have the skills to do these procedures we have that opportunity to to have that incorporated into our three-year Fellowship so if we want to get good at those skills we can

3:44 — Jessica Weber: at the University of Utah or at primary children saying it's about the it's about the people that work here the nursing staff the respiratory therapists the doctors it just come keeps coming back to that culture that we've created here that we are here for each other and we're supporting each other through that and and we're doing that with also really very patient centered and patient focused

care

4:09 — Francis Lomata: primary childrens's is one of the top hospitals in the nation we get very good Training you get very um good exposures uh to different pathologies the environment here Primary Children's is very good it's um very collegial and I think that goes a long way in just building a mindset for trainees to bring them on for the rest of their careers

4:37 — [Music] [U Health University of Utah logo]

Dear Prospective Applicant,

Thank you for your interest in the Pediatric Infectious Disease Fellowship program at the University of Utah and Primary Children's Hospital.

The Pediatric Infectious Diseases Division at the University of Utah is committed to providing outstanding clinical care, performing innovative research and training future leaders in the field. Faculty in our Division create an atmosphere of intellectual curiosity and discovery that allows faculty, staff, students, and fellows to maximize their potential while benefiting the health of children on a global scale.

Primary Children's Hospital (PCH) is the main site for clinical training and has a busy and varied clinical service. PCH is a 289-bed pediatric hospital that serves both as the community hospital for Salt Lake City and northern Utah and as a referral center for southern Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, Nevada, and Montana. With no other Children’s Hospital within a 500-mile radius, our consultation service provides a broad exposure to the full range of infectious conditions, from straightforward infections in healthy children, to complex infectious complications of immune compromised and transplant patients. Fellows in our program develop the skills and experience to practice infectious diseases independently in any setting. Upon completion of fellowship, they compete at the highest level for jobs in academic infectious diseases.

In addition to clinical training, our fellows have diverse opportunities for research. Research interests of our faculty include:

Epidemiology and diagnosis of respiratory infections including bacterial pneumonia, influenza and other viruses
Molecular diagnostics
Outcomes research, Health services research
Antimicrobial stewardship
Hospital-acquired infections
Infections in the immune-compromised host
Clinical Pharmacology

Fellows most often do their research projects under the supervision of Division faculty, but also have opportunities to work with faculty in the wider Medical School and University Community. As funding is guaranteed for all 3 years of fellowship, fellows have the freedom to pursue research in a wide range of areas. Additionally, fellows have the opportunity to complement their ID training with coursework in several areas including the possible completion of a Masters Degree program in clinical epidemiology, quality improvement via Intermountain Healthcare’s renowned Advanced Training Program and training in clinical pharmacology.

All trainees participate in a fellows training course offered by the Department of Pediatrics that includes training in study design, statistics, grant preparation, scientific writing, scientific lecturing and research ethics. In addition to preparing fellows for academic careers, this course allows fellows from across the Department to meet each other and interact. Pediatric Infectious Diseases Fellows also receive training in clinical microbiology, molecular diagnostics, antibiotic stewardship, and hospital epidemiology. Our Division was one of the first pediatric infectious diseases divisions to start an antimicrobial stewardship program and our Division includes two dedicated antimicrobial stewardship pharmacists in addition to 3 faculty members with a focus in this area.

The University of Utah is located in the North East corner of the Salt Lake Valley. Most faculty and fellows live in neighborhoods close to the University, many within 5-10 minutes away. The University of Utah is just 10 minutes from downtown Salt Lake City and adjacent to the foothills of the Wasatch mountains which provide endless opportunities for outdoor recreation, including hiking, mountain biking and running. Utah winters boast “the best snow on earth” and there are seven ski resorts located less than an hour's drive from the University. Utah’s 5 National Parks are all within a day’s drive and there is ample hiking and camping in the surrounding Salt Lake Valley and mountains. For those who are looking for a more “city” atmosphere, Salt Lake City has a vibrant arts and entertainment scene, including restaurants, bars and clubs, a Broadway Theater and Symphony as well as smaller theaters and ballet. Utah’s Natural History Museum and Utah’s only zoo are located 5 minutes from the University.

We hope you will consider the University of Utah for your Pediatric Infectious Diseases Fellowship. Please do not hesitate to reach out to us with any questions.

Warm Regards,

Sonia Mehra, MBBS

Professor of Pediatrics and Pediatric Infectious Disease

Fellowship Director, Pediatric Infectious Diseases Fellowship Program

University of Utah School of Medicine