A Letter From the Program Director

Dear Future Colleagues,
As Director of the UNC Division of Infectious Diseases fellowship training program, it is a true privilege to welcome a unique group of talented physicians each year to a program that provides outstanding clinical and research training in Infectious Diseases. Our ID training program provides an exciting, supportive and cutting-edge learning environment that prepares our trainees to become future leaders in the field of Infectious Diseases.
Our highly successful faculty have a broad range of Infectious Diseases expertise and we provide a wide variety of clinical training experiences in infectious diseases, including robust exposure to HIV medicine and transplant infectious diseases. In addition, fellows have dedicated rotations in Hospital Epidemiology, Antimicrobial Stewardship and Outpatient Antibiotic Therapy (OPAT), and Sexually Transmitted Infections Health Department Clinic that allow them to gain familiarity with programmatic as well as patient care aspects of those sub-specialty areas.
UNC’s founding mission to be The University of the People informs the ethos of our ID division, with all of us working in some capacity (whether clinical, research, educational or public health) in service of vulnerable people and communities. Decades of epidemiology, emerging infectious diseases, STI and HIV collaboration have led to deep ties to our local, state and national health departments. We also have dozens of faculty in the ID division and in the closely intertwined UNC Institute for Global Health and Infectious Diseases and UNC School of Public Health working in global ID and public health around the world, with extensive opportunities for fellows to collaborate across institutions and countries.
Our program has a remarkable track record of placing trainees into academic research, public health, and clinical leadership positions in which they can have an impact on the science and clinical practice of Infectious Diseases. We excel at fostering careers of academic leaders and clinician scientists. Fellows interested in advanced training in epidemiology/clinical research can pursue a Master of Public Health (MPH) or Clinical Research (MSCR) at UNC’s Gillings School of Public Health (consistently the #1 public school of public health in the nation). Additionally, there are opportunities to work with faculty across the UNC Schools of Medicine, Dentistry, Pharmacy, and Public Health, as well as across the larger UNC campus.
To ensure that our fellows achieve their specific career goals we have a flexible training program in which we establish strong, individualized mentorship and provide opportunities for development of clinical expertise and research skills essential for tomorrow’s leaders in Infectious Diseases. Our faculty are fully committed to the education and professional development of our fellows and consider it a privilege to play a pivotal role in our trainees’ careers. I encourage you to explore our website to learn more about our ID Fellowship training program and the opportunities that training at UNC will provide along the road to a rewarding career in Infectious Diseases.
Sincerely,
Chris Sellers, MD, MPH
Program Director, UNC Infectious Diseases Fellowship Training Program