Education

Our three-year training program includes two tracks: Research and Clinical Educator. The Research track is offered yearly, and the Clinical Educator track has two positions available every three years. Applicants are encouraged to apply to both tracks.  

We have close ties to our communities in Oakland and San Francisco and local health departments, allowing for structured exploration of population health topics like HIV care, STI care, and TB care. We are also one of the top-funded public institutions by the NIH, and our fellows have contributed to diverse topics, including endemic fungal pathogenesis, bioinformatics, and STI prevention. With all UCSF has to offer, fellows can follow their passions to significantly impact children’s health.  

Applications are processed through the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS). The application opens for fellowship positions in July.  

In ERAS, the two tracks (Research and Clinician Educator) can be found by selecting “the University of California, San Francisco, School of Medicine” and then “University of California (San Francisco) Program”:  

• The Research Track is offered yearly for those pursuing an academic career in pediatric infectious diseases with a focus on research. While funding is guaranteed throughout the three years of fellowship, we encourage fellows within this track to pursue independent funding for their second and third years of fellowship to prepare for their future careers.  
• The Clinician Educator track has two positions available every three years, and it is for those focused on careers involving education, clinical operations, and quality improvement. Fellows within this track are fully funded for all three years of their fellowship. We can only accept J1 and H1-B visa holders on this track.   

Applicants are encouraged to apply to both tracks. Only one interview day will be required.   

Requirements  

Applicants must have completed 2-3 years of training in an accredited residency program and be board-eligible in General Pediatrics.   

Instructions  

To apply, please submit a completed ERAS online application along with the following documents via the ERA system:   

• At least three letters of reference, including one from the residency program director.  

• MSPE (Medical Student Performance Evaluation) from your medical school and a medical school transcript.  

• Curriculum Vitae.  

• A personal statement describing your career goals and reasons for pursuing training in pediatric infectious diseases. Consider highlighting your future career aspirations within Pediatric Infectious Diseases. 

• Parts 1, 2 and 3 of the USMLE.  

• If you are a graduate of a medical school outside the United States, Canada, or Puerto Rico, a valid ECFMG certificate or one that does not expire prior to the start of the fellowship and evidence of previous training in the United States.   

• If you are not a citizen of the United States or permanent resident, provide a copy of your current, appropriate visa. We can accept J-1 and H1-B visa applicants for the Clinician Educator track.  

Please email our Program Coordinator and Fellowship Director for questions regarding the program or application process.  

We aim to provide trainees with skills to function independently in a tertiary care academic setting, managing general pediatric infectious disease conditions and specialized questions about the management of immunocompromised children. Clinical training occurs at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals, which is comprised of two children’s hospitals in Oakland and San Francisco. They receive referrals and transfers from throughout northern and central California and offer a full spectrum of pediatric subspecialty care, including critical care, cardiothoracic surgery, as well as heart, liver, kidney, and bone marrow transplant services. 

Clinical Schedule 

The first year of fellowship focuses on clinical training at the two UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals. For about nine months, first-year fellows serve on the inpatient consult service with a team that includes medical students, residents, and, at times, a fellow in adult infectious disease. The first year of fellowship also includes half a day per week in our outpatient clinic, providing continuity of care for patients discharged from the hospital.  

The second and third years include staffing one of the division’s outpatient clinics with an attending to gain greater autonomy as a pediatric infectious disease consultant. Second and third year fellows also serve 6 weeks of inpatient service.  

Fellows also complete a series of subspecialty electives depending on their specific areas of interest, including UCSF Pediatric Immunology Program, our Pediatric HIV Clinic, the National Clinicians Consultation Center, the San Francisco Department of Public Health City Clinic, and the Tuberculosis Clinic at San Francisco Department of Public Health Tuberculosis Clinic. 

Distribution of Rotations for First Year Fellows 

• Inpatient Consult service (San Francisco campus): 4.5 months 

• Inpatient Consult service (Oakland campus): 4.5 months 

• Outpatient Ambulatory Clinic: ~40 half-day clinics 

• Microbiology Rotation: 2 weeks 

• Vacation: 4 weeks 

• Research: 4 weeks 

• Orientation: 2 weeks 

Educational Activities 

We offer a comprehensive curriculum of conferences and activities that span all three fellow training years. This includes a lecture series of core topics, a weekly clinical conference, journal club, remote attendance of the adult ID grand rounds, and twice monthly rounds with the microbiology laboratory.  

Each fellow also completes short rotations with the antibiotic stewardship and infection control programs, and one quality improvement project. 

Research Activities 

Each fellow’s individual professional goals determine the function of their research training. Fellows have access to the entire range of scientists and research programs at UCSF. Intradepartmental collaboration is a defining characteristic of UCSF, and we facilitate relationships for our trainees.  

Recent research efforts by trainees have been in clinical and translational science, outcomes research, and molecular pathogenesis. While most research activity occurs on campus, we work to accommodate the travel necessary for international projects. UCSF offers a tremendous number and diversity of research opportunities for fellows, always ranking high nationally in total research funding received from the NIH. To learn more visit our dedicated research webpage.

Some fellows chose structured training programs like those offered in AIDS Prevention and Clinical Pharmacy Research. Fellows often take advantage of advanced training in biostatistics and research design in the UCSF Department of Epidemiology & Biostatistics. Additional core training for all fellows in the Department of Pediatrics is offered through the Fellow’s College program. 

Manjiree Karandikar, MD, MBS 
Fellowship Director 
[email protected]  

Alexander Newman, MD, MS 
Associate Fellowship Director 
[email protected]  

Ted Ruel, MD 
Chief, Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Health 
[email protected] 

Catherine Le 
Program Coordinator 
[email protected]  

• UCSF Graduate Medical Education Resident and Fellow Resources  
• Well-Being and Mental Health Resources for Residents and Fellows