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The field of infectious diseases (ID) offers a rewarding career path and is widely viewed as an essential subspecialty in medicine. However, in recent years, these positive aspects have been overshadowed by concerns surrounding low fellowship match rates, undercompensation, and burnout. The Infectious Diseases Society of America Fellowship Training Program Directors Committee met in 2023, discussed the future of ID as a specialty, and sought to develop strategies to highlight the value and opportunities of ID for future generations, as well as underscore the importance of and provide tools for positive messaging to trainees about the subspecialty. This paper presents ideas generated at this meeting and is meant to serve as a reference for ID training program directors, as well as the wider ID community, in uplifting and shaping the future of the field., Competing Interests: Potential conflicts of interest. C.B. has received research grants to her institution from Gilead Sciences, Inc. and DNAe. She serves as a consultant to NDA Partners, LLC. M.A. serves as a consultant and on the DSMB for AbbVie. All other authors, no conflicts to report., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Infectious Diseases Society of America.)

The purpose of this study is to describe telehealth experiences and quality of HIV care provided to an urban population of people with HIV (PWH) in Washington, DC. We used self-reported survey data from a cohort of PWH in the DC Cohort longitudinal study linked to medical records (October 26, 2020-December 31, 2021). Analyses followed a mixed-methods approach, including prevalence estimates and multivariable logistic regression of telehealth use by demographic and HIV characteristics. We measured primary motivation, modes of engagement, and telehealth satisfaction. Qualitative responses to open-ended questions were coded using collaborative coding. A framework developed by the National Quality Forum (NQF) was applied to the results. Among 978 participants, 69% reported using telehealth for HIV care during the pandemic. High school graduates were less likely to use telehealth compared to those with college education (aOR 0.69, 95% CI 0.48, 0.98). PWH with > 1 co-morbid condition were more likely to use telehealth compared to those without (aOR 1.42, 95% CI 1.02, 1.95). The majority reported satisfaction with telehealth (81%). Qualitative analysis of telehealth satisfaction found that most responses were related to access to care and technology, effectiveness, and patient experience. PWH using telehealth during the pandemic were satisfied with their experience though use differed demographically. Telehealth was used effectively to overcome barriers to care engagement, including transportation, costs, and time. As we transition away from the emergency pandemic responses, it will be important to determine how this technology can be used in the future in an equitable manner to further strengthen HIV care engagement., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has affected many providers, but its impact on Infectious Diseases (ID) fellows in the United States is largely undescribed. In this study, we discuss key issues that emerged from the first national ID Fellows Call with respect to the ID fellow's role during the COVID-19 pandemic, teaching/learning, and research., (© The Author(s) 2021. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Infectious Diseases Society of America.)

One of the many challenges that has befallen the Infectious Diseases and Graduate Medical Education communities during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is the maintenance of continued effective education and training of the future leaders of our field. With the remarkable speed and innovation that has characterized the responses to this pandemic, educators everywhere have adapted existing robust and safe learning environments to meet the needs of our learners. This paper will review distinct aspects of education and training of the Infectious Diseases fellows we believe the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted most, including mentoring, didactics, and wellness. We anticipate that several strategies developed in this context and described herein will help to inform training and best practices during the pandemic and beyond., (© The Author(s) 2020. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Infectious Diseases Society of America.)

Renal transplant recipients continue to have progressive kidney dysfunction and renal graft loss has been attributed to emerging opportunistic infections, specifically BK virus (BKV). BKV is postulated to be selected by the new potent immunosuppressive medications and to be an important factor in graft failure. The prevalence of BKV nephropathy (BKVN) is estimated to be 1% to 10% and renal allograft loss from BKVN has been estimated to occur in up to 50% of affected recipients. With the increasing recognition of BKV infection using PCR assays coupled with the immediate reduction in immunosuppression for BKVN, the incidence of graft failure secondary to BKVN may be decreasing., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: From October 2001 to October 2002, we have observed a surprisingly high incidence of ocular syphilis in human immunodeficiency virus-positive (HIV+) patients receiving highly active antiretroviral therapy at our clinic., Methods: We conducted a retrospective chart and patient database review., Results: From 1997 to 2002, 455 patients in our clinic were screened for syphilis; 320 were screened from 2001 to 2002; 7.3% of patients (33/455) were diagnosed with syphilis. During the past year, syphilis was diagnosed in 7.5% of patients (24/320), of whom 13% (3/24) had ocular syphilis. We estimate the prevalence of ocular syphilis in HIV+ patients on highly active antiretroviral therapy screened for syphilis to be 9% (3/33). Presenting symptoms included blurred vision, loss of vision, central scotomas, and bilateral ocular involvement. The most common ocular manifestation of syphilis was posterior chamber uveitis; one patient also had a retinal detachment. All patients demonstrated reactive rapid plasma reagin and fluorescent treponemal antibody absorption test results, cerebrospinal fluid pleocytosis, and elevated total protein. Each patient received a 21-day course of intravenous penicillin G (24 million units daily) with improvement of visual symptoms., Conclusion: Our data demonstrate an unexpectedly high incidence of ocular syphilis in our HIV+ patients receiving highly active antiretroviral therapy during the past year. A diagnosis of ocular syphilis should be considered in any HIV+ patient who presents with visual symptoms, irrespective of the patient's CD4 count.