The Section of Infectious Diseases at Baylor College of Medicine is a leader in patient care, education, and research on infectious diseases. Faculty members contribute to national practice guidelines and national infectious diseases organizations, holding leadership roles in the Infectious Diseases Society of America, the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, and the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America, and with members on the Department of Health and Human Services Panel on Antiretroviral Guidelines for Adults and Adolescents, the panels writing the Guidelines for the Prevention and Treatment of Opportunistic Infections in Adults and Adolescents with HIV, NIH and AHRQ grant review panels, and FDA advisory panels. They also serve on various panels, including those for the Department of Health and Human Services, NIH, AHRQ, and FDA.
Faculty lead two centers based at BCM: the Vaccine Research Center, focusing on vaccines for infections like COVID-19, and the Texas Developmental Center for AIDS Research, aiming to end the HIV epidemic. Section faculty hold important positions in academic publishing and lead numerous research projects on vaccines, norovirus, emerging pathogens, HIV, women’s endothelial and urothelial health, and tropical infections. Publications include major journals like JAMA and Lancet, with awards recognizing their contributions. Dr. Robert Atmar was awarded the Best Scientific Publication award from the Infectious Diseases Clinical Research Consortium, while Dr. Yuriko Fukuta’s work on COVID trials was recognized with an award from the CommonSpirit Network and a recognition from the Consul General of Japan in Houston.
On the clinical and education front, faculty have opened specialized clinics and hold key educational roles, receiving prestigious awards and funding for various initiatives. They lead the Houston AIDS Education and Training Center and the Citywide Infectious Diseases Conference. New leadership for the fellowship program includes Dr. Prathit Kulkarni as Program Director, with Drs. Melanie Goebel and Sarwat Khalil as Associate Program Directors.
Collaborations extend globally, with long-standing partnerships with the Department of Molecular Virology and Microbiology, the Department of Pediatrics in the VRC, UTHealth Science Center Houston, and Texas Biomedical Research Institute in operating the Texas D-CFAR. Both Centers are part of national research networks organized by the NIH. Section members are leaders in Baylor’s National School of Tropical Medicine. Educational efforts are enhanced by collaborations with MD Anderson Cancer Center.
Infectious Disease faculty are heavily involved in community outreach and engagement. The faculty provided hundreds of media interviews throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, for example. The Texas D-CFAR and the Houston AETC collaborate with the Houston Health Department to produce the annual Sharing Science conference, which brings research results on HIV from Houston-based researchers to the lay public via a one-day conference. AETC faculty, including Drs. Shital Patel and Melanie Goebel, conduct outreach and training events for healthcare providers including physicians, nurses, outreach staff, pharmacists and others on caring for people with HIV. Dr. Robert Atmar is a member of the Houston Health Department’s Antimicrobial Stewardship Executive Committee.
The Section of Infectious Diseases in the Department of Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine provides outstanding care for patients and comprehensive clinical and research training in infectious diseases to fellows, residents and students, while advancing knowledge of infections and immunity through cutting-edge research in basic science, clinical science, epidemiology, health services research and outcomes research. We are indebted to the department and college leaders, the section’s dedicated staff members, researchers from around the world, administrators, fellows, residents and students with whom we collaborate, and to our patients who make our work meaningful and possible.
Thomas Giordano, M.D., M.P.H.
Chief, Section of Infectious Diseases
