Infectious Disease Greenville - Faculty
What I like about ID: When I was a little girl, I went to see Father Christmas. When I was done, he offered me two present options: a doll or a jig saw puzzle. I wanted the puzzle, which perplexed Father C. Why did I not want the doll? (This is the early 70's mind you and the UK; no women's lib yet.) I have always loved a puzzle and Infectious Diseases gives me that every day. How did that bacteria get there? Where did this infection start and where might it have spread? How do I know? Infectious agents also fight back by developing resistance to treatments, which is something you don't really see in other specialties. ID is always different and always a challenge and that is why I like it. Some days you wish it didn't or that the bacteria would stop fighting back but on average it is better to be challenged every day .
ID Interests: Skin and soft tissue infections, treatment of diabetic foot infections and osteomyelitis, and wound care.
What I like about being an ID doctor: I love the variety, both the depth and breadth of infections as well as the different work environments. I can see FUOs in the ICU or bone marrow transplant one week and then see a plethora of outpatient ID topics the following week in the office.
ID interests: I enjoy evaluating how new technologies can improve our workflow and efficiencies. This includes improving diagnostic yield and impacting antibiotic stewardship.
What I like about being an ID doctor: ID is a unique specialty. I like ID because it not only involves management of infections in any organ system but also the interactions between patients and the environment, they live in. I do not think any other specialty has this broad a perspective. As we think about organisms and as they evolve and emerge to potentially become pathologic or more resistant to our antimicrobials due to environmental pressures and human interventions (such as antibiotic use), ID physicians stand in the forefront of recognizing and meeting these challenges. I cannot think of anything more exciting.
ID interests: Antimicrobial resistance especially in gram negative organisms, infections in immunocompromised hosts, emerging infectious diseases
What I like about being an ID doctor: variety and problem solving
ID interests: transplant ID, mycobacteria, infection prevention
What I like about ID: Infectious diseases as a specialty satisfies both my intellectual curiosity and regard for seeing patients for who they are outside of the hospital, and it does so more than any other field of medicine. Not only am I given the opportunity to really explore the various attributes, behaviors, and characteristics of a patient that may serve as risk factors for infection to happen, I am encouraged to do so. I often leave a patient’s room with a good comprehension of their overall health, an unnecessarily intimate knowledge of their pets’ names and breeds, and an appreciation for the recent travels, procedures, and behaviors that can often serve as the missing piece of information that cracks the case and sets a plan moving forward. There is also a certain joy I derive from being the local antimicrobial sommelier, but that is just the icing on the cake.
ID Interests: Resistant Gram-negative infections, syphilis/other venereal diseases, and novel microbial diagnostics.
What I like about being an ID doctor: I enjoy ID because it encompasses every system of the human body and requires knowledge of a vast array of pathologies. This creates the sense that I'm truly treating each patient from a wholistic standpoint, and despite being a specialist I feel that my scope of practice is quite broad. I also love ID because, in my opinion, it tends to attract the most compassionate and grounded providers in medicine, and I truly enjoy practicing with individuals that share my interests and priorities in medicine.
ID interests: I have a specific interest in populations that are neglected and marginalized within medicine and society as a whole. This primarily includes individuals suffering from substance use disorder and the resultant infectious complications such as endocarditis.
What I like about being an ID doctor: I love ID because of my fun and amazing colleagues, the variety of cases, the intellectual challenge of solving puzzles, and the satisfaction that comes with curing difficult problems. I love the extensive impact that public health initiatives within ID can have and helping create solutions for systemic problems. I initially went into ID so that I could care for those living with HIV - at the time, a population facing much stigma and with limited access to care. Though access to care is improved; it is still my privilege to be an advocate for and walk alongside those living with HIV.
ID interests: HIV, HCV, substance use disorder, global health
What I like about being an ID doctor: Every day is something different: a different organism, a different presentation, a different organ involved. We manage infections that frequently we have seen many times but will present in a totally new way and challenge everything we know about a certain disease process. Because of this, we have the privilege of being experts, but experts who are often still learning, which is both rewarding and humbling. And all of this allows for the development of long-term relationships with our patients which makes the care of infections exciting, especially when we get to see people return to health and the things they enjoy.
ID interests: Infectious diarrhea and its management, gram positive blood stream infections, infections in the immunosuppressed patient
