Infectious Disease Fellowship Program

Message from the Director

Welcome to the USA Health Infectious Disease Fellowship program. We appreciate your interest in our program and that you have taken the time to visit our website for more information.

Our mission is to train the next generation of competent and compassionate Infectious Disease physicians.

We are an ACGME-accredited two-year program aimed to train our fellows in the knowledge, skills, and behaviors necessary to provide excellent care for patients in a wide variety of settings. As a port city, we see a wide variety of infectious disease pathogens acquired both locally and abroad. Our division provides inpatient consultation services for adult patients to both University Hospital and USA Children’s and Women’s Hospital and outpatient consultation at the Mastin Patient Care Center, adjacent to University Hospital. We also oversee and staff three separate Ryan White funded HIV clinics. Our division includes adjunct faculty from the USA College of Medicine Department of Microbiology and Laboratory of Infectious Diseases, which houses biosafety level 2 and 3 research laboratories.

Our curriculum is structured to provide a balance of weekly didactics, ample patient interaction, independent learning opportunities, and support for developing research skills and producing scholarly material.

Our training is well-structured to provide an independent environment, yet it ensures adequate supervision. The training is well balanced between clinical duties and protected time for each fellow to tailor their training to their future career plans. During their protected time, fellows can work with their mentors/teams on their clinical education, research, quality improvement projects, developing teaching skills, or a variety of other pursuits. Our fellows will have excellent exposure to hospital epidemiology, infection control, and antimicrobial stewardship. A high faculty-to-fellows ratio affords a significant level of individual attention, and our faculty is dedicated to helping fellows achieve their goals. Our faculty members are highly accessible and approachable and aim to maintain an affable, nurturing atmosphere that is conducive to both professional and personal growth.

We whole-heartedly believe in USA Health’s stated mission: "We help people lead longer, better lives." We are dedicated to improving the lives of our patients and the health of our communities. As a fellow in the Division of Infectious Diseases, you will be a part of this culture and the remarkable people dedicated to this mission.

A career in Infectious Diseases affords many diverse and rewarding opportunities. We encourage you to start that exciting career path with us.

Sincerely,
Shannon K. Tyler, MD
Associate Professor, Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases
Director, USA Health Infectious Disease Fellowship Training Program

Program Overview

The University of South Alabama Division of Infectious Disease Fellowship Training
Program appreciates your interest in our program.

Rotation Schedule: During the two-year fellowship, there will be 26 four-week blocks. There are 2 training sites for the program: USA Health University Hospital (UH) and the Mobile County Health Department (MCHD). Inpatient consultation at UH will constitute eight blocks for PGY4 year and five blocks for the PGY 5 year. From time to time, fellows will also see adult consults at USA Health Children's and Women’s Hospital, (CW) located less than 2 miles from UH and accessible by shuttle. A total of 8 weeks (divided into two four-week blocks in PGY4 and PGY5 years) will be reserved for Clinical Microbiology. The remaining blocks will be divided into ambulatory rotations and electives. Potential electives include wound clinic, pediatric ID, quality improvement, and research electives.

Fellows will see patients one-half day per week, rotating between the Mastin Clinic (located on UH campus) and the Ryan White clinic at the Mobile County Health
Department.

Didactic Training: There are weekly ID core and case conferences, Internal Medicine Grand Rounds and Microbiology rounds and journal club.

Salary and Benefits: Please see the University-wide GME site for the most up-to-date information regarding benefits.

How to Apply

The University of South Alabama program participates in ERAS (Electronic Residency Application Service). There are two infectious disease fellows accepted into the program each year on a competitive basis. ERAS opens to applicants July 1 each year. Interviews are conducted from late August through October. To apply, submit the following via ERAS:

• Official college, graduate school, and medical school transcripts
• An official record of board scores (NMBE, FLEX, USMLE, LMCC, COMLEX)
• A program director letter and two other letters of recommendation
• A curriculum vitae
• A personal statement
• A valid ECFMG certificate (if you graduated from medical school outside of the United States or Canada)
• Documentation of three years of postgraduate training in an accredited internal medicine residency program

Application Deadline: August 20
Interviews are by invitation only.
U.S. citizen, legal permanent resident or J-1 visa only.
 
For the 2025–26 academic year, we are accepting applications for a candidate to begin in July 2025. Please send a CV, cover letter with a statement of interest, and a copy of an ECFMG certificate, if applicable, to the Program Coordinator, Jill Garcia at jsgarcia@health.southalabama.edu. Other requirements including letters of reference will be requested soon.