The faculty and staff of the Section of Infectious Diseases are passionately committed to provide expertise care to optimally diagnose, treat and prevent children’s infections. We are an integral part of the education of pediatricians in training at St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children. The goal of our fellowship training program is to prepare candidates for careers in academic pediatric infectious diseases, and to qualify them for American Board of Pediatrics certification in the subspecialty.

Clinical Education

The specific abilities and commitment of faculty members make a training program with particular strengths in developing the fellow’s independent clinical expertise, infused with critical medical literature, as well as building solid investigational skills and subspecialty leadership through national networking opportunities.

St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children is a tertiary-care medical center, seated within an urban community of socioeconomically disadvantaged families. Consultative care at St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children provides an intensive subspecialty education. Diagnoses span the spectrum from common infectious diseases manifest in their most severe form to complex and unusual infections in children referred for special programs such as in Oncology, Cardiology, Pulmonary, Neonatology, Rheumatology and in the care of other immunocompromising conditions. Full-service standard and molecular diagnostic laboratories in microbiology and virology are on site and are directed by innovative doctorate leadership who are integrated fully into the clinical, educational and research activities of the Section of Infectious Diseases.

Research and Leadership Education

The research program is tailored to each candidate’s career goals, and is integrated into training, beginning in the first year. Mentorship is a strength of the program, with faculty able and eager to guide fellows in a spectrum investigative choices such as in molecular diagnostics, antimicrobial stewardship, epidemiology, public health, HIV clinical trials, and policy development. Drexel University resources provide further opportunities in research and graduate study.

Section faculty are deeply involved in national specialty and subspecialty societies, vaccine policy making, infection prevention, and educational writing, which provide additional opportunities for fellows’ career development and portfolio building. Trainees are likely to attain membership as fellow representatives on national councils and society committees, to author textbook chapters and monographs, and to review manuscripts for scientific journals and policy-making bodies.

Faculty and Their Focus

Jane M. Gould, MD - Infection prevention, antimicrobial stewardship, pediatric tuberculosis, and public health.
Neil Rellosa, MD - Outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy, primary immunodeficiencies, antimicrobial clinical trials, HIV disease.
Janet Chen, MD - HIV clinical trials, HIV medicine.
Alan Evangelista, PhD. - Molecular mechanisms of multidrug resistance and its detection, B. pertussis.
Jeffrey Cies, PharmD. - Antimicrobial pharmacodynamics, new drug studies, antimicrobial stewardship.

Current Fellows

Emily Souder, MD, and Ishminder Kaur, MD 

Each fellow during three-year training likely will present three to four abstracts of original science at national subspecialty society meetings, author >2 original manuscripts in scientific journals, author three to four textbook chapters or monographs, and present >12 lectures.

Application Process

The Section of Infectious Diseases participates in the NRMP match through ERAS. Applicants must have completed pediatric residency training in an ACGME-approved program at the time of entry into fellowship, and be eligible to sit for the ABP certifying examination in Pediatrics.

Inquiries and Contact Information

Janet S, Chen, MD (Program Director)
215-427-5204

Annamarie Mylarski (Program Coordinator)
215-427-5201