The Infectious Diseases (ID) Division of the Department of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania was founded in 1971 with the recruitment of Drs. Richard Root and Rob Roy MacGregor. The early core of the ID Division also included Dr. Robert Austrian (then Penn’s Chair of Research Medicine). Under the leadership of Dr. Root (Division Chief, 1971-1975), Dr. MacGregor (Division Chief 1975-1990), Dr. Harvey Friedman (Division Chief, 1990-2012), and Dr. Ebbing Lautenbach (Division Chief, 2012-present), the ID Division has grown to over 60 faculty members. While most faculty members are based in Philadelphia, many are also based abroad, primarily within the Botswana-University of Pennsylvania Partnership, a unique multi- and inter-disciplinary clinical and research collaboration.
The Penn ID Division is recognized for excellence in clinical care, research, and education. The expertise of the Division’s faculty is complementary to our strong inpatient and outpatient programs in HIV medicine; infections in solid organ and bone marrow transplant recipients; healthcare epidemiology and antimicrobial stewardship; antimicrobial resistance; viral hepatitis; tuberculosis; travel medicine; and global health. In addition, our faculty are nationally and internationally renowned leaders in scientific investigation including bench science, translational and epidemiologic research, clinical trials, health policy, and public health. Our faculty are also known for their teaching excellence, traditionally capturing numerous School of Medicine teaching awards each year. In addition, the success of our faculty is recognized by the fact that numerous individuals hold leadership positions within national and international organizations, guidelines panels, and scientific committees.
The Division recruits five new ID fellows per year and has trained over 130 fellows to date. The fellowship training program is characterized by the flexibility to refine one’s training plan to match career goals and the wealth of clinical and research opportunities available within the ID Division, the School of Medicine, and across other Centers, Institutes, and Schools on the Penn University campus. Fellows are given the opportunity to craft their own individualized clinical and research training in all aspects of ID, taking advantage of well-established clinical training paths, lab-based basic science research training, and pursuit of advanced research degrees in such fields as clinical epidemiology and health policy. Our trainees have assumed positions of leadership in academic medicine, public health, and industry.
Ebbing Lautenbach, MD, MPH, MSCE
Chief, Division of Infectious Diseases