Academic clinical fellowships in Infectious Diseases and Medical Microbiology

The fellowship will be hosted by a partnership between the South Yorkshire Regional Department of Infection and Tropical Medicine (SYRDITM), the Department of Microbiology of the Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (Royal Hallamshire Hospital and Northern General Hospital sites) and the Department of Infection, Immunity and Cardiovascular Disease (IICD), University of Sheffield Medical School.

Department of Infection, Immunity & Cardiovascular Disease

ACFs in infectious diseases or microbiology are based within the Academic Unit of Immunology and Infectious Diseases which is part of the Department of Infection, Immunity and Cardiovascular Disease in the University of Sheffield Medical School. The unit comprises clinical and non-clinical academics, postdoctoral scientists and postgraduate students who investigate molecular and cell biology relevant to clinical disease. The unit is based on K and L Floor of the Medical School along with all the other Infection and Immunity units. There are currently 25 PIs with funding of approximately £6.8 million, including significant funding from the MRC, Wellcome Trust and BBSRC.

Clinical Infectious Diseases and Microbiology

The SYRDITM is one of the largest infectious disease units in the country and forms along with GU Medicine the Academic Directorate of Communicable Diseases, sited within the Clinical Directorate of Communicable Diseases and Specialised Medicine. The SYRDITM unit has close co-operative links with the Department of GU Medicine. SYRDITM provides specialised services for HIV, Hepatitis, TB, community-acquired infection, travel medicine and infections in immunocompromised hosts. Patient care includes a 33 bed inpatient service, an out-patient antimicrobial service (OPAT), consult services across the STH hospitals and out-patient clinics. HIV care is delivered locally through the South Yorkshire HIV network which involves both SYRDITM and local and regional GUM departments, while in-patient HIV care is managed jointly by GUM and ID specialists in the SYRDITM. SYRDITM consists of seven consultant level staff. SYRDITM has strong links with the Directorate of Laboratory Medicine, which includes specialists in Microbiology and Virology, comprising eleven NHS consultants. Microbiology/Virology provide services for community- and hospital-acquired infection including in the ITU setting, diagnostic microbiology and virology, antimicrobial therapy, vaccinology and the epidemiology of infection. There are also strong links between ID and microbiology with public health medicine (HPA).

Research component

The Department of Infection, Immunity and Cardiovascular Disease has excellent infrastructure for delivery of research training. It is well equipped with laboratory space, facilities and technical staff, and all academics have access to core facilities including, sequencing, proteomics, expression analysis, confocal microscopy, multi-channel FACS, a category 3 laboratory, a clinical research facility, and mathematical/statistical support.

The research interests of the unit range from basic science to clinical infection, with a particular focus on molecular and cellular pathogenesis, innate and acquired immunity.

Research opportunities include:

• The pathogenesis of S. aureus and S. pneumoniae infection
• Molecular microbiology focuses on type III secretion systems, bacterial signal transduction systems, regulation of glycosylation
• HIV and respiratory viral infections with Influenza A virus and rhinovirus
• Examination of innate host defence with particular emphasis on macrophages and neutrophils
• The role of hypoxia in regulating immune responses to infection
• Model systems of infection including non-vertebrate zebrafish models
• The identification of novel virulence determinants and vaccine targets.
• Translational studies in specific patient groups

Clinical component

Clinical training is commensurate with the clinical training needs of those wishing to receive accreditation in ID or microbiology. Research is usually taken as a 9 month block. The essential (generic) training tracks in the infectious diseases curriculum are designed to train to competency in:

• Community acquired infection and its management
• Tuberculosis
• Geographical medicine
• The management of immunocompromised patients including HIV/AIDS
• Viral Hepatitis
• Antimicrobial therapy
• The management of hospital-acquired infection including infection in the Intensive Care Unit
• The understanding of the role of microbiology in the management of infection
• A variety of optional subjects such as virology, clinical pharmacology, public health, epidemiology, vaccinology and genitourinary medicine

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Academic programme director

Dr Paul Collini | p.collini@sheffield.ac.uk