Research
The faculty members in Infectious Diseases and Geographic Medicine have broadly based research programs that allow the fellows to choose from a wide range of projects in several investigative areas, including basic science, translational research, epidemiology, and clinical studies. The research programs are amply funded from a variety of extramural sources, including the National Institutes of Health and the Department of Veterans Affairs. The research facilities at both Stanford University Medical Center and the VA Palo Alto Health Care System are considerable and expose trainees to state-of-the-art research techniques. The Division also has an active NIH-funded training grant.
Links to Infectious Diseases faculty research programs can be found at the faculty webpage. In addition, faculty mentors can be chosen from among the diverse and outstanding faculty in the Department of Medicine, Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, School of Medicine, and Stanford University.
| HIV/AIDS | Global Health and International Medicine |
| Health Policy and Outcomes Research | Immunocompromised Host and Transplantation Medicine |
| Viral Infections and Hepatitis | Host-Microbe Interactions |
HIV/AIDS
Stanford University School of Medicine hosts four clinical sites for HIV patient care and research:
- In addition to serving as an HIV and primary care clinic for the San Francisco Bay Area and Silicon Valley, the Stanford Positive Care Clinic is a referral center for HIV care throughout Northern and Central California. Patients represent a wide range of ages, ethnicities, and economic backgrounds. The Stanford Positive Care Clinic is an AIDS Clinical Trials Group (ACTG) center, under the direction of Andrew Zolopa, MD, and provides access to clinical trials and expanded access programs for appropriate patients as well.
Stanford HIV drug resistance database. In a collaborative study with the World Health Organization and seven other laboratories, Robert Shafer, MD and colleagues have compiled a list of 93 common mutations of the AIDS virus associated with drug resistance that is used to track resistance trends throughout the world.
- The Immune Clinic at the VA Palo Alto Health Care System, under the direction of Mark Holodniy, MD, serves patients from the San Francisco Bay Area and California Central Valley. Most patients are men and include a wide range of ages, ethnicities, and HIV risk factors. In addition to attending physicians, the clinic has a psychologist, social worker, and pharmacist.
- The Ira Greene PACE Clinic is a multidisciplinary HIV clinic caring for over 1000 patients in Santa Clara County. The patient population is the most diverse of the Stanford-affiliated HIV clinics with approximately 35% female, 50% Latino/a, and a high proportion of patients co-infected with Hepatitis C, TB, and other pathogens. The clinic (concordant with the diverse population of San Jose) also serves a number of patients who have immigrated from Africa and Southeast Asia. In addition to physicians, the clinic has a 60% time psychiatrist, psychiatric social worker, medical social worker, benefits counselor, treatment adherence counselors, outreach workers, and a nutritionist.
- San Mateo Medical Center HIV services include three clinics: North County, Edison Clinic, and Willow Clinic. The majority of patients are Latino/a or African-American, approximately 40% are MSM, and about 35% are women. There are also high rates of IV drug use (~50%) and hepatitis C co-infection (~75%). In addition, a combined infectious diseases-hepatology clinic serves both mono- and co-infected patients.
Health Policy and Outcomes Research
Many of our fellows with interests in public health, health policy, and outcomes research have collaborated with faculty in the Department of Health Research and Policy (HRP) for their research. In addition, several have earned degrees in epidemiology.
Additional information may be found at
- Center for Health Policy/Primary Care and Outcomes Research (PCOR)
- Master of Science in Epidemiology program
Many faculty work with fellows in our division, including
- Julie Parsonnet, MD, who holds a joint appointment in ID and HRP, investigates the long-term consequences of host-microbe interactions, particularly H. pylori, tuberculosis, and diarrheal illnesses.
- Doug Owens, MD investigates cost-effectiveness (particularly in the area of HIV medicine), quality improvement programs, and methods for clinical decision-making. Dr. Owens has served as a mentor for a number of recent fellows in our program.
- Eran Bendavid, MD, a graduate of the Stanford Infectious Diseases fellowship training program, studies the relationship between policies and health outcomes in developing countries.
Viral Infections and Hepatitis
Traditionally under the purview of gastroenterology, viral hepatitis, particularly chronic viral hepatitides, is a burgeoning area of infectious diseases research. Abundant opportunities exist in this field at Stanford. In fact, a number of our past fellows have concentrated their efforts in the area of viral hepatology. Examples of faculty with research opportunities in viral hepatitis include
In addition to other faculty within the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, the Asian Liver Center at Stanford University School of Medicine addresses educational outreach and advocacy efforts in the areas of hepatitis B and liver cancer prevention and treatment.
Many faculty conduct research in viral infections, both within the division and externally. For example,
- Jose Montoya, MD is investigating the role of HHV-6 and other chronic herpesvirus infections in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.
- Bonnie Maldonado, MD, in the Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, studies the epidemiologic aspects of viral vaccine development and has supported a number of recent Infectious Diseases fellows.
- Corrie Dekker, MD studies the human response to natural virus infection and to vaccines, and is the medical director of the Stanford-Packard Vaccine Program.
Additionally, many faculty within the Department of Microbiology and Immunology have related research interests in viral pathogens.
Global Health and International Medicine
The Division of Infectious Diseases and Geographic Medicine is integrally involved in a wide variety of international clinical and research studies, and many of our fellows pursue international research projects of their own during training, either with a faculty member with in the division or in collaboration with other members of the University. Stanford University is an ideal environment in which to pursue global health research; the University has committed tremendous resources for international research, fostering collaborative teams of experts to address human health issues.
Michele Barry, MD, is the Senior Associate Dean for Global Health at Stanford University, the Director of Global Health Programs in Medicine, and the Director of the Yale/Stanford Johnson & Johnson Global Health Scholars Program. The Global Health Office enables collaborative programs in global health for faculty and trainees at Stanford University.
A number of our faculty are actively involved in international research. For example,
- David Katzenstein, MD, is involved with international HIV pathogenesis research, including studies primarily in Zimbabwe but also in South Africa and India.
- Gary Schoolnik, MD, studies the epidemiology and evolution of diarrhea illnesses including the cholera epidemic in Bangladesh. In addition, Dr. Schoolnik and colleagues are developing the first diagnostic tuberculosis laboratory to test drug-resistant tuberculosis in North Korea.
- Andrew Zolopa, MD, has a collaborative HIV research project with the Rwandan Ministry of Health in Africa.
- Jose Montoya, MD, has a number of ongoing research projects involving toxoplasmosis in Colombia, South America.
- Dennis Israelski, MD, Adjunct Clinical Professor, is the Chief Medical and Science Strategist at the Pangaea Global AIDS Foundation and has sponsored many past and current fellows with interests in HIV-related international research.
For more information about the many international opportunities at Stanford University, please refer to the following sites:
- The Stanford Global Gateway is a portal for research focused on regional and global health projects and programs. On this site one can search for University-wide research activities and programs by region, country, activity, or faculty. This site also provides links to many other related Stanford international programs.
- The Global Health Portal is Lane Library’s repository for resources involving international databases, journals, and websites.
- The Stanford International Initiative is one of five multidisciplinary teaching and research initiatives at Stanford University, designed to promote collaboration throughout the campus.
- The Freeman-Spogli Institute for International Studies is Stanford University's primary center for innovative research on major international issues and challenges.
- The Woods Institute for the Environment sponsors collaborative research involving environmental sustainability, education, and public policy.
Immunocompromised Host and Transplantation Medicine
Stanford Hospital and Clinics is a major center for patients with solid organ and hematological malignancies, solid organ and hematopoietic cell transplantation, and congenital and acquired immune deficiencies. A number of faculty are dedicated to patient care and research for patients with compromised immune systems, including
The Stanford Cancer Center is a state-of-the-art facility which offers trainees access to clinical and translational research in the fields of oncology and cancer biology. Fellows may also explore related research opportunities through the Divisions of Blood and Marrow Transplantation and Immunology and Rheumatology. In addition, the Stanford University Institute for Immunity, Transplantation, and Infection (ITI), directed by Mark Davis, PhD, is a multidisciplinary program that offers tremendous opportunities for collaborative research and support throughout the School of Medicine.
Host-Microbe Interactions
Several faculty members specialize in microbial pathogenesis and host-microbe interactions. Many faculty in the division hold joint appointments within the Department of Microbiology and Immunology, and many fellows find mentors within this department as well as the Clinical Microbiology Laboratory.
Bacteriology
- Julie Parsonnet, MD: Parsonnet lab
- David Relman, MD: Relman lab
- Gary Schoolnik, MD: Schoolnik lab
- Niaz Banaei, MD
Parasitology
In additional to international infectious diseases and tropical medicine, many faculty within the Division study parasitic (primarily protozoal) infections, including Upi Singh, MD, and Jose Montoya, MD and, among others outside the division, John Boothroyd, PhD. In addition, the Palo Alto Medical Foundation Toxoplasma Serology Laboratory studies the laboratory diagnosis of T. gondii infections serves as the reference laboratory for both the CDC and FDA.
Mycology
Stanford is a major center for research in fungal infections, particularly in the realm of immunocompromised host infectious diseases, including hematopoietic cell transplantation. In addition, David Stevens, MD and his group study the biology, immunology, epidemiology and therapy of fungal infections. This group at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center is a well-known center for primary and complicated coccidioides infections (including CNS and disseminated infections) for California and entire endemic region of the West Coast.