Overview
Thank you for your interest in the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Fellowship at Cleveland Clinic Children’s! We're thrilled you are considering a career in Pediatric Infectious Diseases and are excited to show you more about our program.
Our Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) program is 3 years, which gives fellows the opportunity to gain the skills required to be an excellent physician, develop a research project and participate in quality improvement initiatives.
- Clinical experience: We have dedicated and experienced staff to ensure you receive the foundations needed to be an excellent clinician. We serve a diverse patient population including our local communities as well as a large international population. Our fellows gain both inpatient and outpatient experience caring for routine illnesses to complex infections in the immunocompromised individual. We are the only hospital in Northeast Ohio that performs heart, liver, intestinal/multi-visceral transplants in addition to kidney, and bone marrow.
- Personalized Education: We will help you identify a mentor to develop a career in clinical infectious diseases, antimicrobial stewardship, infection control, transplantation, research, or education. Didactic opportunities include case conferences, conferences/lectures, board review, microbiology rounds, and journal clubs. You will also work alongside other trainees (medical students, residents, fellows, pharmacists) which allows you to develop the skills needed to become an educator and leader. Opportunities exist to participate in certificate courses to further your education.
- Research Opportunities: You will have the ability to join ongoing projects or develop a new project tailored to your research interest. Within the Cleveland Clinic there are opportunities for collaboration across subspecialities and with the Lerner Research Institute.
Beyond your education and training, our program provides a supportive and collegial environment. You'll benefit from an active House Staff Association and a robust Fellowship Core Curriculum designed to support you throughout your time at Cleveland Clinic Children's. Plus, Cleveland offers the perfect blend of affordability and urban convenience, with fantastic shopping, dining, nightlife, sporting events and easy access to nature.
We'd love to share more about our program and Cleveland. Please reach out with any questions!
Heather Daniels, DO
Pediatric Infectious Diseases Program Director
How to Apply
Eligible trainees must be graduates of the Accreditation Council of Graduate Medical Education (ACMGE) approved residency in the United States. Applications are only received through the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS) and positions filled through the National Residency Match Program (NRMP).
Interviews will be offered the 2025-2026 academic year.
For more information, please contact:
Alice Ewida
Administrative Program Coordinator II
216,403.7822
ewidaa@ccf.org
Benefits & Resources
Vacation
- 15 vacation days per year.
- 5 additional days for sick leave or interview purposes.
Conference attendance
Travel and logistical support is provided to the fellow for presentations at a regional or national meetings.
Salary
Please visit the Graduate Medical Education website for more information.
Additional benefits
- Medical, dental and vision insurance.
- Paid parental leave.
- Malpractice Insurance, optional disability insurance and interest free loans
- Free on-site Pediatric Board Review course provided during your PGY4 year.
- Free iPhone for the duration of the fellowship.
- Robust House Staff Association: trainee appreciation events.
- Moonlighting opportunities during PGY5 and PGY6.
- Greater Circle Living - Incentives for buying/renting near work.
- Cleveland Clinic discounts (dining, computers, cellphone carriers, entertainment and more).
- Free access to Cleveland Clinic fitness facilities (state-of-the art cardio and weight machines, Olympic-sized swimming pool, basketball courts, fitness classes).
Curriculum
Each year consists of eighteen 3-week modules as outlined below.
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PGY-4 |
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PGY-5 |
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PGY-6 |
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Cleveland Clinic Children's, in partnership with the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine, is a unique community with tremendous resources in career development, education, foundations of research, leadership and personal growth. Fellows gain access to many of these resources:
- Available research support staff and mentors for consultation, through our research center and in conjunction with the Lerner Research Center.
- Scholarly project, under the guidance of faculty mentors, the fellow will complete a scholarly project during fellowship.
- Longitudinal educational series in ethics, professionalism and research with all pediatric fellows.
- Through our office of physician recruitment classes in job search, CV preparation, interviewing skills and contract negotiations are available yearly.
Didactic Education & Resources
- Weekly Pediatric Infectious Diseases (PID) sign out: Fellows and faculty sign-out service and discuss management: one of the favorite sessions and ensures excellent continuity of care of patients.
- Weekly PID Fellows Didactic Session: Faculty and fellows present topics that cover the American Board of Pediatric Infectious Diseases core curriculum, board review, journal club and research updates.
- Weekly Transplant Lecture: Lectures are given by adult and pediatric infectious diseases faculty who are experts in transplant infectious diseases.
- Weekly Joint Adult and Pediatric Case Conference: Fellows from both tracks present interesting cases with focused discussions of key concepts or controversies.
- Weekly Infectious Diseases Grand Rounds
- Weekly Infection Prevention Lecture Series
- Twice Monthly Microbiology Rounds in our State-of-the-art Laboratory
- Monthly Core Curriculum: With all subspecialty fellows
- Quarterly Pediatric Infectious Diseases Citywide Conference: With three Northeast Ohio children's hospitals
- Pediatric Research Day: Held each May
- Yearly Antimicrobial Stewardship Week: Led by our pharmacy specialist, one week a year is dedicated to learning principles and practices of antimicrobial stewardship.
Our Team
Kaitlyn Rivard, PharmD
Pharmacy
Additional Team Members
- Jessica Alban, Pediatric Infection Preventionist (PIC)
- Lisa Mcbride, RN, Care Coordinator
- Mary Lou Bors, Administration Assistant
Fellows
Fellowship Graduates
Ruchita Negi, MD
Staff, Children’s Hospital of the Kings Daughter
2021-2024 Fellow
Kim El Haddad, MD
Cleveland Clinic Children's
2020-2023 Fellow
Nicola O'Connor, MD
Staff, Children’s Hospital of Minnesota
2017-2021 Fellow
Yamini Mandelia, MD
Staff, Pediatric Infectious Disease, East Carolina University
2017-2020 Fellow
Heather Daniels, DO
Staff, Center for Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Cleveland Clinic Children's
2015-2018 Fellow
Victoria Nakimbugwe, MD
Staff, UHS Pediatrics - Chenango Bridge
2014-2017 Fellow
Ritika Coelho, MD
Consultant, Pediatric Infectious Disease, Burjeel Medical City, Abu Dhabi, UAE
2012-2015 Fellow
Dawood Yusef, MD
2011-2014 Fellow
Staff, Jordan University of Science and Technology
Aron Flagg, MD
2009-2013 Fellow
Staff, Yale School of Medicine
Publications
Below are some selected publications from our pediatric infectious diseases' fellows at Cleveland Clinic Children's.
Outcomes after Syphilis Screening. Pediatrics. Pediatrics 2022 Aug 24;e2022056457 Nicola P. O’Connor, MBBS; Patrick C. Burke, MPH; Sarah Worley, MS; Kamran Kadkhoda, PhD; Oluwatosin Goje, MD; Charles B. Foster, MD https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2022-056457
Dynamics and predisposition of respiratory viral co-infections in children and adults. Clin Microbiol Infect 2021 Apr;27(4):631.e1-631.e6 PMID: 32540470 DOI: 10.1016/j.cmi.2020.05.042 Y Mandelia 1, G W Procop 2, S S Richter 3, S Worley 4, W Liu 4, F Esper 5
Congenital syphilis: Missed opportunities and the case for rescreening during pregnancy and at delivery. IDCases2020 Sep 23;22:e00964. Nicola P O'Connor , Blanca E Gonzalez , Frank P Esper , Joan Tamburro , Kamran Kadkhoda , Charles B Foster PMID: 33024697 PMCID: PMC7528198 DOI: 10.1016/j.idcr.2020.e00964
Optimal Timing of Repeat Multiplex Molecular Testing for Respiratory Viruses. J Clin Microbiol. 2020 Jan 28;58(2):e01203-19 Yamini Mandelia 1, Gary W Procop 2, Sandra S Richter 2, Sarah Worley 3, Wei Liu 3, Frank Esper 1 PMID: 31748321, PMCID: PMC6989085 DOI: 10.1128/JCM.01203-19
A comparison of hospitalized children with enterovirus D68 to those with rhinovirus. Pediatr Pulmonol 2017 Jun;52(6):827-832. Charles B Foster 1, Ritika Coelho 1, Paul M Brown 2, Aman Wadhwa 1, Amena Dossul 1, Blanca E Gonzalez 1, Silvia Cardenas 3, Camille Sabella 1, Debbie Kohn 4, Sherilynn Vogel 4, Belinda Yen-Lieberman 2 4, Giovanni Piedimonte 2 3 PMID: 28135044, PMCID: PMC5438292, DOI: 10.1002/ppul.23661
Mycobacterium genavense-induced spindle cell pseudotumor in a pediatric hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipient: Case report and review of the literature. Transpl Infect Dis 2017 Apr;19(2). Ritika Coelho 1, Rabi Hanna 2, Aron Flagg 2, Lisa M Stempak 3 4, Sarah Ondrejka 3, Gary W Procop 3, Susan Harrington 3, Anthony Zembillas 4, Karissa Kusick 4, Blanca E Gonzalez 1 PMID: 28039955, DOI: 10.1111/tid.12656
Piperacillin-Tazobactam-induced Adverse Drug Events in Pediatric Patients on Outpatient Parenteral Antimicrobial Therapy. Pediatr Infect Dis J 2017 Jan;36(1):50-52. Dawood Yusef 1, Blanca E Gonzalez, Charles B Foster, Johanna Goldfarb, Carla Saracusa, Sarah Worley, Camille Sabella PMID: 27749652 DOI: 10.1097/INF.0000000000001351 PMID: 27749652 DOI: 10.1097/INF.0000000000001351
About Cleveland
Located approximately two miles from Cleveland Clinic main campus, downtown Cleveland features a host of cultural and recreational attractions for an ethnically diverse mid-sized city. Many of Cleveland's neighborhoods, such as Ohio City, Tremont, Lakewood and Cedar-Fairmount are overflowing with cultural heritage and an eclectic offering of restaurants and nightlife.
Take advantage of all our beautiful city has to offer! Champion sports teams, culture, outdoor adventure and a food scene that was once ranked by TIME as #7 on their 20 'Best Food Cities' in America and is home to two James Beard award-winning restaurants. There really is something for everyone in Cleveland!
