Increasing Subspecialization in the Field of Infectious Diseases: Evaluating Challenges and Strategies to Move Forward

TY - JOUR

T1 - Increasing Subspecialization in the Field of Infectious Diseases

T2 - Evaluating Challenges and Strategies to Move Forward

AU - Bonura, Erin M.

AU - Armstrong, Wendy S.

N1 - Funding Information: To foster mentorship and increase learner engagement in scholarship, the IDSA supports 3 formal programs: the IDSA Foundation Medical Scholars Program, the HIV Medicine Association (HIVMA) Medical Students Program, and the IDWeek Mentorship Program (Table 1). The IDSA Foundation Medical Scholars Program was established in 2002 and has awarded >600 one-time scholarships to mentored medical students in years 1–3 to pursue independent clinical or research activities. These activities most often occur over the summer after the first year of medical school and allow early exposure to a project. The HIVMA Medical Students Program was initiated in 2016 and awards a stipend to a trainee and a stipend to the mentor annually for up to 3 years. The goal is to encourage a longitudinal relationship with a mentor and to support more-extensive HIV-related projects. In only its second year, the program has already funded 30 students and distributed a cumulative 67 years of funding. Founded in 2014, the IDWeek Mentorship Program matches students, residents, and fellows with specific interests to ID faculty physicians working in those fields. The program offers networking and mentorship opportunities during IDWeek and allows students and residents to meet both an established physician and a trainee in fellowship. The program not only fosters new relationships within the ID community, but also serves to assist learners in navigating the complexity and richness of the conference experience. The program has grown annually and in 2017 matched 205 mentors with 268 mentees. SHEA now sponsors a mentorship program at their annual meeting, as well. Participants in each of these initiatives are now being followed prospectively to determine how many pursue a career in ID.

PY - 2017

Y1 - 2017

KW - mentorship

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85030560420&partnerID=8YFLogxK

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85030560420&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1093/infdis/jix316

DO - 10.1093/infdis/jix316

M3 - Article

C2 - 28938043

AN - SCOPUS:85030560420

SN - 0022-1899

VL - 216

SP - S594-S599

JO - Journal of Infectious Diseases

JF - Journal of Infectious Diseases

ER -