Overview
The Medical Microbiology and Public Health Fellowship Program at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) is a CPEP accredited and specialized 2 year, postdoctoral training opportunity for those pursuing careers in medical microbiology or public health, focusing on laboratory and diagnostic work related to infectious diseases. This program provides advanced training in laboratory practices, diagnostic testing, and public health epidemiology with hands on training in each space. Fellows gain experience in isolating, identifying, and characterizing microorganisms, particularly those that cause human diseases, as well as interpreting lab results to guide patient care. The fellowship also includes additional exposure to antimicrobial stewardship, diagnostic stewardship, infection prevention, and healthcare epidemiology. Involvement in these subspecialties builds upon laboratory diagnostic expertise, allowing the fellow to gain knowledge in other areas that have a major influence on preventing, diagnosing, and treating infectious diseases. A major aspect of the CPEP fellowship is the ability to contribute to public health surveillance and outbreak investigations, which are vital for tracking the emergence and spread of infectious diseases. Fellows will learn how to apply laboratory findings to inform public health policy, making them valuable assets in both clinical and public health settings. As part of the UAB fellowship program fellows will also participate in 3 months of research as determined by the fellow’s interest.
UAB’s Medical Microbiology and Public Health Fellowship Program accepts 1 fellow each year with a start date of July 1. Fellows are paid according to PGY classification structure as determined by the institution and nationally recognized training stipend levels.
Meet Our Microbiology Faculty
Megan Amerson-Brown, Ph.D., CIC, MLS
Assistant Professor
Laboratory Medicine
Director, Microbiology Fellowship
Sixto M. Leal Jr., M.D., Ph.D.
Jay M. McDonald Endowed Professor in Experimental Pathology
Division Director, Laboratory Medicine
Associate Professor
Section Head, Clinical Microbiology
SEBLAB Director (ABSL-3)
Director, Fungal Reference Lab
Requirements
Qualified applicants must have a doctoral degree (e.g., Ph.D., M.D., Dr. P.H., D.Sc., D.O., D.V.M.) with training in microbiology, molecular biology, or a related discipline.
Example Training Schedule
Bacteriology - 3 months
Molecular Infectious Disease - 2 months
Mycology - 2 months
Infectious Disease Immunology/Serology - 1 month
Parasitology - 1 month
Infectious Disease- 1 month
Infection Prevention and Control and Healthcare Epidemiology- 1 month
Research - 3 months
Virology - 2 months
Pediatric Infectious Disease - 1 month
State Health Department Lab - 2 weeks
Mycoplasma Lab - 1 month
Lab Management - 1 month
Antimicrobial Stewardship - 1month
Elective Rotation -1 month
Elective Rotation - 1 month
Elective Rotation - 1 month
Applications
Applications must be submitted through the ASM CPEP fellowship website http://asm.org/Fellowships/CPEP. Letters of recommendation might be requested following initial application review.