Infectious Disease Research
The Wake Forest School of Medicine Section on Infectious Diseases integrates clinical excellence, epidemiology, and data‑driven modeling to address emerging and endemic infectious threats.
Advancing Infectious Disease Research, Surveillance, and Public Health Response
The Wake Forest University School of Medicine Section on Infectious Diseases integrates clinical excellence, epidemiology, and data‑driven modeling to address emerging and endemic infectious threats.
Wake Forest University School of Medicine Section on Infectious Diseases is home to not only excellence in clinical care but also research and education. Our infectious diseases specialists are recognized locally, nationally and internationally for their expertise in treating all types of infectious diseases. We are home to professional researchers, clinical trialists, and support staff engaged in everything from basic and translational research to infectious disease epidemiology and public health.
Read more about our latest news and insights!
Respiratory Virus Surveillance
Check out our current work on respiratory virus surveillance. This includes COVID-19, influenza, RSV, and other respiratory viruses. As part of a Duke Endowment grant, we are working to improve respiratory virus surveillance in North Carolina and communicating the results directly to the public and our public health partners.
Recent publications
Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America supports environmental stewardship and sustainability while protecting patients and healthcare personnel position statement of the SHEA Board.
Comparison of Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) as Measured by Etests and Agar Dilution in Neisseria gonorrhoeae Isolates Tested from 2018-2024.
Distinct microbiota profiles in non-survivors in preterm infants with surgical necrotizing enterocolitis: Insights from FFPE intestinal tissue analysis.
Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA) infectious diseases fellow infection prevention and control and healthcare epidemiology curriculum.
Association of Cardiologist Clinic Visits With Cardiovascular Primary Prevention Outcomes Among People With HIV From Underrepresented Racial and Ethnic Groups in the Southern United States.
Beyond the hospital doors: challenges and insights from a multi-state healthcare system outpatient infection prevention program.
Retrospective cohort study of the microbiology and clinical outcomes of spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP) within a US academic health system.
Shaping the Future of Infectious Diseases: The Journey to Promote Value, Opportunity, and Positive Messaging.
Implementing the Infectious Diseases Society of America Antimicrobial Stewardship Core Curriculum: Survey Results and Real-World Strategies to Guide Fellowship Programs.
Racial disparities in central line-associated bloodstream infections: the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Content Validity of an Instrument That Measures Health-Seeking Behavior for Tuberculosis among People Living with HIV in India.
Transcriptionally Active Defective HIV-1 Proviruses and Their Association With Immunological Nonresponse to Antiretroviral Therapy.
Train with us
The Wake Forest University School of Medicine Infectious Disease offers a variety of training opportunities for undergraduates, medical students, residents, fellows, and pharmacy residents. Learn more about our training opportunities.
Support our work
Every gift contributes to our mission of building a better future for all. To learn more about how you can support the Section on Infectious Diseases, please contact the Office of Philanthropy at philanthropy@wakehealth.edu or give online below.
Please put “Section on Infectious Diseases” in the comments field when you give online.
Upcoming events
Navigating the noise: how to combat misinformation
Elisabeth Marnik, Ph.D. (Speaker) – Director of Science Education and Outreach, MDI Biological Laboratory
Dr. Elisabeth Adkins Marnik is a scientist, educator, and nationally recognized science communicator dedicated to making science accessible, engaging, and relevant to all audiences. As Director of Science Education & Outreach at the MDI Biological Laboratory, she leads innovative programs that span K–12 education, workforce development, public outreach, and career training for early-career scientists. Her work at MDIBL focuses on breaking down barriers to science education, fostering welcoming and effective learning environments, and building community partnerships to increase access to biomedical science across Maine and beyond.
M. Elle Saine, MD, PhD (Moderator) – Postdoctoral Fellow, Infectious Diseases, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania
M. Elle Saine, MD, PhD is an infectious diseases physician‑scientist at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania whose research examines how stigma shapes health care access, policy, and equity. Her work focuses on the intersection of infectious disease epidemics—including HIV and viral hepatitis—and the opioid crisis, using innovative mixed‑methods approaches to identify and reduce structural barriers to care.
Past events
Infectious diseases and Public Health- A global perspective with focus on the Middle East
Dr Rana Hajjeh – Former Director of Programme Management World Health Organization (WHO)
Dr Hajjeh is a senior public health leader with 30 years experience in global health, infectious diseases epidemiology, health policy and diplomacy, and health management, especially in the Eastern Mediterranean Region.
Building Infectious Disease Surveillance Platforms
Dr David Brett-Major – Professor of Infectious Diseases and Epidemiology, University of Nebraska Medical Center
David Brett-Major, MD, MPH, is a professor in the Department of Epidemiology of the UNMC College of Public Health and has extensive experience in biosecurity and surveillance.
The evolution of clinical care for the viral hemorrhagic fevers over the years
Dr Dan Bausch – Professor, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine & National University Singapore
Dr Bausch specializes in the research and control of emerging tropical viruses, with over 20 years’ experience in sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America, and Asia combating viruses such as Ebola, Lassa, hantavirus, and SARS coronavirus. He places a strong emphasis on capacity building in all his projects and has a keen interest in the role of the scientist in promoting health and human rights.
The CRISPR toolbox and its applications in medicine: infectious disease, microbiome and therapeutic applications.
Dr Rodolphe Barrangou – Todd R. Klaenhammer Distinguished Professor, North Carolina State University
Dr. Barrangou established the functional role of CRISPR-Cas as adaptive immune systems in bacteria. He has focused on establishing the molecular basis for their mechanism of action, as well as developing and applying CRISPR-based technologies for genotyping, building immunity and genome editing
Update on the management of neurocysticerosis
Dr Christina Coyle – Professor of Medicine and Pathology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Dr. Coyle runs an active clinic at Jacobi Medical Center where she trains fellows, medical students and residents. She co-directs the American Society of Tropical Medicine Annual Intensive Update Course. She is recognized by her colleagues as an expert in this field and lectures widely nationally and internationally. In 2007, she became a site director for GeoSentinel, a worldwide communication and data collection network for the surveillance of travel-related morbidity. She has a deep expertise in medical parasitology.
Fungus Among US: Emerging Fungal Resistance, Candida Auris And Beyond
Dr Tom Chiller – Chief, Mycotic Diseases Branch; Associate Director for Global Health, Division of Foodborne, Waterborne, and Environmental Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, USA
At the CDC, Tom Chiller provides leadership for fungal disease activities, which include detection, prevention and response activities, policy and advocacy, both nationally and internationally. He also serves as the associate director for global programs in the Division of Foodborne, Waterborne, and Environmental Diseases. He remains actively involved in antimicrobial resistance, healthcare associated infections, molecular epidemiology and laboratory activities for fungal diseases.