The Division of Infectious Disease participates in all three components of the Stead Family Department of Pediatrics mission: patient care, research, and education.
Education
Our division participates in the training and education of pediatric residents, medical students, postdoctoral fellows, and graduate students through a wide range of educational activities both locally and nationally.
A Faculty-focused Academic Medical Center
UI Health Care faculty enjoy defined academic time, plus benefits like doubling your retirement contribution. With a short commute and low cost of home ownership, it's no surprise we attract the best academically trained providers.
Research
Our division faculty is active in basic science research related to infectious diseases. We currently have NIH-funded programs in:
- Antifungal drug discovery.
- Fungal pathogenesis and host response.
- The pathobiology herpes and varicella viruses.
- The host response to mycobacterial infections.
Clinical trials for therapeutics and vaccines in children.
Stead Family Children’s Hospital Epidemiology and Antimicrobial Stewardship
Faculty members serve as the medical directors of the teams responsible for hospital epidemiology and antimicrobial stewardship in the University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital. They contribute to the development of systematic policies and guidelines for infectious disease prevention and diagnosis as well as for the judicious use of antimicrobial therapy.
Division Investigators and Labs
Labs
Investigators
- Sarah Beattie, PhD: Understanding how the pathogenic mold Aspergillus fumigatus causes disease and identifying novel antifungal treatments.
- Damian Krysan, PhD, MD: Understanding how pathogenic fungi cause disease, how the host defends against these fungal pathogens, and how to develop new therapies for human fungal diseases.
- Melanie Wellington, MD, PhD: The interaction of the host with human fungal pathogens.
- James Davis, MD, PhD:Understanding how the innate immune system interacts with potential pathogens over time, and how that determines outcomes like microbial clearance, persistence, or disseminated disease.
Recent Division Publications
Our research supports the rapid translation of laboratory discoveries into new treatments.
Clinical Care
Our patient care services and responsibilities include:
Inpatient infectious disease consultation for children with infectious diseases admitted to the Stead Family Children’s Hospital. We work with providers in all subspecialties to diagnose and manage complex primary and secondary infections.
Outpatient infectious disease consultation after discharge for children with serious infections including management of outpatient intravenous antimicrobial therapy. In addition, we provide consultation services to referring providers for patients with infectious disease questions and conditions. For example, we evaluate and manage pre-departure vaccinations and prophylaxis for children who are traveling overseas.
Pediatric HIV therapy management including diagnostic evaluation of children exposed to HIV.
Pre-and-post travel medicine services for children. We prepare children for international travel in addition to evaluating returning travelers with concern for infection. Based on individual risk assessment, our team communicates health risks and provides risk management measures, such as immunizations, malaria prophylaxis and other indicated medications. Pediatric infectious diseases providers have unique knowledge regarding these needs and infections and when appropriately involved can significantly improve the health and wellbeing of children.
Learn more about our pediatric specialty clinic.
Conditions we see include, but are not limited to:
- Bacterial infections
- Bone and joint infections
- Fever of unknown cause
- Fungal infections
- Infections after organ transplantation
- Infections of prosthetic or implanted devices
- Infections related to international adoption
- Parasitic diseases
- Viral infections including HIV
Latest Division News
Starting HPV vaccine series at age 9 could prevent future cancers
Damian Krysan, MD, PhD
Division Contact Information
University of Iowa Stead Family Department of Pediatrics
Division of Infectious Disease
200 Hawkins Drive
2857 John Pappajohn Pavilion (JPP)
Iowa City, IA 52242
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