Department of Medicine
Infectious Diseases
The mission of the Division is to provide state-of-the-art care for all patients, to teach and mentor students in the art and science of infectious diseases, and to pursue research that investigates the manifestations and treatment of infectious diseases.
Infectious Diseases
The mission of the Division is to provide state-of-the-art care for all patients, to teach and mentor students in the art and science of infectious diseases, and to pursue research that investigates the manifestations and treatment of infectious diseases.
Overview
The Division of Infectious Diseases was established in 1966. It provides comprehensive inpatient and outpatient infectious disease care at Rhode Island Hospital, The Miriam Hospital, Newport Hospital, Veterans Administration Medical Center, and Women and Infants Hospital. The mission of the Division is to provide state-of-the-art care for all patients with any type of infectious disease, to teach and mentor medical students, house officers and fellows in the art and science of infectious diseases, and to pursue clinical, translational, and basic science research that investigates the diagnosis, manifestations, prevention, and treatment of infectious diseases. The Division Director is Curt G. Beckwith, MD, FACP, FIDSA.
The Division has many areas of expertise including HIV/AIDS, STIs, infections related to substance use, infection control, antimicrobial stewardship, diagnostics, global health, among others. The Division is active in clinical, translational, and basic science research with over 18 million dollars in annual external funding. The Division hosts a two-year clinical fellowship in infectious diseases, a one-year Advanced Fellowship in HIV Medicine, and an NIH funded T32 fellowship in clinical research on infections related to substance use. Members of the Division are active teachers within the Brown University Department of Medicine and work closely with Brown programs, including the Center for Global Health Equity, and the Brown University School of Public Health.
Center for Global Health Equity
Global health is a defining issue of our time, and universities have a tremendous responsibility to help reduce the burden of disease in communities around the world and help build an infrastructure for progress and understanding through research, education and service.
Faculty
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Curt Beckwith, MD
Professor of Medicine; Director, Division of Infectious Diseases
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Diane Ayuninjam, PharmD
Assistant Professor of Medicine; Clinician Educator -
Curt Beckwith, MD
Professor of Medicine; Director, Division of Infectious Diseases -
Amy Brotherton, PharmD
Assistant Professor of Medicine; Clinician Educator -
Rebecca Burns, MD
Assistant Professor of Medicine; Clinician Educator -
Angela Caliendo, MD, PhD
Warren Alpert Foundation Professor of Medicine; Executive Vice Chair, Department of Medicine -
Philip Chan, MD, MS
Associate Professor of Behavioral and Social Sciences; Associate Professor of Medicine -
Susan Cu-Uvin, MD
Professor of Health Services, Policy and Practice; Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology; Professor of Medicine -
Cheston Cunha, MD
Associate Professor of Medicine; Program Director, Brown University Infectious Diseases Fellowship -
Calli Dogon, MD
Assistant Professor of Medicine; Clinician Educator; Associate Program Director, Brown University Infectious Diseases Fellowship -
Erika D’Agata, MD, MPH
Professor of Medicine -
Timothy Flanigan, MD
Professor of Health Services, Policy and Practice; Professor of Medicine -
Melissa Gaitanis, MD
Associate Professor of Medicine; Clinician Educator -
Mónica García-Solache, MD, PhD, MSc
Assistant Professor of Medicine (Research) -
Joseph Garland, MD
Associate Professor of Medicine; Clinician Educator -
Sara Geffert, MD
Assistant Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine; Assistant Professor of Medicine; Clinician Educator -
Kevin Gibas, MD, MPH
Assistant Professor of Medicine; Clinician Educator -
Fizza Gillani, PhD
Associate Professor of Medicine (Research); Associate Professor of Health Services, Policy and Practice (Research) -
Erica Hardy, MD
Associate Professor of Medicine; Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology -
Leah Harvey, MD, MPH
Assistant Professor of Medicine -
Joseph Harwell, MD
Clinical Associate Professor of Pediatrics; Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine -
Jennie Johnson, MD
Assistant Professor of Medicine; Clinician Educator -
Rami Kantor, MD
Professor of Medicine -
Michelle Lally, MD
Associate Professor of Medicine; Associate Professor of Health Services, Policy and Practice -
John Lonks, MD
Associate Professor of Medicine; Associate Professor of Medical Science -
Leonard Mermel, DO, ScM
Professor of Medicine -
Maria Mileno, MD
Associate Professor of Medicine -
Jennifer Mitty, MD, MPH
Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine -
Gerard Nau, MD, PhD
Associate Professor of Medicine; Clinician Educator -
Marguerite Neill, MD
Associate Professor of Medicine -
Sophia Panaccione, DO
Assistant Professor of Medicine; Clinician Educator -
Bharat Ramratnam, MD
Warren Alpert Foundation Professor of Medicine; Chief Scientific Officer, Brown Innovation and Research Collaborative for Health -
Brenna Reilly-Evans, PharmD
Assistant Professor of Medicine; Clinician Educator -
Donald Rice Jr., MD
Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine -
Josiah Rich, MD, MPH
Professor of Medicine; Professor of Epidemiology -
Francine Romo, MD
Assistant Professor of Medicine; Clinician Educator -
Michael Rossi, MD
Assistant Professor of Medicine; Clinician Educator -
Natasha Rybak, MD
Assistant Professor of Medicine; Clinician Educator -
Anu Shobayo, MD
Assistant Professor of Medicine; Clinician Educator -
Rachel Simmons, MD
Associate Professor of Medicine; Associate Professor of Medical Science -
Xiaoli Tang, PhD
Assistant Professor of Medicine (Research) -
Jun Tao, PhD
Assistant Professor of Medicine (Research) -
Karen Tashima, MD
Professor of Medicine -
Allan Tunkel, MD, PhD, MACP
Professor of Medicine; Chief of Medical Education; Professor of Medical Science -
Vanessa Van Doren, MD
Assistant Professor of Medicine -
Vaughn Williams, DO
Assistant Professor of Medicine -
Edward Wing, MD
Professor Emeritus of Medical Science
Fellowship Programs
The Infectious Diseases Fellowship provides career and research mentoring to the next generation of infectious diseases physician-scientists, clinicians, and clinician-educators.
This fellowship provides advanced training in HIV and tuberculosis medicine through focused clinical sessions, didactics, and research opportunities.
Research Centers
Providence/Boston Center for AIDS Research (CFAR)
The Providence/Boston Center for AIDS Research (CFAR) is composed of two academic institutions, Brown University and Boston University, their affiliated hospitals, Brown University Health and Boston Medical Center (BMC), and the Rhode Island Department of Health, Massachusetts Department of Public Health, local community organizations, and international sites, including Kenya, South Africa, Philippines, Uganda, Zambia, Russia and Ukraine. The mission of the Providence/Boston CFAR is to promote the NIH HIV priority research agenda. We are devoted to the pursuit of translational research to reduce the burden of HIV infection worldwide, with special focus on substance users, women, MSM, justice-involved persons, and at-risk youth. To achieve this goal, we are committed to fostering emerging HIV investigators both domestically and within resource-limited settings. CFAR Core Services are available to support HIV/AIDS research and Faculty Development Programs are open to all affiliated Boston University and Brown University faculty members. Susan Cu-Uvin MD, Professor of Medicine, Brown University, is the principal investigator of the CFAR.
The Providence/Boston Center for AIDS Research (CFAR) is a partnership between Brown University/Brown University Health and Boston University/Boston Medical Center aimed at reducing the global burden of HIV infection.
Center for Health and Justice Transformation
The Center for Prisoner Health and Human Rights seeks health equity for justice involved populations and works to change policy and practice through education, advocacy, research, and the development of strategic solutions. The Center’s work falls into four core areas:
- Raising awareness at the national and state level about the healthcare issues and challenges that justice-involved populations face; and providing education and training opportunities for college, graduate, and health professional students and trainees in this area, and encouraging student and trainee engagement and leadership in justice issues
- Conducting and supporting clinical, behavioral, and social research involving justice-involved populations
- Providing resources, training, and technical assistance that enhances health equity within systems for justice involved populations.
- Mobilizing and collaborating with national and local justice system stakeholders to identify, develop, and support practice and policy projects that respond to the intersections of criminal justice, incarceration, recidivism, diversion, and public health
The Center for Health and Justice Transformation (CHJT) at Brown University Health is dedicated to advancing health equity in the criminal legal system.
Center of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) on Opioids and Overdose
The Center of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) on Opioids and Overdose at Rhode Island Hospital is the first center of its kind to address the opioid epidemic. The Center is funded by a 5-year Phase I (of III) grant from the National Institute on General Medical Sciences and is directed by Principal Investigator Josiah “Jody” Rich, MD, MPH and Deputy Director Traci Green, PhD, MSc. The Center brings together researchers, policymakers, public health officials, community-based organizations, and scientists from multiple disciplines across Rhode Island to help shape policies and practices that will curb this epidemic. Through the development of robust research infrastructure, the collaborative and multidisciplinary COBRE on Opioids and Overdose will also support innovative work and foster the professional growth of junior investigators.
To bolster research quality and lend support to COBRE junior investigators, the COBRE award funds three research cores. The Data and Research Core led by Brandon Marshall, PhD provides quantitative expertise, methodological knowledge on study designs, and technological resources. The Translational and Transformative Core headed by Susan Ramsey, PhD and Traci Green, PhD, MSc will strengthen translational research in social, behavioral, and clinical sciences, as well as improve study dissemination. The Special Populations Core spearheaded by Curt Beckwith, MD and Timothy Flanigan, MD will assist in the recruitment process and provide guidance in conducting ethical research with vulnerable populations. The long-term goal of the Center is to develop and sustain a critical mass of investigators specializing in opioids and overdose, thereby enhancing the competitiveness of affiliated investigators and propelling the field of opioid and overdose research forward. Through leveraging the exceptional talent and accomplishments in Rhode Island, the COBRE on Opioids and Overdose aims to support excellence in research essential to understanding the mechanisms underlying opioid use disorder and developing innovative solutions. For more information, please contact the Administrative Coordinator, Gayle Fraser.
The Center of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) on Opioids and Overdose, based at the Rhode Island Hospital, is the first center of its kind aimed to collaboratively address the opioid epidemic.
Investigators
| Name | Research Focus |
|---|---|
| Curt Beckwith, MD | Diagnosis, treatment and longitudinal care of HIV and hepatitis C virus |
| Angela M. Caliendo, MD, PhD | Development of molecular diagnostic tests for the detection and quantification of infectious diseases |
| Susan Cu-Uvin, MD | Global health, HIV epidemiology, maternal and perinatal HIV |
| Erika D'Agata, MD | Transmission dynamics of multidrug-resistant organisms, the microbiome and its role in infections, antimicrobial stewardship |
| Monica Garcia-Solache, MD, PhD, MSc | Antibiotic resistance, extracellular membrane-derived vesicles |
| Kevin Gibas, MD, MPH | Diagnosis, management, and prevention of healthcare-associated infections |
| Erica J. Hardy, MD, MA, MMSc | Infectious disease issues in women, including congenital infection, complex sexually transmitted infections, as well as the medical care and follow-up of survivors of sexual assault |
| Leah Harvey, MD, MPH | HIV/AIDS Harm Reduction Addiction Medicine Bacterial Infections General ID |
| Jana Jarolimova, MD | STI and HIV prevention, global health |
| Rami Kantor, MD | HIV drug resistance, treatment monitoring, and transmission through networks |
| John R. Lonks, MD | Mechanism of pneumococcal resistance |
| Leonard A. Mermel, DO, ScM, AM (Hon), FSHEA, FIDSA, FACP | Diagnosis, management, and prevention of healthcare-associated infections |
| Gerard J. Nau, MD, PhD, FIDSA | Bacterial pathogenesis, innate immunity, aging, antimicrobial target discovery |
| Bharat Ramratnam, MD | HIV-1 replication, persistence, RNAi, microbicides |
| Louis B. Rice, MD | Mechanisms of antibiotic resistance in pathogenic bacteria |
| Josiah (Jody) D. Rich, MD, MPH (NAM) | Treatment and prevention of HIV, health of the incarcerated population, opioid use and overdose |
| Nasasha R. Rybak, MD | Non-tuberculous Mycobacteria, tuberculosis |
| Karen T. Tashima, MD | Clinical Trials on HIV |
| Vanessa Van Doren, MD | HIV and mucosal transmission dynamics |