About the Infectious Diseases Fellowship Program

Welcome to VCU Infectious Diseases Fellowship Training Program website!  We are incredibly proud of our fellows, program, institution and community.  VCU boasts an excellent clinical training experience that prepares graduates for successful careers in clinical infectious diseases, academic medicine, public health, and industry.  The fellowship in infectious diseases at VCU Medical Center is fully accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education.​

Infectious Diseases Top 10

Infectious diseases fellows spend six to eight months of each year at VCU Medical Center and Richmond Veterans Affairs Medical Center rotating on consult services including general infectious diseases, orthopedic infectious diseases, and transplant infectious diseases.  One additional month is spent in the Clinical Microbiology Laboratory.  The remaining months may be used for dedicated research time or for inpatient or outpatient electives catering to each individual fellow’s interests.  ​

Available electives include rotations in hospital epidemiology and infection control, antimicrobial stewardship, medical education, medical ethics, travel medicine and global health, hepatology, specialized ICU rotations, allergy and immunology, and cystic fibrosis clinics, among others. Fellows also see outpatients one half day per week in the HIV clinic at the VCU Medical Center or at the Richmond VA Hospital as part of their continuity clinic. During elective months, fellows also have an opportunity to see outpatients in the general infectious diseases clinics.​

We also offer a combined four-year fellowship program in Med/Peds Infectious Diseases.  This is an integrated four-year training program and we work closely with the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Program to maximize Med/Peds ID fellows’ experience.  If you are interested in applying, please indicate this in your application and send a joint communication to Dr. Jillian Raybould and the Pediatric ID Fellowship Program Director, Dr. Suzanne Lavoie. ​

But beyond a stellar clinical experience, what makes the VCU ID fellowship experience so rich is the supportive, experienced faculty and collegial fellows.  We invite you to explore our website and learn more about what VCU has to offer.  

Welcome from the Program Director

VCUSOM Welcome from the Program Director

Welcome from the Program Director

Welcome to the Virginia Commonwealth University (The Medical College of Virginia) Infectious Diseases Fellowship Training Program! VCU’s ID Fellowship program has a long tradition of excellence dating back to 1967! VCU Health System (VCUHS) is a busy, growing, state-of- the art health system which is ideally located amid Virginia’s population centers. VCUHS provides excellent primary, subspecialty, and tertiary care to the greater Richmond metropolitan area and the surrounding region. Consistent with our mission to provide the best medical care regardless of financial status, we care for more than half of the state’s uninsured patients. VCUHS offers a fast-paced work environment with a remarkably diverse patient population. We are very proud to have been recognized for excellence as the #1 Hospital in the state of Virginia and in the Richmond metropolitan area by US News and World Reports and by the American Hospital Association with its prestigious AHA-McKesson Quest for Quality Prize award designation. This diversity and recognized clinical excellence creates a rich learning environment for our fellows in Infectious Diseases.

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Curriculum

Conferences

Fellows' Perspectives on the Program

“One of my favorite things about our program is how collegial and supportive the environment is. As fellows we are treated as colleagues and valued members of the team. Training definitely doesn’t happen in a vacuum and I love how our division supports each other in both personal and professional goals. Our department values work-life integration and allows us to develop these skills as fellows and young professionals.”

Laura Pedersen, MD

Vacation Time
Each fellow is allowed three weeks of vacation per year. The time is generally taken as either one of the following:

  1. Three 7-day vacations
  2. One 7-day vacation and one 14-day vacation.

Additionally, each fellow is given five days off during the December holiday period.

Night Coverage
Infectious Diseases fellows do not take any in-house call. While other healthcare providers provide in-house coverage at night, the Infectious Diseases fellows take night call from home when rotating on the inpatient consultation services. At night, the fellows provide the at-home call for urgent clinical care questions. On very rare occasions, fellows come in for emergent ID consults, staffed with the on-call attending physician. Additionally, the attending physician provides back-up, supervision, and escalation for the fellow on-call.

Weekend Coverage
Fellows are given one day off in seven during the 2-week block while on the inpatient general ID consultation services (6 months per year). All other clinical rotations are weekdays only.

When on call over a weekend, the fellows see all new consults at VCU and the VA hospitals during the day, which are staffed with the attending physician on service. Additionally, the weekend on-call fellows round with the attending physician on existing consults followed at VCU as determined by the consult team at the time of weekend check-out or as warranted by changes in a patient’s condition.

GME Resident & Fellow Well-Being
Graduate Medical Education training is not easy. With the GME Physician Well-being program, we first and foremost assert our commitment to your well-being, resilience and all aspects of a healthy lifestyle. VCU and VCUHealth are dedicated to ensuring that you have the tools you need to be your best. (Learn more)

All About VCU, VCUHealth, and RVA
We fondly refer to Richmond as RVA.  People love this city because it’s awesome. And Virginia Commonwealth University is in the middle of it all.  Learn more about VCU, VCUHealth, and RVA!  Learn more about VCU, VCUHealth, and RVA!

Jillian Raybould, MD

Jillian Raybould, MD

Program Director

Jillian Raybould, MD

Jillian Raybould, MD

Program Director

Internal Medicine

Division of Infectious Diseases

Email: jillian.raybould@vcuhealth.org

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View Faculty Expertise Profile

Jane A. Cecil, MD

Jane A. Cecil, MD

Associate Program Director

Jane A. Cecil, MD

Jane A. Cecil, MD

Associate Program Director

Internal Medicine

Division of Infectious Diseases

Email: jane.cecil@vcuhealth.org

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View Faculty Expertise Profile

Gonzalo Bearman, MD, MPH, FACP

Gonzalo Bearman, MD, MPH, FACP

Division Chair

Gonzalo Bearman, MD, MPH, FACP

Gonzalo Bearman, MD, MPH, FACP

Division Chair

Internal Medicine

Division of Infectious Diseases

Email: gonzalo.bearman@vcuhealth.org

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View Faculty Expertise Profile

Class of 2027

Dr. Jones

Tristan Jones, MD - (combined Med/Peds ID)​
Medical School:  University of Chicago Division of Biological Sciences The Pritzker School of Medicine​
Residency: Virginia Commonwealth University Health System​


Class of 2025

Dr. Langford

Ian Langford, MD
Medical School: University of South Carolina School of Medicine – Columbia​
Residency: Thomas Hospital Internal Medicine​

Dr. Peak

Erica Peak, MD - Chief Fellow - (combined Med/Peds ID)
Medical School: Virginia Commonwealth University
Residency: Virginia Commonwealth University Health System (Pediatrics)

Dr. Whitman

Melissa Whitman, DO
Medical School:  Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine – Carolinas Campus​
Residency:  University of South Carolina/Prisma Midlands, Columbia SC

Class of 2024

Aditee Dash, MBBS

Aditee Dash, MBBS
Medical School: Veer Surendra Sai Institute of Medical Sciences and Research
Residency: St. Joseph Mercy Hospital - Ann Harbor


Dr. Mahale

Dilip Mahale, MD (combined Adult/Peds ID)
Medical School: University of Oklahoma College of Medicine
Residency: University of Illinois College of Medicine - Peoria


Dr. Ochoa

Jorge Aldo Barajas Ochoa, MD 
Medical School: Universidad de Guadalajara, Mexico 
Residency: Rutgers New Jersey Medical School 
Chief Residency:  Rutgers New Jersey Medical School 


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Alumni

Eligibilty Requirements

Regarding Visa Requirements, Virginia Commonwealth University Health Systems can only support J-1 visas.

How to Apply:

The Infectious Diseases fellowship training program at VCU is a participant in the NRMP match. All applications will be accepted through ERAS and follow ERAS deadlines.  

If you are applying for the 4 year Med/Peds ID Fellowship Program, please email Dr. Jillian Raybould at jillian.raybould@vcuhealth.org and Dr. Suzanne Lavoie at suzanne.lavoie@vcuhealth.org indicating your interest in the combined program.

Required Documentation

  • Application
  • Curriculum Vitae
  • USMLE score reports
  • Medical School Transcripts
  • MSPE
  • A personal statement
  • 3 letters of recommendation, including one from your program director

If applicable, please provide the following: 

  • ECFMG certificate
  • Medical School Diploma (with translation if necessary)

Application Timeline:

We will review applications from July through October. Invitations to interview will likely be issued during this time frame.

Interviews:

Interviews are typically conducted on Mondays so that applicants can attend ID Grand Rounds.   The interview day usually starts at 9:00 AM.

The interview day consists of the following:

  • Introduction to the program and division by the Program Director
  • Interviews with VCUHS and VA-based faculty
  • Tour of the VCUHS facilities
  • Lunch with current fellows
  • Attendance at ID Grand Rounds

Interview days typically end between 2 and 3 pm. A sample itinerary is provided to give you a general sense of how we structure the day. See sample itinerary here.

Attention:  In support of our applicants and per IDSA guidance, we have conducted exclusively virtual interviews since 2020.  We anticipate ongoing virtual interviews for the 2023 interview season but await further guidance from the ACGME and IDSA.

Program Director

Jillian E. Raybould, MD
Box 980049
Richmond, Virginia 23298-0049
Phone: (804) 828-9711
Email: jillian.raybould@vcuhealth.org

Associate Program Director

Jane Cecil, MD
Box 980049
Richmond, Virginia 23298-0049
Email: jane.cecil@vcuhealth.org

Fellowship Coordinator

Cesley Watkins
VCU School of Medicine
Department of Internal Medicine
Box 980509
Richmond, Virginia 23298-0509
Phone: (804) 628-4497
Fax: (804) 828-4926
Email: imfellowships@vcuhealth.org