Inquiry and Innovation

Research is a core component of the University of Wisconsin Infectious Disease fellowship. Since 1980, 87 percent of our fellows entered academic careers upon completion of their fellowship and five are considered international authorities in a major area of infectious disease or microbiologic research.

With support from investigators in our division, department and campus, you’ll participate in innovative research and learn to develop your own projects.

Learn more about our department’s research environment.

Personalized Research Experience

Depending on your interests, you can develop independent research projects and/or participate in existing projects of our division members or other investigators on campus.

Fellows have worked in research laboratories in the Departments of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, Pharmacology, Bacteriology, Public Health, and in the State Division of Health.

Our program structure allows you to spend roughly half of your time participating in research.

Opportunities for Collaboration

Whether you are interested in basic, translational, clinical or health services research, there’s a collaborator for you here.

Our faculty are just a fraction of the collaborative microbial sciences research that takes place across campus. The UW-Madison microbial sciences research program was ranked in the top two nationally by U.S. News and World Reports in 2019.

Here are some opportunities that might interest you:

Presentations, Publications and Awards

Over the years, our fellows have co-authored more than 50 research publications and have been invited to submit monographs, chapters and/or abstracts at peer-reviewed national and international scientific meetings.

All fellows have the opportunity to attend and present at these conferences:

You're required to participate in a minimum of one local or national professional conference presentation during training. We make it a priority to support you in this effort. For senior fellows, we provide support to attend ID Week or SHEA regardless of presentation. For any fellow scholarly work accepted for presentation, we will consider financial support to attend a meeting on case-by-case basis.

By graduation, most fellows author high impact publications. Some have won prestigious national research awards, including the Pearl M. Stetler Award, SHEA Outstanding Trainee Awards, NIH Mentored Clinical Scientist Development Award, Fellow of the American College of Physicians, and NIH Loan Repayment Awards.

Fellows who display an aptitude for research may be offered an additional training year dedicated to full-time investigation.

Recent Learner Publications

Getting Funded

Further your research training in a division with over $20M in NIH and foundation funding in FY22.

We make it a priority to help you apply for grants, awards, or other funding opportunities. Your mentor will help you navigate the process.

Our department also offers a pilot award program for residents and fellows, and our Office of Research Services provides biostatistical services, grant writing education and other career development opportunities for learners.

Additional Training Opportunities