Overview
The Infectious Diseases Division at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center was founded in 1981 and has grown to include:
- Inpatient and outpatient consultative services
- Clinical, basic science, and epidemiological research programs
- Clinical and research graduate medical education programs
The Infectious Diseases Division is composed of 13 clinical and research members, with faculty appointments in the Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. In addition, the division includes four research associates, three clinical and one research post-doctoral fellows, sixteen clinical research nurses as well as numerous technical and office personnel.
In the area of clinical pediatrics, both inpatient and outpatient consultation services broadly concerned with the diagnosis and management of all types of acute and chronic pediatric infections are offered.
Counseling and consultations are provided for patients and prospective parents concerned with risk and outcomes of congenital infectious diseases exposure, and with intrauterine or perinatal infections. Evaluations for potential immunodeficiency syndromes, including immunoglobulin and cell-mediated and combined immunodeficiency states, are also available.
Also within the Infectious Diseases Division is an active hospital infection control and epidemiology program which provides clinical support services and conducts clinic- and community-based research studies sponsored by the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and by industry.
Clinical microbiology laboratories with complete bacteriology, mycology, and virology facilities for routine studies, as well as special procedure capabilities (e.g. culture of fastidious organisms, special stains of direct specimens), are available on campus. Combined serology laboratories with capacity for routine antibody determinations are also available.
Research is the major focus of the division. Clinical research is represented by the Gamble Program for Clinical Research. This program is responsible for the management of numerous drug and vaccine trials conducted under the auspices of a Vaccine Treatment Evaluation Unit funded by the National Institutes of Health and through industry sponsorship.
The Infectious Diseases Division's basic science program involves molecular microbiology, cell biology, neurobiology, gene therapy, microbial pathogenesis, and immunobiology. Basic science research focuses on rotavirus and the human herpesviruses, including herpes simplex viruses types 1 and 2 (HSV-1 and HSV-2), varicella zoster virus (VZV), and cytomegalovirus (CMV).
An interactive program is designed to examine the immunology and molecular biology of host-virus interactions in order to develop strategies for prevention and treatment of infection and/or disease.
Research activities are currently funded through programs sponsored by the National Institutes of Health, including two contracts, a Program Project Grant and several individual grants, as well as various industry-sponsored programs.
