LEAP Fellowship Program Builds ID-Public Health Partnerships

The Leaders in Epidemiology, Antimicrobial Stewardship and Public Health (LEAP) Fellowship program is an effective model for partnerships between early-career infectious diseases physicians and public health departments, according to new research published in Clinical Infectious Diseases. Few established career development pathways exist for ID physicians interested in working with public health departments, but the success of LEAP could serve as a training model that could be adapted into the traditional ID fellowship curriculum. 

Recent years have seen an increasing number of ID-related public health challenges extending into the health care domain — demonstrating the need for more longitudinal partnerships between clinical ID physicians and public health. The one-year LEAP program facilitates collaboration between ID clinicians and public health departments, specifically in the fields of antimicrobial stewardship, infection prevention and health care epidemiology. Nearly all LEAP graduates continue to collaborate with public health departments while remaining clinically active, many with medical leadership positions.

The LEAP Fellowship is a joint program offered by the Infectious Diseases Society of America, the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America and the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society and is funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  

About IDSA
The Infectious Diseases Society of America is a community of more than 13,000 physicians, scientists and public health experts who specialize in infectious diseases. Its purpose is to improve the health of individuals, communities and society by promoting excellence in patient care, education, research, public health and prevention relating to infectious diseases. Learn more at idsociety.org.