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Meet The Faculty

Faculty for the Infectious Diseases Fellowship at Mayo Clinic in Phoenix, Arizona.

The Division of Infectious Diseases at Mayo Clinic's campus in Arizona is staffed by specialists dedicated to patient care, research, and education in their daily practices.

From the program directorHR Vikram, M.D., FACP, FIDSA

Mayo Clinic training programs foster a diverse and inclusive culture of lifelong learning, create a conducive environment to deliver outstanding patient care in multidisciplinary teams, and provide unparalleled opportunities for research and education.

Mayo Clinic School of Graduate Medical Education (MCSGME) is home to more than 270 individual training programs that cover every medical and surgical specialty across the three Mayo Clinic campuses. MCSGME oversees the largest number of ACGME-accredited programs in the United States. Learn more about why residents and fellows choose Mayo Clinic.

Mayo Clinic's Arizona campus was established in 1987. Since our inception, we have grown into a tertiary care institution with more than 500 physicians, along with more than 220 residents and fellows.

Our fellowship has been designed to provide an exceptional learning experience in all aspects of clinical infectious diseases. Our faculty members have years of experience training students, residents, and fellows. Several are world-renowned for their research and expertise and have many active and ongoing clinical trials. You have the opportunity to participate in the three-site case conferences in which faculty and fellows from the three Mayo Clinic campuses present and discuss challenging cases. Weekly infectious diseases core curriculum lectures are delivered by renowned faculty from all three Mayo Clinic sites.

Other valuable offsite rotations include an HIV continuity clinic at Valleywise Healthcare Center, pediatric infectious diseases at Phoenix Children's Hospital, and Maricopa County sexually transmitted infections and TB clinics. You have access to patient medical records across Mayo Clinic's campuses to facilitate coordinated patient care and collaborative clinical research. Opportunities for elective rotations and ample time for research will result in a well-rounded educational experience.

At the end of your fellowship, I am confident that you will be fully equipped to pursue your chosen career path in infectious diseases. We look forward to hearing from you soon.

Holenarasipur (Vik) R. Vikram, M.D.
Infectious Diseases Fellowship Program Director
Associate Chair for Education, Department of Medicine

From the associate program directorSandhya Nagarakanti, M.B.B.S., M.D.

The Mayo Clinic Infectious Diseases Fellowship offers fellows a wide range of experiences in general infectious diseases, transplant infections, device infections, coccidiomycosis, nocardia, NTM, travel medicine, STDs, and more. They are given the opportunity to learn from experienced faculty who are always willing to help and share their knowledge.

Fellows are provided with a supportive environment and well-rounded education that will effectively prepare them for their future endeavors.

In addition to their education, fellows and their families can enjoy the beautiful weather in Phoenix year-round and easily commute to the local international airport to travel around the world.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Sandhya Nagarakanti, M.B.B.S., M.D.
Infectious Diseases Fellowship Associate Program Director

Faculty

Our faculty members have extensive experience in training medical students, residents, and fellows. They have been actively involved in clinical research in diverse areas of infectious diseases, resulting in numerous seminal publications over the years. Residents, students, and fellows have vastly benefited from ongoing research collaborations, publications, and mentorship by our faculty. 

The division also includes an infectious diseases (ID) pharmacist, two nurse practitioners, and two nurses.

  • Antimicrobial Stewardship Program. The Mayo Clinic campus in Phoenix, Arizona, has a robust ASP that is accomplished in conjunction with ID faculty and two ID pharmacists. You have the opportunity to assist, enforce, and participate in research and quality improvement endeavors.
  • Mayo Clinic Outpatient Parenteral Antimicrobial Therapy (MOPAT) program. Mark Burns, C.N.P., D.N.P., N.P., M.S., and Amy Kole, P.A.-C., are primarily responsible for our award-winning MOPAT Program, which has been a key component of our practice for careful monitoring and follow-up of patients on parenteral antimicrobial therapy. As a fellow, you play a key role in this process for their inpatient consultations when discharged on such antimicrobials.
Holenarasipur (Vik) R. Vikram, M.D.

Holenarasipur (Vik) R. Vikram, M.D.

Program Director, Infectious Diseases Fellowship
Associate Chair for Education, Department of Medicine

Medical school: Bangalore Medical College, Bangalore University
Residency: 
University of Connecticut Health Center
Fellowship: Yale University School of Medicine

Dr. Vikram’s PubMed Citations

Robert Orenstein, D.O., FIDSA, FACP, AAHIVS

Robert Orenstein, D.O., FIDSA, FACP, AAHIVS

Chair, Division of Infectious Diseases
Associate Professor of Medicine

Medical School: College of Osteopathic Medicine, Des Moines University
Residency: Geisinger Medical Center (Danville, Pennsylvania)
Fellowship: Medical College of Virginia, Virginia Commonwealth University

Dr. Orenstein's PubMed citations

Janis Blair, M.D.

Janis Blair, M.D.

Program Director, Internal Medicine Residency
Professor of Medicine

Medical school: University of Southern California School of Medicine
Residency: Los Angeles County Harbor-UCLA Medical Center
Fellowship: Mayo Clinic in Rochester

Dr. Blair's PubMed citations

Erin Graf, Ph.D.

Erin Graf, Ph.D.

Co-Director, Microbiology Laboratory

Medical school: University of Pennsylvania
Residency:
 Department of Pathology, University of Utah School of Medicine
Fellowship: University of Utah School of Medicine

Dr. Graf's PubMed citations

Thomas Grys, Ph.D.

Thomas Grys, Ph.D.

Director, Arizona Microbiome Program
Co-Director of Microbiology
Associate Professor of Laboratory Medicine And Pathology

Medical school: Microbiology Doctoral Training Program, University of Wisconsin, Madison
Residency: Mayo Clinic in Rochester
Fellowship:
 Clinical Microbiology, Post M.D. or Ph.D. Fellowship Program, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science

Dr. Grys PubMed citations

Sandhya Nagarakanti, M.B.B.S., M.D.

Sandhya Nagarakanti, M.B.B.S., M.D.

Associate Program Director
Senior Associate Consultant

Medical school: Osmania Medical College
Residency: Mount Sinai Services
Fellowship: Newark Beth Israel Medical Center

Dr. Nagarakanti's PubMed Citations

Christopher Saling, M.D.

Christopher Saling, M.D.

Senior Associate Consultant

Medical school: Saint Vincent and Grenadines - Trinity School of Medicine
Residency: Saint Michael's Medical Center, Newark, NJ
Fellowship: Mayo Clinic in Arizona 

Dr. Saling's PubMed citations

Teresa Seville, M.D.

Teresa Seville, M.D.

Chair, Antimicrobial Stewardship Program
Assistant Professor of Medicine

Medical school: College of Medicine, University of the Philippines
Residency:
 Saint Francis Hospital of Evanston, Loyola University & Stritch School of Medicine
Fellowship: Loyola University Medical Center

Dr. Seville's PubMed citations

Jamilah Shubeilat, M.B.B.S., M.D.

Jamilah Shubeilat, M.B.B.S., M.D.

Senior Associate Consultant

Medical school: University of Jordan Medical School
Residency: Internal Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona
Fellowship: University of Massachusetts

Dr. Shubeilat's PubMed citations

Lisa Speiser, D.O.

Lisa Speiser, D.O.

Chair, Infection Prevention and Control Subcommittee
Senior Associate Consultant

Medical school: Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine, Midwestern University
Residency: Banner University Medical Center, University of Arizona College of Medicine
Fellowship: University of California-Irvine

Dr. Speiser’s PubMed Citations

Advisers and mentors

Faculty advisers are available to provide comprehensive educational advice and personal support. You meet with your adviser periodically throughout the program to review your progress and career goals and ensure that your educational needs are being met. Your adviser may serve as a contact point for introducing you and your family to the Phoenix metropolitan area and the Mayo Clinic system. 

Visiting professors

Many prominent professors visit Mayo Clinic each year. They present their work during lectures, participate in hospital rounds and have informal discussions with trainees. You are encouraged to take full advantage of these educational opportunities.