Clinical Strengths
The Division of Infectious Disease at RUMC cares for people with weak immune systems who are at risk for complicated infections. Faculty who concentrate in the care of these patients include Drs. Eric Bhaimia, Graeme Forrest, Yoona Rhee, and Carlos Santos. This group of physicians has expertise in the prevention and treatment of infections in solid organ transplant recipients, stem cell transplant patients and other immunocompromised hosts, and run a busy consultative service for these patients. Fellows participate in the care of these patients from their first year, and attain expertise in Transplant Infectious Disease. ID physicians are embedded within the solid organ transplant and cancer center service lines at RUMC. RUMC faculty specializing in the care of these patients have national recognition, and participate in guideline development, and the writing of book chapters, Up-To-Date chapters, and reviews. Examples of these include:
- Up-To-Date: Clinical manifestations, diagnosis, and management of cytomegalovirus disease in kidney transplant recipients
- Up-To-Date: Prevention of active infection and disease in kidney transplant recipients
- Baddley, JW, Forrest, GN. Cryptococcosis in solid organ transplantation-Guidelines from the American Society of Transplantation Infectious Diseases Community of Practice. Clinical Transplantation. 2019;33:e13543.
- Rhee Y, Sha BE, Santos CAQ. (2020), Optimizing Vaccination in Adult Patients With Liver Disease and Liver Transplantation. Clinical Liver Disease 2020; 15: 63-68.
- Santos CAQ, Rhee Y, Czapka MT, Kazi AS, Proia LA. Make Sure You Have a Safety Net: Updates in the Prevention and Management of Infectious Complications in Stem Cell Transplant Recipients. J Clin Med. 2020 Mar; 9(3): 865.
- Bhaimia, E, Jung JH, Chan, EL, Shah, NN, Santos, CAQ. Breakthrough hepatitis B virus infection in a liver transplant recipient on lamivudine prophylaxis for donor hepatitis B core antibody seropositivity: a review of practices to prevent de novo hepatitis B virus infection after transplant. Clinical Liver Disease. 2021; 18:22-25.
Research Excellence
RUMC was one of 23 academic medical centers that pioneered kidney and liver transplantation in HIV-positive patients. RUMC is currently a participant in the NIH-funded HOPE in Action U01 study led by Johns Hopkins University, and enrolls patients living with HIV who have been listed for kidney and liver transplantation in trials where they consider accepting an HIV-positive organ. Faculty also perform epidemiology, outcomes, and infection control research in transplant infectious disease. Examples of research work include:
- Sun, HY, Alexander, BD, Huprikar S, Forrest, GN, Bruno, D, Lyon, GM, Wray, D, Johnson, LB, Sifri, CD, Razonable, RR, Morris, MI, Stosor, V, Wagener, MM, Singh, N. Predictors of immune reconstitution syndrome in organ transplant recipients with cryptococcosis: implications for management of immunosuppression. Clinical Infectious Diseases. 2015, 60:36-44.
- Santos, CAQ, Brennan, DC, Saeed, MJ, Fraser, VF, Olsen, MA. Pharmacoepidemiology of cytomegalovirus prophylaxis in a large retrospective cohort of kidney transplant recipients with Medicare Part D coverage. Clinical Transplantation. 2016, 30:435-44.
- George, IA, Spec, A, Powderly, WG, Santos, CAQ. The changing epidemiology of cryptococcal disease – a retrospective population-based study. Clinical Infectious Diseases. 2018, 66(4): 608-611.
- Santos, CAQ, Rhee, Y, Hollinger, EF, Olaitan, OK, Schadde, E, Peev, V, Saltzberg, SN, Hertl, M. Comparative Incidence and Outcomes of COVID-19 in Kidney or Kidney-Pancreas Transplant Recipients Versus Kidney or Kidney-Pancreas Waitlisted Patients: A Single-Center Study. Clinical Transplantation. 2021, 35(8): e14362.
- Trick, WE, Santos, CAQ, Welbel, S, Tseng, M, Zhang, H, Donceras, O, Martinez, AI, Lin, MY. Hospital-Acquired COVID-19 among Patient of Two Urban Acute-Care Hospitals: A Cohort Study. Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology. 2022, 19: 1-17.
- Yetmar, ZA, Bhaimia, E, Bierle, DM, Ganesh, R, Razonable, RR. Breakthrough COVID-19 after SARS-CoV-2 vaccination in solid organ transplant recipients: an analysis of symptomatic cases and monoclonal antibody therapy. Transplant Infectious Disease. 2022, 24:e13779.