Trainee Research Program | Infectious Diseases

Faculty Lead: Cara Varley, MD, MPH

Goals of the Infectious Disease Trainee Research Program

  1. Streamline and increase trainee access to ID-related scholarly projects
  2. Increase our ability to provide opportunities for multi-level trainee projects where ID faculty, fellows, medical and pharmacy residents and students, MPH and PhD students can collaborate
  3. Increase ID scholarly collaborations between Divisions within the School of Medicine and the OHSU-PSU School of Public Health
  4. Improve trainee knowledge base on research methodology,  approaches and limitations during scholarly projects
  5. Increase opportunities for trainees to publish their scholarly work

Interested in ID research? Please contact Cara to discuss how to get started in our program.

Current Trainees

Mikaela Haglund – Epidemiology Student

Haley Miller – Epidemiology Student

Alexandria Shonk – Epidemiology Student

Katie Luis – Medical Student

Bruce Gregoire – Internal Medicine Resident

Rebecca Parmenter – Medical Student

Nora Fisher-Campbell – Medical Student

Benjamin Wagner - Internal Medicine Resident

Katie Luis – Medical Student

Austin Martin – Medical Student

Apoorva Bhaskara – Internal Medicine Resident

Farzana Karim – Epidemiology Student

Scholarly Work

Sheth, R, Bhaskara A, Brown H, Varley CD, Streifel A, Maier M, Sikka MK, Evans C. Infections Following Gender-affirming Vaginoplasty: A Single Center Experience. Open Forum Infectious Diseases. 2024 Sep. doi: 10.1093/ofid/ofae526.

Zane H, Brunton A, Carney PA, Haney E, Bonura EM. Team-Based Learning as a Feasible, Acceptable, and Effective Educational Method for Internal Medicine Trainees - A Multi-phase Intervention and Cohort Comparison. J Gen Intern Med. 2024 Aug 6. doi: 10.1007/s11606-024-08891-8. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 39105994.

Streifel AC, Luis K, Nakrani M, Yu D, Sikka MK, Varley CD, Douglass A, Mayer H, Young K, Lewis JS 2nd. Put the Vanc Down, Flip It and Reverse It: Comparison of Vancomycin and Daptomycin Health Care Utilization and Cost in Outpatient Parenteral Antimicrobial Therapy. Open Forum Infect Dis. 2024 Jul 25;11(8):ofae438. doi: 10.1093/ofid/ofae438. PMID: 39130079; PMCID: PMC11310585.

Streifel AC, Rivera Sarti JE, Sikka MK, Conte M, Winders B, Varley CD. Fixing a Hole: a retrospective cohort study evaluating HAV, HBV, tetanus screening, and vaccination during hospitalization in persons who use substances. Ther Adv Infect Dis. 2024 Apr 27;11:20499361241245822. doi: 10.1177/20499361241245822. PMID: 38681966; PMCID: PMC11055482.

Nix CD, Messer WB, Boda A, MacKay KT, Holmquist J, Adams LL, Gladwin E, Pfeiffer CD. Preventing unnecessary urine cultures at a Veteran's affairs healthcare system. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol. 2024 Mar 25:1-3. doi: 10.1017/ice.2024.44. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 38525672.

J. Babiarz, H. Ryu, C. Williams, Y. Ham, J. Rivera Sarti, X.A. Levander, Slicing through silos: Development and evaluation of a hospital-based telehealth hepatitis C virus treatment program, International Journal of Drug Policy, Volume 127, 2024, 104396, ISSN 0955-3959, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugpo.2024.104396. 

Park HS, McCracken CM, Lininger N, Varley CD, Sikka MK, Evans C, Villamagna AH, Makadia JT, McGregor JC. Incidence and risk factors for clinically confirmed secondary bacterial infections in patients hospitalized for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol. 2023 May 15. 1-7. doi: 10.1017/ice.2023.27.

Varley CD, Conte M, Streifel AC, Winders B, Sikka MK. Screening for Co-infections in Patients with Substance Use Disorders and Severe Bacterial Infections. Therapeutic Advances in Infectious Disease. October 2022. doi:10.1177/20499361221132132

Streifel A, Varley CD, Ham Y, Sikka M, Lewis J. The challenge of antibiotic selection in prosthetic joint infections due to Corynebacterium striatum: a case report. BMC Infectious Diseases. 2022/03; 22(1):290. doi: 10.1186/s12879-022-07270-0.

Conte M, Schneider B, Varley CD, Streifel AC, Sikka MK. Description and outcomes of patients with substance use disorder with serious bacterial infections who had a multidisciplinary care conference. Therapeutic Advances in Infectious Disease. January 2022. doi:10.1177/20499361221117974

Keltner, C., Haedinger, L., Carney, P.A. et al. Preclinical Assessment Performance as a Predictor of USMLE Step 1 Scores or Passing Status. Med.Sci.Educ. 31, 1453–1462 (2021). doi.org/10.1007/s40670-021-01334-7

Varley CD, Streifel AC, Bair AM, et al. Nontuberculous Mycobacterial Pulmonary Disease in the Immunocompromised Host. Clinics in Chest Medicine 2023. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ccm.2023.06.007. 

Zane H, Strnad L. The Approach to Intravascular Infections. In: Armstrong WS, Bonura EM. Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases: A medical student and faculty collaboration. Wolters Kluwer 2023 (in submission).

Sathe N, Evans C. Spirochetes, Rickettsiae, Chlamydiae and Mycoplasma. In: Armstrong WS, Bonura EM. Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases: A medical student and faculty collaboration. Wolters Kluwer 2023 (in submission).

Sarah L. Becker B.A., Gregory S. Phillips M.D., Jesse J. Keller M.D., M.C.R., Radhika Sheth M.B., B.S., Stephanie Egge M.D., Stephanie Mengden Koon M.D., Alex G. Ortega-Loayza M.D., M.C.R. Leishmaniasis masquerading as pyoderma gangrenosum in a non-endemic area: A case report. American Academy of Dermatology, Gross and Microscopic Dermatology Symposium. March 2025.

Apoorva Bhaskara, Radhika Sheth, Christopher D. Pfeiffer. Fellows' Day Workshop: Case Presentation #4. IDWeek 2024, October 16, 2024. 8:00AM-12:15PM.

Radhika Sheth, Apoorva Bhaskara, Haley M. Brown, Cara D. Varley, Amber C. Streifel, Marissa Maier, Monica K. Sikka, Christopher Evans. Infections in Gender-Affirming Surgery: A Single-center Experience with Gender-affirming Vaginoplasty. P-391. IDWeek 2024, October 17, 2024. 12:15-1:30PM.

Julieta Madrid-Morales, Robert Bosch, Marissa Maier, Kristina L. Bajema . Microbiologic and histologic concordance of pedal osteomyelitis and association with infection progressionP-84. IDWeek 2024, October 17, 2024. 12:15-1:30PM.

Amanda E. Brunton, Luke Strnad. The Predictive Accuracy of Clinical Covariates in Differentiating Staphylococcus aureus Bacteremia with and without Deep-Seated Foci of Infection via Application of Different Variable Selection Methodologies. P-802. IDWeek 2024, October 18, 2024. 12:15-1:30PM.

Jennifer H. Ku, Yuqian M. Gu, Cheyne Hoke, Tsai Yu Tseng, Yi Luo, Rulin C. Hechter, Bradley Ackerson, Cara D. Varley. Screening and vaccination for tetanus, hepatitis A, and hepatitis B in individuals with substance use disorders, hospitalized at a U.S. integrated healthcare system. P-1297. IDWeek 2024, October 18, 2024. 12:15-1:30PM.

Samara Levine, Brian Carpenter, Amber C. Streifel, Alexandria Shonk, Cara D. Varley. Impact of COVID-19 and Mpox on Inpatient Screening of STIs. P-1376. IDWeek 2024, October 18, 2024. 12:15-1:30PM.

Bruce Gregoire, Alexander Matelski, Lauren A. Beste, Emily Cartwright, Elliott Lowy, Cara D. Varley, Timothy R. Morgan, David B. Ross, Karine Rozenberg-Ben-Dror, Marissa M. Maier. Hepatitis C Virus Re-infection in the Direct-Acting Antiviral Era within the US Veterans Health Administration. P-2192. IDWeek 2024, October 19, 2024. 12:15-1:30PM.

Fisher-Campbell NE, Miller H, DeBacker NA, Wagner BM, Strnad LC, Varley CD. Discrepancies in Species Identification and Antibiotic Susceptibility Testing between Labs in Non-tuberculous Mycobacteria. American Thoracic Society 2024. May 2024.

Osman, Samantha R.; Karaoke, Bettie W.; Coulter, Felicity A.; Sullivan, Peter E.; Booty, Brian L.; Messer, William B. NS1 Specific Antibodies Elicited By The Yellow Fever Vaccine 17D. 7th Pan-American Dengue Research Network Meeting, November 2023, Lima, Peru.

Coulter, Felicity J.; Kareko, Bettie W.; Osman, Samantha R.; Micheletti, Courtney R.; Estrada, Abram E.1; Sullivan, Peter D.; Booty, Brian L.3 Messer, William B. Potency And Breadth Of 17D-Elicited Neutralizing Antibodies Against Wild-Type Yellow Fever Viruses In A Non-Endemic Cohort With Diverse Flavivirus Infection Histories. 7th Pan-American Dengue Research Network Meeting, November 2023, Lima, Peru.

Abharika Sapru, MD, Marissa Maier, MD, Amy Moran, PhD, Kristina Hernandez, MA, Patty Carney, PhD, Kate Keller, PhD, Casey Seideman, MD, Seiko Izumi, PhD, Leah Reznick, MD, Brenda LaVigne, PA, Carmem Pfeifer, PhD, Amy Ross, PhD, RN, Christine Flores, MPH, Leslie Garcia, MPA, Amy Kobus, PhD. Gender Inequity in Academic Promotion during COVID19 Pandemic at OHSU. Oregon American College of Physicians, October 2023. First place for the “Health Systems” category.

Natalie Craig, MD, Peter Stenzel, MD, Erin Bonura, M.D., M.C.R. The vitality of early action in acute liver failure, a case of HSV-1 Hepatitis. Oregon American College of Physicians, October 2023.

Felicity J. Coulter, Bettie W. Kareko, Samantha R. Osman, Courtney A Micheletti, Zoe L. Lyski, Brian L. Booty, William B. Messer. Breadth and potency of neutralizing antibodies to YFV up to 10 years post vaccination. (poster presentation) A Panel Of Wild-Type Yellow Fever Viruses Reveal New Insights Into The Potency And Breadth Of 17D-Elicited Neutralizing Antibodies In A Vaccinated Cohort. Annual Meeting of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, October 2023.

Alexandria Shonk, Jessina C McGregor, Amber Streifel, Monica Sikka, ​Christopher Evans, Angela Holly Villamagna, Jina T Makadia, Cara D Varley. The Association Between Patient Insurance and Severe COVID-19 Outcomes​: OHSU Research Week, May 2023.

Felicity J. Coulter, Bettie W. Kareko, Samantha R. Osman, Courtney A. Micheletti†, Zoe L. Lyski, Brian L. Booty, William B. Messer. Breadth and potency of neutralizing antibodies to yellow fever virus (YFV), up to 10 years postvaccination. Supplement to the American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, Annual Meeting, November 2022

Courtney A. Micheletti†, Samantha R. Osman, Whitney C. Weber, Brian Booty, William B. Messer. Variable neutralization of sylvatic dengue by human primary dengue immune sera. Supplement to the American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, Annual Meeting, November 2022.

Bettie W. Kareko, Brian L. Booty, Felicity J. Coulter, Micheletti Courtney†, David X. Lee†, William B. Messer. evaluating the potency of yellow fever vaccine serum neutralizing antibodies (≥ 10 years postvaccination) against wild type yellow fever and vaccine strain viruses in a non-endemic cohort. Supplement to the American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, Annual Meeting, November 2022.

Zoe L. Lyski, Brian Booty, Courtney A. Micheletti†, Samantha R. Osman, Rachel Rodríguez-Santiago, Vanessa Rivera-Amill, William B. Messer. Longitudinal assessment of dengue NS1-specific humoral immune memory in human cohorts following primary dengue infection. Supplement to the American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, Annual Meeting, November 2022.

Sathe N, Bonura EM. Online Spaced Education to Teach Microbiology to Medical Students in a Threaded Medical School Curriculum. In: IDWeek (virtual). October 2020

Kristen McClellan, BA, BSN and others, 257. Staphylococcus aureus Bacteremia: Does Intravenous Drug Use Impact Quality of Care and Clinical Outcomes?, Open Forum Infectious Diseases, Volume 7, Issue Supplement_1, October 2020, Pages S127–S128. doi.org/10.1093/ofid/ofaa439.301

  1. Title: Online Spaced Education to Teach Microbiology to Medical Students in a Threaded Medical School Curriculum
    Source: Infectious Diseases Society of America
    Amount: $2,000
    Role: Principal Investigator
    %Effort: Funded FTE 0
    Mentee/Co-investigator: Nishad Sathe
    Timeframe: 7/2018-6/2019
  2. Title: Online Spaced Education to Teach Microbiology to Medical Students in a Threaded Medical School Curriculum
    Source: OHSU SOM Innovations in Education Mini-grant
    Amount: $5,550
    Role: Principal Investigator
    %Effort: Funded FTE 0

    Mentee/Co-investigator: Nishad Sathe
    Timeframe: 7/2018-6/2019