Medicine has evolved rapidly, giving rise to a growing number of specialties and subspecialties. The choice should reflect the personal and professional goals you have as a physician. Infectious disease specialists have eradicated smallpox worldwide, led the efforts to eliminate polio and developed vaccines that have enabled dramatic reductions in diseases such as hepatitis B and varicella. This dynamic and evolving discipline offers exciting opportunities for physicians who enjoy helping others through problem-solving and medical detective work. ID specialists have their choice of careers including academia, private practice, industry and public health.
Few specialties offer so many options.
Rewards include the fulfillment that comes from identifying the cause and cure for an affliction, whether it affects an individual patient or an entire population. ID experts focus on the interface between humans and the microbial world and the associated consequences of infections, which can range from mild to deadly. It is estimated that serious infectious diseases such as influenza, pneumococcal infections and hepatitis B claim the lives of more than 50,000 adults every year in the United States. Environmental conditions such as overcrowding, international travel and misuse of antibiotics have contributed to the growing complexity of infectious diseases. Existing and emerging diseases present a continuous threat to society.