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Hooked on ID with Susan C. Bleasdale, MD
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I fell in love with infectious disease as a student. As the Sherlock Holmes of medicine, you must investigate all aspects; the illness, underlying diseases, the environment, travel, pets, and how best to treat the patient. You need to understand the entire body, not one single organ system, and you need a thorough knowledge of infections. Organisms from around the world and within your own microbiome can cause disease. Regulatory requirements and value programs to reduce hospital infections highlight the importance of ID to administrators, and ID physicians are sought to lead these quality improvements.
My mentors have been leaders in ID; Alan Harris, Stuart Levin, Gordon Trenholme, Larry Goodman, Mary Hayden and Robert Weinstein. All of these professionals impacted my career in a meaningful way and represent the diversity of opportunities in ID: infection control, antimicrobial stewardship, research, HIV, medical education, advocacy and leadership. I have incorporated these aspects into my career, and I love what I do. Every day is something new and exciting. Just when I feel the creep of the doldrums of burnout, something new needs my attention. From protective equipment for highly infectious diseases to drug-resistant infections to patient education. It’s a great job.