IDBugBowl is almost here, and the team from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai is getting ready. Read more about the competitors, their training routines, their favorite pathogens and what they love most about ID. Check out profiles of the other teams competing this year on the IDWeek Daily News blog.
Alex Matelski, MD, Medical Microbiology Fellow
How are you preparing for the competition? What’s your training/practice routine?
It’s a daily grind getting ready for the pinnacle of performance that is IDBugBowl! The Mount Sinai team is running laps through the ICU checking central line dressings, doing blind agar plate sniff tests to build up our bacterial-scent-identification skills and deadlifting bags of daptomycin to make sure we’re in tip-top shape! All jokes aside, we’re reviewing some of the great cases we see on rounds and diving deep to learn more about each patient!
What inspired you to pursue a career in ID?
I had an amazing mentor, John Farrell, MD, an ID doc at the University of Illinois, who told me: “You have to pick a career where you can have fun each day.” For me, that was clearly infectious disease, where you’re always rewarded for your curiosity in an infinitely interesting microbial world.
What part of the ID field interests you the most?
I’m currently doing a one-year medical microbiology fellowship to make myself a better diagnostic steward. I’m always interested in the question: “How can we order better tests and interpret them more intelligently?”
What’s your favorite pathogen?
I stan ectoparasites! The humble Pediculus humanus (body louse) has influenced so much of human history through the diseases it transmits, like typhus and trench fever. It’s been hanging around with us since the first caveperson put on a loincloth!
What’s your favorite medical TV show, past or present?
I have so much trouble watching medical TV because the situations are so silly. Like, why are there three residents in the MRI suite? Shouldn’t you be seeing patients and writing notes? Go do your job!
Andrew Robinson, MD, Second-Year Infectious Diseases Fellow
What are you doing to prepare for the competition? What’s your training/practice routine?
Our team is planning to use a combination of reading, flashcards and questions to prepare. We are planning to meet to practice together as well.
What inspired you to pursue a career in ID?
I was always inspired by the passion and knowledge of the ID physicians I encountered during my training, as well as their eagerness to share this knowledge with trainees! I find it satisfying to play the role of detective, putting together pieces of a puzzle and finding the correct diagnosis. I also love being able to interact with so many different areas within medicine, collaborating with surgeons, radiologists, pathologists and many others on our quest to create the best treatment plan for our patient.
What part of the ID field interests you the most?
I am passionate about antimicrobial stewardship, especially as we see increasingly drug-resistant organisms more and more often. The role of the antibiotic steward is paramount in the age of modern medicine.
What’s your favorite pathogen?
My favorite pathogen is S. aureus. Nothing rare or exotic, but I have an appreciation for its virulence, ability to cause a wide variety of infections and the complexity of its treatment, especially for deep-seated infections.
What’s your favorite medical TV show, past or present?
My favorite medical TV show is Nurse Jackie; it was a raw and emotional comedy, and I loved all the characters in it, and their character development.
Juan Luis Quintana Ruiz, MD, PGY-3
How are you preparing for the competition? What’s your training/practice routine?
Mostly reading around the cases we encounter in practice and reviewing ID fundamentals, and hoping residency has been training me for this moment all along.
What inspired you to pursue a career in ID?
There wasn’t really one defining moment that drew me to ID. I think a lot of it comes from where I come from. I trained in Peru before moving to New York, and ID has been a common thread through those very different experiences. Through it, I learned that understanding an infection often means stepping back and understanding the person behind the disease, and that became the lens through which I approach medicine.
What part of the ID field interests you the most?
Probably the intersection of global health and antimicrobial stewardship. I love how ID changes depending on where in the world you are (or where your patient has been), from the infections you encounter to the resources and antibiotics you have available. Figuring out the best answer within that context is what I find most interesting.
What’s your favorite pathogen?
Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Growing up and training in Peru, TB was never just something I read about in textbooks. I love that it can show up almost anywhere, look like almost anything and still find a way to surprise you. Then I came all the way to Queens and found myself caring for the same disease in a completely different setting. That really made me realize how much society shapes who gets exposed, who gets sick and ultimately how infections spread.
What’s your favorite medical TV show, past or present?
Definitely Grey’s Anatomy, but I only made it through season 9. I used to watch it all the time. Now, after a long day at the hospital, watching a medical show just feels like staying late at work.
Editor’s Note: Responses have been lightly edited for clarity.