Medical Toxicology Fellowship
Overview
Atlanta's premier medical and governmental toxicology institutions have come together to provide an extraordinarily rich and rewarding opportunity for training in Medical Toxicology.
Each year, our ACGME-accredited program offers two new fellows the chance to learn from some of the world's foremost toxicology experts. This two-year program offers fellows affiliations with Emory University Medical School, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and more. Fellows also work with world-class Medical Toxicology experts at the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), five Atlanta-area hospitals, and the Georgia Poison Center - one of the busiest poison call centers in the country.
Clinical Training
The fellowship involves both clinical activity and research. Our program's clinical emphasis is designed to help nurture practice skills. The Emory/Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Medical Toxicology Fellowship offers broad training, especially in areas now receiving increased emphasis on the Medical Toxicology board exam. Mentors come from a wide range of fields including: Computational Toxicology, emergency preparedness and response, Emergency Medicine, Environmental and Occupational Medicine, Epidemiology, geographic information systems, health policy, laboratory analysis, Pediatrics, Preventive Medicine, and public health surveillance.
As a result of this breadth of experience, the program's physicians and scientists in Medical Toxicology offer fellows uniquely well-rounded training in a variety of areas:
- Bedside evaluation and care of poison patients
- Working with a diverse patient population in diverse clinical settings
- Poison center activities and statewide consultation
- Preventive toxicological practice
- Environmental and occupational outpatient consultation
- Environmental public health research
- Toxicant-related problems in international settings
- Toxicological ansd epidemiologic research
Fellows spend plenty of time dealing with poisoning, but also are involved in field investigations of toxicological problems, wherever they may occur. The fellowship includes ample opportunity for travel, both international and domestic. Fellows can expect to take part in several research trips during their tenure. Gaining experience means sometimes going to where the exposure happens.
Public Health Training
Fellows are extensively trained in numerous areas of public health importance. The fellows have received training in HAZWOPER, HAZCAT, Handling Radiation Emergencies, Weapons of Mass Destruction Technical Emergency Response, and Advanced Hazmat Life Support. They have hands-on experience in chemical and radiological decontamination, all levels of personal protective equipment including the proper use of a respirator, and use of detection equipment for chemical and radiological agents.
Epidemiological Investigations
The program is unique among ACGME-accredited programs with its emphasis on public health, epidemiology, and preventive toxicology practice in addition to clinical care. Since the start of the program, the Medical Toxicology residents have participated in epidemiological investigations of exposures to hazardous materials and the health effects resulting from those exposures. Fellows, under the guidance of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) epidemiologists, have also had firsthand experience with outbreak response and public health practice. This is in direct contrast to other fellowships, which are incapable of offering comparable experiences. Examples include:
- The investigation into a ricin-containing envelope at a South Carolina Postal Facility
- First-hand assistance with ongoing efforts in the mass arsenic poisonings in Bangladesh
- Leading and co-leading several epidemiological investigations through the Health Studies Branch
- Investigating ackee fruit poisoning in Haiti
- Assisting in the cancer cluster investigation in Fallon, Nevada
- Studying the epidemiology of rashes among school children in Pennsylvania
- Unexplained illness in the Ukraine
- Evaluation of pesticide exposure in the aftermath of hurricane Isabelle in Virginia
- The residents also participate in CDC and ATSDR terrorism preparedness and response activities.
For more information about the Emory/CDC Medical Toxiclogy Fellowship please visit the following sites:
- http://www.em.emory.edu/services/toxicology/education/fellowships.html and
- http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/hsb/chemicals/fellowship.htm
Contact Us
If you would like additional information about the Emory/CDC Medical Toxicology Fellowship Program, please contact:
 |
Brent W. Morgan, MD Fellowship Director Georgia Poison Center 80 Jesse Hill Jr. Drive Atlanta, GA 30303 404-616-4403 bmorg02@emory.edu |