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Pritish Tosh, M.D.
Program: Infectious Diseases, PGY-6, Mayo Clinic in Rochester
Hometown: St. Charles, Missouri (a suburb of St. Louis)
Medical School: University of Missouri – Columbia
What attracted you to medicine and infectious diseases?
"I have wanted to be a physician for as long as I can remember. Infectious Diseases intrigues me the most because we are essentially fighting organisms that can fight back and are constantly evolving trying to find new ways to attack the human body. One really has to know their enemy to fight effectively. The most intriguing aspect of Infectious Diseases for me is taking care of HIV patients. HIV was generally considered to be a death sentence not too long ago. It is a joy to see people with HIV doing well now, often with expectations for a normal life span."
What attracted you to Mayo Clinic for fellowship training?
"I know that many people move to Rochester just to do their medical training. Actually, it's not just physicians. In general, people will relocate here just to work at Mayo Clinic. This is true for nurses, other health care professionals and researchers too. The working environment is very collaborative and supportive. Even though world experts are everywhere, everyone is very approachable and easy to work with. The passion with which people approach patient care, teaching and research motivates everyone around them and perpetuate the excellence that defines the Mayo culture."
What makes the Mayo Clinic Infectious Diseases Fellowship unique?
"I divide the Infectious Diseases world into 'HIV' and 'Other.' Mayo sees more 'Other' category patients than anywhere else. Not just immune suppressed patients with hematology malignancies or transplant patients, but an enormous referral practice that includes some unique and rare conditions. I am amazed to see patients with everything from infections in return tropic travelers to endocarditis in congenital heart patients. In addition, there is a relatively large immigrant population in the community, which also means cases of tuberculosis. Bottom line, I chose Mayo Clinic to get the broadest and deepest clinical experience possible."
Anything surprise you about Mayo's program?
"I guess the biggest surprise is that, for the most part, Mayo's patients are not jet-setting executives from all over the world.Most of what we do involves local and regional patients -- largely farmers who may not be wealthy.They just have unique medical problems."
What is living in Rochester like for you?
"Rochester is a fantastic city in which to do your training. If you are driving for more than 20 minutes in this town, you are lost! It's such as easy city to navigate. Crime is minimal, the schools are great and the community is diverse and active. All of your general needs for restaurants and shopping are located in town; and if you have the occasion for more specialized fare, Minneapolis is short drive away. The number of residents and fellows at Mayo is quite large; however, the smaller size of the city gives the working environment the feel of a small, tightly knit community.
What does your future look like right now?
"I'm very excited about my future because of the specialized training I'm receiving. I plan to practice in public health and public health policy or in hospital infection control. Ultimately, my goal is to work for an organization like Centers for Disease Control (CDC), or at an academic institution focusing on infection control research. When I complete this fellowship, I want to be part of the epidemic intelligence service (EIS) of CDC doing outbreak investigation to further prepare me for my career in Infectious Diseases."
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