Chief: Gregory Mertz, MD
Dr. Mertz obtained his MD degree from Rush Medical College in Chicago in 1977. He completed
residency training in Internal Medicine and fellowship training in Infectious Diseases at the
University of Washington in Seattle. He is board certified in Internal Medicine and Infectious
Diseases. Dr. Mertz joined the faculty at The University of New Mexico in 1983 and became Chief
of the Division of Infectious Diseases in 1995. His special interests are in clinical virology,
including: hantaviruses, herpes viruses, HIV, AIDS, and antiviral therapy.
For additional information about Dr. Mertz' research interests, publications, funding and collaborators, please
click here.
Marcos Burgos, MD
Dr. Marcos Burgos is an assistant professor and Medical Director of the Tuberculosis Program for the New Mexico Department of Health. Dr. Burgos completed
residency training in internal medicine at Yale University, an infectious diseases fellowship at Stanford University and a tuberculosis fellowship at the
University of California San Francisco. He is board certified in Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases. Dr. Burgos’ research focuses in international
health, tuberculosis control programs, drug-resistant tuberculosis and molecular epidemiology. He has published several original research papers in these
areas. In his role as Medical Director of the tuberculosis program, he supervises the care of patients and consults with medical providers to oversee
treatment of tuberculosis in New Mexico. Dr. Burgos is also collaborating with the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease, where he
is currently a member of the steering committee on clinical trials and coordinator of clinical trials in Latin America for tuberculosis. He currently
has collaborative research projects in Bolivia, Colombia and Peru.
Thomas Byrd, III, MD
Dr. Byrd received his MD from Vanderbilt University and completed his residency at the University
of Florida where he also served as Chief Medical Resident. He completed a clinical fellowship at
UCLA and the research component of his training in the laboratory of Dr. Marcus Horwitz where he
was the recipient of an NIH National Research Service Award (NRSA). Dr. Byrd is a Professor of
Medicine, ACOS for Research at the New Mexico Veterans Health Care System (NMVHCS) and Assistant
Dean for VA Research at UNM. He is a clinical investigator with a strong commitment to laboratory
investigation. His research focuses on mycobacterial pathogenesis, including Mycobacterium tuberculosis
and nontuberculous mycobacteria. He is currently the recipient of the DeSouza Research Award from the
American Lung Association funded to study the role of glycopeptidolipid in M. abscessus colonization
and invasion.
Lab Information
Ravi Durvasula, MD
Dr. Durvasula is an Associate Professor and Chief of Medicine
at the New Mexico VA Health Care System. He obtained his MD from McGill University in Montreal,
Canada and did residency training at Baylor College of Medicine. He was a fellow of the Howard Hughes
Medical Institute at Yale. Dr. Durvasula's laboratory focuses on transgenic and paratransgenic
approaches to control of vector-borne diseases such as Chagas disease and Leishmaniasis. He currently
has collaborative research programs in Brazil, Guatemala, Argentina and India. Dr. Durvasula's research
also involves development of novel paratransgenic delivery systems for application at human mucosal
surfaces.
Lab Information
Wendy Gerstein, MD
Dr. Gerstein received her MD from the University of Vermont. From there she completed her residency at
Maine Medical Center and her fellowship at UNM in the Division of Infectious Diseases. Dr. Gerstein is
an Assistant Professor in the Division of Infectious Diseases at the Veterans Medical Center.
Diane Goade, MD
Dr. Goade received her MD from the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center in 1988 and completed
residency training in Internal Medicine at the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center. She
completed a fellowship in Infectious Diseases and a research fellowship in Sexually Transmitted Diseases
and is board certified in Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases. Dr. Goade is an Associate Professor
at the University of New Mexico Department of Internal Medicine. Her specialty is clinical and molecular
virology research, with an emphasis on herpes simplex and hantaviruses.
Michelle Iandiorio, MD
Dr. Iandiorio is an Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine. She received her medical degree from
Upstate Medical University in Syracruse, NY. She then completed her Internal Medicine residency and
fellowship in Infectious Diseases at the University of New Mexico. Dr. Iandiorio's interests include
medical education, HIV medicine outpatient antibiotic therapy and antimicrobial resistant organisms,
i.e. MRSA.
Susan Kellie, MD, MPH
My primary interests within the field of hospital epidemiology include methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA), prevention of
surgical site infection, and influenza prevention. In a collaboration with Tricore Microbiology, our staff perform pulsed-field
gel electrophoresis, primarily of MRSA, but also of gram-negative pathogens. We have used a digital gel scanner and digital gel
analytic software to build a large database of MRSA genotypes from patients at both UNMHSC and the New Mexico VA Healthcare Systems.
This database in molecular epidemiology supports nosocomial outbreak investigations and research projects.
Fellows are offered the opportunity to spend a full month in hospital epidemiology and infection control and
learn surveillance methodology, best practices and current guidelines in infection control, and participate in
community-based activities in influenza vaccine promotion and pandemic preparedness. Fellows are encouraged to
do outbreak investigations, where available, and to participate in hospital quality improvement activities.
This introduction to concepts of population health at the hospital level prepares fellows to design research
projects in hospital epidemiology and infection control.
Recent research in which I have mentored fellows included outcomes of an antimicrobial stewardship intervention
(presented at the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America meeting 2007) and persistence of colonization of
MRSA (presented at the Infectious Diseases Society of America meeting 2007). Current projects include outcomes for
patients colonized with MRSA at hospital admission, incorporating genotyping information and mupirocin resistance
testing.
Sam Lee, MD, PhD
Dr. Lee is a graduate of the Boston University School of Medicine, and completed his internship and residency at the
Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. He completed his fellowship in Infectious Diseases at Yale University School
of Medicine, and continued at Yale as a Staff Physician at VA Connecticut Healthcare System. He also obtained his Ph.D
in Investigative Medicine in the Yale Graduate School. Dr. Lee then became an Assistant Professor of Medicine in the
Division of Infectious Diseases, at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, and a member of the
San Antonio Center for Medical Mycology. He joined the faculty at UNM in September of 2007, and is the Section Chief,
Infectious Diseases at VA Albuquerque Medical Center. He is also the Medical Director of the HIV clinic at VA Albuquerque.
Dr. Lee studies the molecular pathogenesis of invasive candidiasis and also investigates translational aspects of Candida
infection, including mechanisms of echinocandin resistance and molecular epidemiology of oral candidiasis in immunosuppressed
patients. A major objective of Dr. Lee’s laboratory is to define the secretory pathways of secreted virulence proteins and
determine if mutations in these pathways have an effect on virulence in vivo. He is currently studying loss-of-function
mutations in several VPS (vacuole protein sorting) genes and their effects on aspartyl protease secretion, filamentation,
biofilm formation, and in vivo virulence. This work is supported by a Department of Veterans Affairs MERIT award.
A second major focus of his laboratory is identification of novel secretory proteins in C. albicans and their role in
virulence, using bioinformatic, genomic, and proteomic approaches. An additional goal is to identify novel markers of
invasive candidiasis, as current diagnostic methods for invasive candidiasis remain sub-optimal. Dr Lee’s lab is also
involved in translational research on invasive candidiasis, including collaborative studies of echinocandin-resistance
in clinical Candida isolates, and the molecular epidemiology of oral candidiasis.
Robert Munk, PhD
Bob Munk is Research Assistant Professor and the Program Director for the
AIDS InfoNet, a comprehensive website offering the most
updated information regarding HIV and AIDS.
Corey Tancik, MD
Dr. Tancik is Professor of Medicine with staff appointments at both the University of New Mexico and the Albuquerque Veterans
Affairs Hospital. He obtained his MD degree at the University of Colorado School of Medicine in 1985 and completed both his
residency and Infectious Diseases fellowship at the University of New Mexico. Prior to his return to New Mexico, Dr Tancik
served as assistant director of the Los Angeles County Department of Tuberculosis Control and was on the faculty of the
University of Arkansas for the Medical Sciences and the Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System. Dr Tancik is board
certified in both Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases. Dr. Tancik is the ID Fellowship Program Director.
Elaine Thomas, MD
Dr. Thomas is a Professor who joined the faculty in 1994. She received her MD at the
University of Washington in Seattle, WA. She completed her residency in Internal Medicine and her
fellowship in Infectious Diseases at the University of Washington. She is board certified in Internal
Medicine and Infectious Diseases. Her interests are in sexually transmitted diseases and HIV.
Karla Thornton, MD, MPH
Dr. Thornton received her MD Degree from the University of Texas, Dallas in 1992 and an MPH
from the University of Michigan, and completed residency training in Internal Medicine at the
University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center. She earned a fellowship in Infectious Diseases
and is board certified in Infectious Diseases and Internal Medicine. Dr. Thornton is an Associate
Professor at the University of New Mexico Department of Internal Medicine. Her interests are HIV and Hepatitis C.
For additional information about Dr. Thornton's research interests,
please
click here.
S. Bruce Williams, MD, MPH
Specializing in caring for HIV-positive patients, Dr. Williams is board certified in Family Practice.
He completed a residency in Family Practice at the University of Arizona after graduating from the
University of North Carolina School of Medicine. Dr. Williams is a professor at the UNM School of
Medicine and practices at the Truman Street Health Services Clinic.
Dr. Mertz obtained his MD degree from Rush Medical College in Chicago in 1977. He completed
residency training in Internal Medicine and fellowship training in Infectious Diseases at the
University of Washington in Seattle. He is board certified in Internal Medicine and Infectious
Diseases. Dr. Mertz joined the faculty at The University of New Mexico in 1983 and became Chief
of the Division of Infectious Diseases in 1995. His special interests are in clinical virology,
including: hantaviruses, herpes viruses, HIV, AIDS, and antiviral therapy.
For additional information about Dr. Mertz' research interests, publications, funding and collaborators, please 
Dr. Marcos Burgos is an assistant professor and Medical Director of the Tuberculosis Program for the New Mexico Department of Health. Dr. Burgos completed
residency training in internal medicine at Yale University, an infectious diseases fellowship at Stanford University and a tuberculosis fellowship at the
University of California San Francisco. He is board certified in Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases. Dr. Burgos’ research focuses in international
health, tuberculosis control programs, drug-resistant tuberculosis and molecular epidemiology. He has published several original research papers in these
areas. In his role as Medical Director of the tuberculosis program, he supervises the care of patients and consults with medical providers to oversee
treatment of tuberculosis in New Mexico. Dr. Burgos is also collaborating with the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease, where he
is currently a member of the steering committee on clinical trials and coordinator of clinical trials in Latin America for tuberculosis. He currently
has collaborative research projects in Bolivia, Colombia and Peru.
Dr. Byrd received his MD from Vanderbilt University and completed his residency at the University
of Florida where he also served as Chief Medical Resident. He completed a clinical fellowship at
UCLA and the research component of his training in the laboratory of Dr. Marcus Horwitz where he
was the recipient of an NIH National Research Service Award (NRSA). Dr. Byrd is a Professor of
Medicine, ACOS for Research at the New Mexico Veterans Health Care System (NMVHCS) and Assistant
Dean for VA Research at UNM. He is a clinical investigator with a strong commitment to laboratory
investigation. His research focuses on mycobacterial pathogenesis, including Mycobacterium tuberculosis
and nontuberculous mycobacteria. He is currently the recipient of the DeSouza Research Award from the
American Lung Association funded to study the role of glycopeptidolipid in M. abscessus colonization
and invasion.
Dr. Durvasula is an Associate Professor and Chief of Medicine
at the New Mexico VA Health Care System. He obtained his MD from McGill University in Montreal,
Canada and did residency training at Baylor College of Medicine. He was a fellow of the Howard Hughes
Medical Institute at Yale. Dr. Durvasula's laboratory focuses on transgenic and paratransgenic
approaches to control of vector-borne diseases such as Chagas disease and Leishmaniasis. He currently
has collaborative research programs in Brazil, Guatemala, Argentina and India. Dr. Durvasula's research
also involves development of novel paratransgenic delivery systems for application at human mucosal
surfaces.
Dr. Gerstein received her MD from the University of Vermont. From there she completed her residency at
Maine Medical Center and her fellowship at UNM in the Division of Infectious Diseases. Dr. Gerstein is
an Assistant Professor in the Division of Infectious Diseases at the Veterans Medical Center.
Dr. Goade received her MD from the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center in 1988 and completed
residency training in Internal Medicine at the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center. She
completed a fellowship in Infectious Diseases and a research fellowship in Sexually Transmitted Diseases
and is board certified in Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases. Dr. Goade is an Associate Professor
at the University of New Mexico Department of Internal Medicine. Her specialty is clinical and molecular
virology research, with an emphasis on herpes simplex and hantaviruses.
Dr. Iandiorio is an Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine. She received her medical degree from
Upstate Medical University in Syracruse, NY. She then completed her Internal Medicine residency and
fellowship in Infectious Diseases at the University of New Mexico. Dr. Iandiorio's interests include
medical education, HIV medicine outpatient antibiotic therapy and antimicrobial resistant organisms,
i.e. MRSA.
My primary interests within the field of hospital epidemiology include methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA), prevention of
surgical site infection, and influenza prevention. In a collaboration with Tricore Microbiology, our staff perform pulsed-field
gel electrophoresis, primarily of MRSA, but also of gram-negative pathogens. We have used a digital gel scanner and digital gel
analytic software to build a large database of MRSA genotypes from patients at both UNMHSC and the New Mexico VA Healthcare Systems.
This database in molecular epidemiology supports nosocomial outbreak investigations and research projects. 
Dr. Lee is a graduate of the Boston University School of Medicine, and completed his internship and residency at the
Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. He completed his fellowship in Infectious Diseases at Yale University School
of Medicine, and continued at Yale as a Staff Physician at VA Connecticut Healthcare System. He also obtained his Ph.D
in Investigative Medicine in the Yale Graduate School. Dr. Lee then became an Assistant Professor of Medicine in the
Division of Infectious Diseases, at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, and a member of the
San Antonio Center for Medical Mycology. He joined the faculty at UNM in September of 2007, and is the Section Chief,
Infectious Diseases at VA Albuquerque Medical Center. He is also the Medical Director of the HIV clinic at VA Albuquerque.
Bob Munk is Research Assistant Professor and the Program Director for the
Dr. Tancik is Professor of Medicine with staff appointments at both the University of New Mexico and the Albuquerque Veterans
Affairs Hospital. He obtained his MD degree at the University of Colorado School of Medicine in 1985 and completed both his
residency and Infectious Diseases fellowship at the University of New Mexico. Prior to his return to New Mexico, Dr Tancik
served as assistant director of the Los Angeles County Department of Tuberculosis Control and was on the faculty of the
University of Arkansas for the Medical Sciences and the Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System. Dr Tancik is board
certified in both Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases. Dr. Tancik is the ID Fellowship Program Director. 
Dr. Thomas is a Professor who joined the faculty in 1994. She received her MD at the
University of Washington in Seattle, WA. She completed her residency in Internal Medicine and her
fellowship in Infectious Diseases at the University of Washington. She is board certified in Internal
Medicine and Infectious Diseases. Her interests are in sexually transmitted diseases and HIV.
Dr. Thornton received her MD Degree from the University of Texas, Dallas in 1992 and an MPH
from the University of Michigan, and completed residency training in Internal Medicine at the
University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center. She earned a fellowship in Infectious Diseases
and is board certified in Infectious Diseases and Internal Medicine. Dr. Thornton is an Associate
Professor at the University of New Mexico Department of Internal Medicine. Her interests are HIV and Hepatitis C.
For additional information about Dr. Thornton's research interests,
please 
Specializing in caring for HIV-positive patients, Dr. Williams is board certified in Family Practice.
He completed a residency in Family Practice at the University of Arizona after graduating from the
University of North Carolina School of Medicine. Dr. Williams is a professor at the UNM School of
Medicine and practices at the Truman Street Health Services Clinic.