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The Penn State Health Approach to Infectious Diseases

Infectious diseases specialists at Penn State Health offer complete care to prevent, diagnose, and treat illnesses caused by bacteria, viruses, fungi, and other pathogens. We also make sure you know how to prevent the spread of contagious diseases and protect yourself and your family.

As central Pennsylvania’s only tertiary care academic medical center, we are at the forefront of infectious diseases care. In partnership with Penn State College of Medicine, we offer the latest treatments backed by translational and clinical research.

It’s comforting to know you have an expert team on your side - dedicated specialists who use leading approaches to prevent and treat infectious diseases.

Complete Care for a Full Range of Infectious Diseases

Our infectious diseases team provides complete care for infectious diseases in people of all ages, including kid-friendly services for children by the Pediatric Infectious Diseases team.

We have advanced expertise in a wide range of infectious diseases including management of people living with HIV, bone and joint infections, infections in patients with cancer, infections in patients who have had a transplant, travel-related infections, and much more.

Our Health Care team will develop a treatment plan to help you feel better as quickly as possible. We will give you essential information to protect yourself and those around you.

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Our Experts in Infectious Diseases Care

Our physicians, nurses, and social workers form multidisciplinary teams to provide comprehensive services in the diagnosis and medical management of infectious diseases.

Why Choose Penn State Health for Infectious Diseases Care

We are known for our comprehensive diagnostic and treatment options for infectious diseases care with a patient centered multi-disciplinary approach. Patients throughout central Pennsylvania choose us for our top-quality care.

Advanced Expertise for Infectious Diseases

These are a few reasons why patients choose us:

  • Our General Infectious Diseases inpatient service is one of the busiest specialty services at Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, seeing 45-50 new hospitalized patients each week; this high level of consultation helps to keep our knowledge in our field up-to-date.
  • For outpatients, appointments can be scheduled at a variety of times and days and we see patients in Hershey, Lebanon, Harrisburg, and via telehealth.
  • We’re known for our comprehensive services for persons living with HIV with a multidisciplinary team that brings together physicians, nurses, case managers, dieticians, and pharmacists to ensure complete care and support.
    • In 2018, our HIV/AIDS program was awarded additional funding for medical case management. Medical case management provides support outside of the clinic to help meet clients’ basic needs such as food and housing so our patients can better focus on their health. The case manager can also assist with medical expenses, not covered by insurance or in connecting clients to community resources.  These support services are provided to eligible individuals in the following counties: Adams, Bedford, Blair, Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Fulton, Huntington, Juniata, Lancaster, Lebanon, Mifflin, Perry and York.
  • We support our colleagues in orthopaedic surgery, transplant surgery, and hematology-oncology with infectious diseases subspecialty services specific to their patients’ needs.
  • We have an integrated outpatient parenteral antibiotic therapy program (OPAT) composed of infectious diseases physicians, advanced practice providers, nurses, case managers, and on-site pharmacists, which allows patients with complex infections to recover at home while on intravenous (IV) antibiotics.

Expert, Team-Based Care Designed for You

Our doctors, nurses and other care providers work as a team to ensure you get individual attention and comprehensive care. We’re experienced in preventing, diagnosing and treating all types of infectious diseases, including complicated, unusual or difficult-to-manage infections.

We work closely with other providers, such as specialists in microbiology, orthopaedics, cancer care, transplant care, family medicine, lung care, allergy and immunology, urology, nutrition, social work and more. You get coordinated care based on your needs. You have access to all the expertise and services available at an academic medical center like ours.

Infectious Diseases Research and Clinical Trials

Our team is researching HIV, COVID-19, tickborne infections, antibiotic resistance and much more. Learn more about our clinical trials.

Related Services and Treatments

Conditions Treated

  • Bloodstream infections (sepsis)
  • Bone and joint infections
  • COVID-19, influenza and other respiratory virus infections
  • Diseases caused by ticks or mosquitoes
  • Endocarditis
  • Fungal infections
  • HIV/AIDS
  • Infections after bone marrow transplant/stem cell transplant
  • Infections after solid organ transplant
  • Infections due to highly resistant organisms or highly infectious organisms
  • Infections in immunocompromised persons
  • Meningitis
  • Non-tuberculous mycobacterial infections
  • Parasitic diseases
  • Pulmonary infections
  • Recurrent Clostridioides difficile infection
  • Sexually transmitted diseases
  • Skin and soft tissue infections
  • Travel-related infections
  • Tuberculosis
  • Urinary tract infections
  • Wound and surgical site infections

Support Groups

Support groups provide an opportunity to share your feelings and connect with other patients and caregivers who are experiencing similar struggles.

Learn more about support groups offered