About Us
Even the healthiest among us get sick from time to time. During certain times of the year, it’s hard to avoid catching a cold or avoiding the stomach bug your child brought home from school. Even though you may feel ill for a day or two, you usually bounce back after plenty of rest.
But certain infectious or contagious diseases are more serious than others. Not only can they make you very sick, but they can also be hard to treat. Some even cause long-lasting or life-threatening complications.
If you’re having trouble fighting an infection or illness, you may need advanced care from an infectious disease specialist. These are doctors with unique expertise in conditions caused by bacteria, fungi, parasites or viruses.
We are home to the largest and most experienced team of infectious disease specialists in Virginia. We’ve helped countless people manage or overcome challenging infections that don’t respond to standard treatments.
Who Should See an Infectious Disease Specialist?
You may need to see an infectious disease expert if you’re sick and meet any of these criteria:
- You were bitten by an animal or mosquito.
- You recently traveled to a foreign country.
- You recently had surgery or stayed overnight in a hospital.
- You’ve developed an unexplained high fever, rash, persistent or bloody diarrhea, or shortness of breath.
- You have had an organ or bone marrow transplant
If you’ve been exposed to someone with a confirmed case of COVID-19, HIV, viral meningitis or another contagious disease, consult your primary care provider or report to your nearest urgent care center or emergency room.
Learn more about the conditions we treat.
Why Choose VCU Health for Infectious Disease Treatment
Our infectious disease team is often the provider of choice for patients and referring physicians throughout greater Richmond. You can have confidence in our specialists because:
- We’ve seen it all. Our doctors have experience diagnosing and managing nearly all infectious diseases, no matter how rare or aggressive. We’ve successfully treated people with osteomyelitis, MRSA and other resistant bacterial infections, West Nile virus, surgical site infections and more.
- We’re passionate about prevention. We offer numerous services to help people reduce their risk of infection or prevent transmission of infectious diseases to others. These services include our Travel and Tropical Medicine Clinic and HIV Clinic. We also partner with our Transplant Center and Cancer Center to help prevent infections in people who have had an organ or bone marrow transplant.
- Our care is nationally recognized. In 2019, we were among an elite group of health care providers named a Center of Excellence for antimicrobial stewardship by the Infectious Diseases Society of America. This accolade is reserved for hospitals and health systems that meet or exceed strict guidelines for safely using antimicrobial drugs and combating antimicrobial resistance.
- We treat people of all ages, from all backgrounds. Our providers see patients in both the hospital (inpatient) and clinic (outpatient) settings. We partner with Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU to treat children with infectious diseases. It’s also our privilege to care for veterans at the Richmond VA Medical Center in Richmond.
Learn how to refer a patient for infectious disease diagnosis or treatment.
Improving Care Through Medical Education and Research
Through our partnership with the Division of Infectious Diseases at the VCU School of Medicine, we’re helping push the field of infectious disease care forward.
Our providers help teach and train medical students, residents and infectious disease fellows — many of whom will go on to provide outstanding subspecialty care right here in Central Virginia.
We also take part in research to improve our understanding of infectious diseases and discover more effective treatments. In collaboration with the VCU School of Pharmacy and the Division of Epidemiology, our current research efforts focus on:
- Treating staphylococcal (“staph”) infections.
- The risks and benefits of antibiotics, including the factors that drive antibiotic resistance.
- New treatments for people living with HIV.
Infectious Disease Clinical Team
Patricia Fulco, PharmD., BCPS, FASHP, AAIVP, Infectious Disease Pharmacist
Meet Our Team
Gonzalo M Bearman, MD
Infectious Disease
Michelle Doll, MD
Infectious Disease
Denese C Gomes, FNP
Infectious Disease
Megan Morales, MD
Infectious Disease
Daniel Nixon, DO
Infectious Disease
Jillian E Raybould, MD
Infectious Disease
Julie E Reznicek, DO
Infectious Disease
Barry Rittmann, MD
Infectious Disease
Sangeeta R Sastry, MD
Infectious Disease
Akira Shishido, MD
Infectious Disease
Lora Thomas, MD
Infectious Disease
Nicole Vissichelli, MD
Infectious Disease
Nathaniel Warner, MD
Infectious Disease