We are excited to welcome Dr. Catherine Cichon as a new fellow in our Infectious Diseases program! Read on to learn a little more about her.
Tell us about the position you are starting.
I am excited to be joining the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) as a first year Infectious Disease fellow! I will spend the next few years learning about disorders caused by bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites, the people affected by them, and the medications that treat them.
Tell us about your background.
I grew up in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and I have since gone on to explore and learn from cities around the country. I studied Anthropology as an undergraduate student at the University of Notre Dame, which led me to become interested in the interplay of culture and medicine. This drew me towards public health, and as a result I completed my combined MD and Master of Public Health (MPH) at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine (UMMSM). Over the years I continued to develop an interest in global health and “local global” health, which led me to complete my combined Internal Medicine and Pediatrics residency at the University of California San Diego (UCSD), 15 minutes from one of the busiest land-border crossings in the world. I look forward to continuing to grow my public health and infectious disease knowledge through the ID fellowship at UNMC!
Why did you choose to come work at UNMC?
(1) The infectious disease training here is highly regarded, and I wanted to train at a location where I could learn from all branches of ID – from emerging infectious diseases (check this out: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/18/us/coronavirus-omaha-nebraska-medical-center.html [nytimes.com]) to antimicrobial stewardship to transplant ID…even pediatrics ID!
(2) I have family here in Omaha, and Omaha is much closer to my family in Colorado. It’s great to be close to your support system!
(3) Omaha itself is a great city! There is so much to eat, do, and see here. The affordable cost-of-living adds to the attraction.
What makes you excited about working in ID?
ID is a field that is rooted in history (I’m a huge medical history nerd) and yet perpetually looking towards the future. In the last few years we have seen this in action via surges of both old and new diseases – from measles to SARS-CoV-2 to monkeypox. ID specialists can work in both clinical and public health settings to address these diseases, and I am excited for those opportunities. From the clinical perspective, I am curious by nature (#medpeds), and ID cases are often the most challenging from a diagnostic and therapeutic standpoint. Finally, from the public health perspective, I am interested in exploring the ways we can address the disproportionate effect that infectious diseases have on our most underserved communities, both locally and globally.
Tell us something about yourself that is unrelated to medicine.
I am an amateur medical illustrator! Sorry, I suppose that is somewhat related to medicine. During medical school I taught myself how to illustrate digitally using an iPad, and since then I have had my art published in several papers, books, and online. I occasionally post some of this art on my social media accounts, which you can follow @DocScribbles 😊 Look forward to more ID-themed art over the next few years.
On a totally “unrelated to medicine” note, I adopted a pandemic dog and named him Loki, just in time for the Marvel series of the same name!