We are excited to welcome Dr. Albert Wu as a new fellow in our Infectious Diseases program! Read on to learn a little more about him
Tell us about the position you are starting
Hello everyone! I will be working as an infectious diseases fellow at the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC). My responsibilities will be centered around the myriads of infections that can affect our health. I will be learning how to diagnose infections, to treat them with antimicrobials, to prevent their spreading in the context of public health management, and more!
Tell us about your background
I was born in Missouri, but I spent most of my life in South Dakota, close to Sioux Falls. I then enrolled in Washington University in St. Louis for my undergraduate education. Afterwards, I took a gap year working as a medical scribe in the emergency department of several hospitals in St. Louis, where I came to love medicine and decided to make it a career. I returned to South Dakota for medical school at the University of South Dakota Sanford School of Medicine and completed my residency at the University of Vermont Medical Center.
Why did you choose to come work at UNMC
For infectious diseases, working at UNMC provides a comprehensive curriculum in all its different aspects. The program provides a balance between clinical rotations and research to allow me to hone my skills in both. It also has a multidisciplinary facility that provides medical care to people from all walks of life throughout Nebraska and the surrounding states, ensuring that we will be prepared to handle any situation. In fact, Nebraska has the highest number of refugees in proportion to its population, so we will receive a robust education in global health. UNMC also stands out with its biocontainment facility, which will provide a unique opportunity to learn about pathogens that otherwise would be difficult to safely handle. Finally, all the above would not be possible without the wonderful faculty here! They are dedicated physicians at the forefront of the field of infections diseases, but at the same time, they are incredible teachers who are always happy to impart their knowledge to us.
Outside of work, coming to UNMC also means I can experience Omaha! I feel that it is an ideally sized city – large enough to run the gamut of activities and attractions, but not so large it becomes overwhelming. It’s got college sports (go Huskers!), outdoors areas and parks, a fantastic world-class zoo, and many more. In addition, this is all while maintaining an affordable cost of living. Omaha also shines with respect to its food – I am a foodie and always happy to try new things to eat! There is something for everyone here in Omaha.
What makes you excited about working in ID
For me, working in infectious diseases gives me the chance to make a difference. The field is always changing, and there are always new challenges to tackle, such as new infections presenting themselves, or known infections becoming resistant to treatment. We’ve lived through the swine flu and COVID-19 and all know how terrible these were. These certainly won’t be the last infectious calamities we encounter, so we need to roll with the punches and rise to the challenge. I want to do my part towards helping patients and meeting these challenges so that we will be able to better handle these conditions in the future.
I also believe that variety is the spice of life, and infectious diseases provides plenty of variety. Any body system can develop some sort of infection, so we will have plenty to learn about. It will never get tiresome being able to help out with so many different conditions. Furthermore, infectious diseases also provides an assortment of career opportunities. We can choose between general ID or focus on a specific sub-specialty (transplant, antibiotic stewardship, HIV, etc.), inpatient or outpatient, or clinical and research positions.
Tell us something about yourself that is unrelated to medicine
In my free time, I love running, particularly running outdoors. It’s a wonderful way to just focus on the nature around me and let all my stress melt away. This has been a life saver in getting me through difficult days. I also love to take pictures of the interesting plants and animals that I encounter so I can try to identify them and read about them later! Some of my other hobbies include reading and playing tennis.
