We are excited to welcome Dr. Charlie Oertli 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
I am starting as a combined adult and pediatric infectious diseases fellow at University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC). I will start with 2 years of adult infectious diseases, followed by 2 years of pediatric infectious diseases.
Tell us about your background
I am from Dodge Center, Minnesota, a small town in southern Minnesota. My parents are both accountants, so, naturally, I chose a career in medicine. I received both my Bachelor of Science in Biology and Medical Doctorate degrees from Creighton University. I then completed an Internal Medicine and Pediatrics residency at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Now, I’m coming back to my second home in Omaha to complete my infectious disease fellowship training.
Why did you choose to come work at UNMC
I loved my time in Omaha, and I couldn’t wait to get back to the land of Runza and college sports! My wife and I met at Creighton and have so many fond memories in this city, so we were really excited to match here. When looking for fellowships, I wanted a program with a large variety of patients and services, so I could get exposure to all of the fields that infectious diseases offers. From the transplant and biocontainment unit services, to the general and community infectious diseases services, I felt like I would get excellent training from the rare and unique infections all the way to the common, everyday consultant questions.
What makes you excited about working in ID
Ever since medical school, I have loved the pathophysiology of infectious organisms thriving in our human biome as well as the pharmacology of the antimicrobials that we get to use to combat those infections. But when I really fell in love with ID was when I started working with the patients. We have an opportunity to serve some of the most vulnerable members of our community struggling with circumstances that most people cannot understand, and I feel like that is a huge privilege that we get as infectious disease doctors.
Tell us something about yourself that is unrelated to medicine
I have many passions outside of work including anything Creighton or Minnesota sports related (especially Creighton basketball and Twins baseball), board games, competition reality TV shows, and running. I studied art history in college, so I love a good art museum (shoutout to the Joslyn Art Museum in Omaha!). I also love spending time at the lake with my wife, Jen, and our 8-month-old son, Elliot.
