First Year Fellows
Christopher Kaperak, MD
Medical School: University of Virginia
Residency: University of Chicago
Favorite Antimicrobial?
Don’t overthink it! Penicillin. First identified and still in use.
Palak Patel, DO
Medical School: Midwestern University
Residency: John H. Stroger Hospital of Cook County
Favorite Antimicrobial?
Overused but underappreciated. I’m gonna go with azithro. We use it commonly but I’m not sure people appreciate how good of a drug it is. Not only does it treat so many infections but it is immunomodulatory and prokinetic.
Eric Roessler, MD
Medical School: Louisiana State University
Residency: Rush University Medical Center
Favorite Antimicrobial?
Is it too chaotic to say linezolid? Often feared but good to have around when you need it.
Second Year Fellows
Anna Czapar, MD, PhD
Medical School: Case Western University
Residency: University of Chicago
Favorite Antimicrobial?
Bactrim is an incredible switch hitter (yes, ID nerds do sometimes use sports analogies). Can sometimes swoop in to treat MRSA, ESBLs, regularly used to prevent toxo/PJP. Just check the K and you’ll be set.
Sabrina Imam, MD, PhD
Medical School: Loyola University
Residency: University of Chicago
Favorite Antimicrobial?
I’d say my most underrated antibiotic is doxy (though it’s probably every ID person’s favorite) – great MRSA, some Strep; a great option for step-down therapy; and as one of my favorite ID attendings advised, sometimes you need to treat a doxycycline deficiency when you’re faced with a complicated case and no answers in sight!
Third Year Fellow (Adult/Peds ID)
John “Jack” Flores, MD
Medical School: University of Texas Health Science Center
Residency: University of Illinois Chicago (Med/Peds)
Favorite Antimicrobial?
Objectively the greatest antibiotic on the market is ceftriaxone. Meningitis? Let’s do it. Intraabdominal mess? We got you. Concerning sexual encounter? I got just the trick. Kidney’s don’t work? No problem. Only have enough memory to remember dosing regimen of one antibiotic? Give me 1 or 2g q24h Any day of the week. This “Jack”-of-all-trades can at least make a partial dent in any infectious foci, and a quick intramuscular shot gives you 24 hours of breathing room.