The Toxikon Medical Toxicology
Fellowship Program
The Toxikon Medical Toxicology
Fellowship Program
Description
The fellowship is a two- year full time program that leads to board certification in Medical Toxicology. Medical Toxicology is a subspecialty whose sponsoring boards include Emergency Medicine, Pediatrics, and Preventive Medicine. This fellowship fulfills the criteria set by the Fellowship Committee of the American College of Medical Toxicology (ACMT).
Our program has been approved by ACGME as an accredited program effective
July 1, 2000.
History
The medical toxicology fellowship was approved by Cook County Hospital
and 1985. In 1988, with the formation of The Toxikon Consortium (a
cooperative consortium including the above institutions) training in medical
toxicology in Chicago became formalized. Each of these institutions
provides critical resources to the fellowship program. Cook County
Hospital is the administrative core of the program. The Section of
Toxicology, Division of Occupational Medicine provides office space and
support. The University of Illinois provides drug information resources
as well as emergency medicine resources through the newly formed division
of toxicology in the Department of Emergency Medicine. RUSH has been
the provider of the Poison Control Center which has recently been moved
to The Metropolitan Chicago Healthcare Council offices at Union station.
The Illinois Poison Center (IPC) now acts as the sole poison information
resource for the state of Illinois, and the Toxikon Consortium provides
the medical back-up.
The original pathway for training was a preceptorship program which was completed by four individuals. This was followed by the fellowship program which is now two years in duration. The initial credentialling body was the ABMT (The American Board of Medical Toxicology), which has been replaced by the ABMS board which is currently in place.
The Toxikon program has flourished. We now train between
over 100 residents and students in emergency toxicology each year.
There have been numerous (14) fellows trained to date. All of the
current board certified toxicologist in the state have been trained through
our program. Toxikon remains a leader in medical toxicology issues
in Chicago, throughout the state, nationally and internationally.
The training program provides unique opportunities for clinical experience,
research (clinical, bench, epidemiological), and has trained outstanding
educators in the field of Medical Toxicology.
Major Goals of The Program
The major emphasis of The Toxikon Program include:
1. Clinical experience in the diagnosis and management of acute and chronic poisoning of adults and children
2. Skills in teaching and lecturing in toxicology
3. The core content of medical toxicology
4. The basic science of toxicology, including pharmacokinetics
5. Environmental and occupational toxicology
6. Epidemiology, biostatistics, and preventive medicine as related to toxicology
7. Laboratory toxicology
8. Research methodology
9. Community service
10. Training in administration that would lead to opportunities as a medical director of a poison control center
11. Preparation for the written board examination in medical toxicology
Clinical Experience
1. The fellow provides bedside consultations to toxicology patients at Cook County Hospital, University of Illinois Hospital, and RUSH Hospital
2. The fellow acts as initial back-up for The Illinois Poison Center
3. There will be opportunity to see patients in ambulatory clinic settings
4. There will be opportunity to consult with local and regional governmental agencies
5. Those fellows trained in Emergency Medicine will be able to
work 12 clinical hours per week in The University of Illinois Department
of Emergency Medicine
Educational Experience
1. Daily AM clinical toxicology rounds at Cook County Hospital
2. Daily teaching rounds supervising rotating residents and students
3. City-wide consultants conference every Wednesday
4. Weekly fellow core content review
5. Weekly Journal Club
6. Monthly Emergency Medicine - Toxicology case conference at University of Illinois and Cook County Hospitals
7. Monthly 'State of the Art' lecture at the Illinois Poison Center
8. Monthly Occupational Medicine - Toxicology conference at University of Illinois
9. Miscellaneous case conferences, lectures, morning report sessions in Chicago-area hospitals
10. Annual North American Congress of Clinical Toxicology (NACCT)
Research
The fellows are required to work on one research project per year, and are to have completed two minor and one major projects by the end of the fellowship.
Examples of areas of research of previous fellows include:
Mercury toxicity in Brazil
Cocaine body stuffers
RBC tricyclic antidepressant levels
Carbon monoxide detectors in Chicagoland
Adolescent suicide and poisoning
The toxicity of composting
Insecticide poisoning in Africa
Phenol toxicity
"Chore Boy" toxicity
Toxicology and The World Wide Web
Ethylene glycol and Methanol toxicity
Observation unit toxicology
Rock Concert toxicology
Duration of fellowship
2 years, full time
Number of fellows
1-2 per year
Steven Aks, DO, FACMT
Fellowship Director, Toxikon Consortium,
Section of Toxicology, Cook County Hospital
Attending Physician, Department of Emergency Mecicine Cook County Hospital
Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine, Rush University
Daniel Hryhorczuk, MD, MPH, FACMT
Director Emeritis, Toxikon Consortium
Attending Physician, Section of Clinical Toxicology, Division of Occupational
Medicine, Cook County Hospital
Director, Great Lakes Center for Environmental and Occupational Health
and Safety
Professor, University of Illinois
Timothy Erickson, MD, FACEP, FACMT
Director, Section of Toxicology, University of Illinois Department
of Emergency Medicine
Residency Director, University of Illinois Program in Emergency Medicine
Professor of Emergency Medicine, University of Illinois
Jerrold Leikin, MD, FACEP, FACMT
Associate Director, Toxikon Consortium
Professor, Rush Medical College
Attending Physician, Evanston Northwestern-OMEGA
Attending Physician, Toxikon Consortium, Section of Clinical Toxicology,
Division of Occupational Medicine, Cook County Hospital
Michelle Zell Kanter, PharmD, ABAT
Coordinator, Toxikon Consortium
Anne Krantz, MD, MPH, ABMT
Chief, Section of Clinical Toxicology, Division of Occupational Medicine,
Cook County Hospital
Attending Physician, Section of Clinical Toxicology, Division of Occupational
Medicine, Cook County Hospital
Sean Bryant, MD
Attending Physician, Department of Emergency Medicine, Cook County
Hospital
Associate Medical Director, The Illinois Poison Center
Jack Clifton, MD
Attending Physician, Toxikon Consortium, Section of Clinical Toxicology,
Division of Occupational Medicine, Cook County Hospital
Frank Paloucek, PharmD, ABAT
Clinical Associate Professor
Department of Pharmacy Practice
University of Illinois College of Pharmacy
Leon Gussow, MD, ABMT
Faculty, Department of Emergency, Cook County Hospital
Attending Physician, Toxikon Consortium, Section of Clinical Toxicology,
Division of Occupational Medicine, Cook County Hospital
Michael Wahl MD, FACEP
Medical Director, The Illinois Poison Center
Attending Physician, Illinois Masonic Medical Center,
Department of Emergency Medicine
Attending Physician, Toxikon Consortium, Section of Clinical Toxicology,
Division of Occupational Medicine, Cook County Hospital
Niko Keys, MD, ACMT
Attending Physician, Department of Emergency Medicine, Our Lady of
The Resurrection Medical Center
Attending Physician, Toxikon Consortium, Section of Clinical Toxicology,
Division of Occupational Medicine, Cook County Hospital
Mark B. Mycyk, MD
Attending Physician, Division of Emergency Medicine, Northwestern Memorial
Hospital
Assistant Professor, Division of Emergency Medicine, Northwestern University
School of Medicine
Attending Physician, Toxikon Consortium, Section of Clinical Toxicology,
Division of Occupational Medicine, Cook County Hospital
Rachael Rubin, MD, MPH
Chairperson, Division of Occupational Medicine, Cook County Hospital
Peter Orris, MD, MPH
Attending Physician, Division of Occupational Medicine, Cook County
Hospital
Current Toxicology Fellows
Gerald Maloney, DO
Senior fellow
James Rhee, MD
Senior fellow
Trevonne Thompson, MD
Junior Fellow
Applicant requirements
Must be board eligible in emergency medicine, internal medicine, occupational
medicine, or pediatrics, and must have a license to practice medicine in
Illinois.
Application Materials
CV including most recent address and phone number
Copy of state medical license
Copy of medical school diploma
Copy of residency diploma of primary specialty*
Copy of board certification*
Personal statement
Three letters of recommendation
Photograph
All Application material should be addressed to:
Steven
Aks, DO, FACMT
Director, Toxicology Fellowship Program
Department of Emergency Medicine
10th Floor
1900 West Polk Street
Chicago, IL 60612
Phone: 312 864-0060
Fax: 312-864-9656
e-mail: saks@ccbh.org