Division of Mycobacterial and Respiratory Infections
Charles Daley, MD
Division Head
National Jewish Health was opened in 1899 as a tuberculosis sanatorium. Over the past century, the institution has grown in many ways but it has continued to provide state-of-the-art care for patients with tuberculosis, particularly those with drug-resistant disease. The Division of Mycobacterial and Respiratory Infections has also grown and expanded its services to include patients with nontuberculous mycobacterial infections and other respiratory pathogens.
The two reference laboratories associated with the Division, the National Mycobacterial Reference Laboratory and the Infectious Diseases Pharmacokinetic Laboratories, provide unique laboratory support for the clinical service as well as world-class reference services for national and international clients.
The members of the Division have been active in provider education, and the education and training of new generations of mycobacterial experts. In collaboration with Denver Public Health, the Division has presented the Denver TB Course for several years making it one of the most successful TB courses in the United States. And finally, the Division is actively involved in both basic and patient-oriented research.
Together, the clinicians, laboratories, and scientists work to improve the care of our patients today, and in the future.
Meet Our Faculty
Clinical Mission
Clinical Care Team
Infectious Diseases Inpatient and Extended Outpatient Program
Laboratory & Consultation Services
Education & Training
Research Mission
Meet Our Faculty
- Charles L. Daley, M.D., Head
- Xiyuan Bai, PhD
- Edward D. Chan, MD
- Christopher Czaja, MD, MPH
- Leonid Heifets, MD
- Gwen A. Huitt, MD
- Michael D. Iseman, MD
- Shannon Kasperbauer, MD
- Ken Lichtenstein, MD
- Charles A. Peloquin, PharMD
- Carlos Perez-Velez, MD
- Preveen Ramamoorthy, PhD
Clinical Mission
The Division of Mycobacterial and Respiratory Infections provides state-of-the-art care for patients with mycobacterial infections such as tuberculosis, drug-resistant tuberculosis, nontuberculous mycobacterial infections as well as other forms of chronic respiratory infections that are often associated with bronchiectasis. For over a century, the institution has cared for patients with tuberculosis. As the number of tuberculosis cases declined in the United States, the number of nontuberculous infections began to increase. The faculty members of the Division of Mycobacterial and Respiratory Infections have developed expertise in the management of these difficult to manage infections and with outstanding laboratory support provide world-class care.
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Clinical Care Team
Primary direction of patient care is provided by the faculty from the Division of Mycobacterial and Respiratory Infections. The faculty includes individuals trained in either pulmonary or infectious diseases. The team also includes a rotating infectious diseases or pulmonary fellow, a nurse practitioner, a member of the Infectious Diseases Pharmacokinetics Service, as well as the general nursing staff. The Care Team has access to all of the ancillary and consultative services that are available at National Jewish Health, such as Rehabilitation, Psychiatric/Social Support , Nutritional, and Respiratory Care services. Our patients are reviewed and discussed at weekly case conferences by all clinicians in the Division in order to provide a comprehensive evaluation.
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Infectious Diseases Inpatient and Extended Outpatient Program
The Division provides a unique outpatient approach to managing patients with complicated infections who do not require hospitalization but do require an intensive diagnostic evaluation and initiation of treatment regimens, similar to an inpatient experience.
Learn more about our outpatient clinic and surgical support at the Center for the Surgical Treatment of Lung Infections at the University of Colorado Denver.
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Laboratory and Consultation Services
National Mycobacterial Reference Laboratory
Leonid Heifets, MD is the Director of the internationally recognized National Mycobacterial Reference Laboratory at National Jewish Health. The laboratory provides state-of-the-art conventional and molecular laboratory services for all mycobacterial pathogens with rapid turn-around times. The laboratory serves clients throughout the United States. For more information, visit our laboratory website.
Infectious Diseases Pharmacokinetic Laboratory
Charles A. Peloquin, PharmD is the Director of the Infectious Diseases Pharmacokinetic Laboratory at National Jewish Health. This laboratory is internationally known for its ability to provide the highest level of service for both clinical and research-related pharmacokinetic studies. The laboratory provides comprehensive antifungal, antiretroviral, and antimycobacterial drug level monitoring and pharmacokinetic analysis using state-of-the-art HPLC and GC technology. For more information,visit our laboratory website.
Mycobacterial Diseases Consult Service
The Mycobacterial Consult Line at National Jewish Health helps practitioners manage drug-resistant tuberculosis and other refractory mycobacterial and respiratory infections. Learn more about our Mycobacterial Consult Line.
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Education & Training
Since the birth of the institution in 1899, the National Jewish Health faculty has contributed a great deal to our understanding of the management of tuberculosis, particularly drug resistant tuberculosis. Research at National Jewish Health has demonstrated the importance of surgery in the management of mycobacterial infections and outlined successful approaches to therapy for multidrug-resistant tuberculosis. The National Mycobacterial Reference Laboratory has helped to improve culture techniques and approaches to drug susceptibility testing. The Infectious Diseases Pharmacokinetics Laboratory had been instrumental in many studies evaluating the pharmacokinetics of old and new antituberculosis drugs. In the future, the Division plans to expand its research into molecular epidemiology and the investigation of new diagnostic tests, new drugs, and new treatment regimens for nontuberculous mycobacteria.
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Research Mission
Since the birth of the institution in 1899, the National Jewish Health faculty has contributed a great deal to our understanding of the management of tuberculosis, particularly drug resistant tuberculosis. Research at National Jewish Health has demonstrated the importance of surgery in the management of mycobacterial infections and outlined successful approaches to therapy for multidrug-resistant tuberculosis. The National Mycobaterial Reference Laboratory has helped to improve culture techniques and approaches to drug susceptibility testing. The Infectious Diseases Pharmacokinetics Laboratory had been instrumental in many studies evaluating the pharmacokinetics of old and new antituberculosis drugs. In the future, the Division plans to expand its research into molecular epidemiology and the investigation of new diagnostic tests, new drugs, and new treatment regimens for nontuberculous mycobacteria.
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