Back to LeadershipAbhishek Deshpande, MD, PhD, FIDSA
Director, Medical Student Research Projects and Associate ProfessorMedical Education
Abhishek Deshpande, MD, PhD, FIDSA, serves as Director, Medical Student Research Projects at Alice L. Walton School of Medicine. In this role, he oversees the development of medical student research activities, connects students with resources and opportunities to pursue research, and provides mentorship and support throughout their investigative process. Dr. Deshpande is also an Associate Professor in the Department of Medical Education. His clinical and research expertise spans infectious diseases epidemiology, antimicrobial stewardship, health services research, and the prevention of health care-associated infections (particularly Clostridioides difficile and community-acquired pneumonia). Furthermore, he brings extensive teaching experience in epidemiology, research methods, study design, evidence-based medicine, and biostatistics.
About
Career Highlights:
Associate Professor, Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine at Case Western Reserve University
Staff, Center for Value-based Care Research and the Department of Infectious Disease at Cleveland Clinic
Course Director for Epidemiology, Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine at Case Western Reserve University
Standing Member, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality's (AHRQ) Health Care Research Training Study Section and currently serves on study sections for the National Institutes of Health (NIH)
Authored over 175 peer-reviewed publications, scientific presentations, and book chapters in medicine and health services research
Principal Investigator of a large multicenter cluster randomized controlled trial aimed at improving antimicrobial stewardship in patients with community-acquired pneumonia
Education:
Postdoctoral Scholarship: Case Western Reserve University
Postdoctoral Fellowship: Cleveland Clinic
PhD in Cellular and Molecular Biology: Cleveland Clinic/Kent State University
MD: Kasturba Medical College at Manipal Academy of Higher Education
Honors & Awards:
Excellence in Research Education Award, Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine (2023)
Elected Fellow, Infectious Diseases Society of America (2020)
ID Week Trainee Award, Infectious Diseases Society of America (2013)
Mentored Young Investigator Research Award, Hydrocephalus Association (2010)
Boards, Advisory Committees, and Professional Memberships:
Member and Elected Fellow, Infectious Diseases Society of America (present)
Member, Society for General Internal Medicine (present)
Grant reviewer, National Institutes of Health (NIH) Study Sections (present)
Standing Member, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality's (AHRQ) Health Care Research Training Study Section (2017-2024)
Former Academic Editor for PLOS One (2014-2023)
Peer Review: Serves as a referee/reviewer for over 25 peer-reviewed journals, including JAMA, Lancet Infectious Diseases, Annals of Internal Medicine, Clinical Infectious Diseases, and the British Medical Journal
Research Focus and Interests:
Epidemiology and outcomes of infectious diseases, with a specific focus on Clostridioides difficile (CDI) and community-acquired pneumonia (CAP)
Antimicrobial and diagnostic stewardship, focusing on reducing unnecessary antibiotic utilization and optimizing clinical decision support systems
Medical education research, including the application of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in concept appraisal and the development of medical student research curricula
Research: