Teena Chopra, M.D., M.P.H., professor of Internal Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, for the Wayne State University School of Medicine, has been featured in many state and national media outlets offering her expertise on COVID-19. So it was only natural that when the Infectious Diseases Society of America Foundation launched its new “Faces of ID” campaign, it turned to Dr. Chopra for the inaugural feature.

“Faces of ID” provides interviews with health care professionals working in infectious diseases to explore the diversity of people in that field and shine the spotlight on them, particularly as the

pandemic has also served as a gateway into the field to the broader world.

Dr. Chopra also serves as corporate medical director of Hospital Epidemiology, Infection Prevention and Antibiotic Stewardship at Detroit Medical Center and Wayne State University. She is a member of the university’s Presidential Coronavirus Committee, assisting with efforts related to the virus.

“I wanted to be a physician right from childhood,” Dr. Chopra said when asked by IDSA why she wanted to become a doctor. “I come from a family of physicians and professors. My grandfather was a physician, and he was big in helping the community, which was very inspiring to me. And, you know, since then I’ve not looked back, and coming to practice medicine in Detroit was another honor in my life – it’s like my family now. I’ve been here 16 years, and I have met some of the greatest mentors who are in Detroit. Dr. Jack Sobel (former dean of the WSU School of Medicine) is one of the greatest infectious diseases physicians who really inspired me to pursue infectious diseases. His knowledge and his clinical acumen were extremely inspiring. And that’s why I chose this field. I would choose it again, given a chance.”

Read the complete interview with Dr. Chopra.

Dr. Chopra, a fellow of the IDSA, has become a key source of COVID-19 information for Detroit and the nation during the pandemic, interviewed by countless newspapers, and radio and television stations.

“I am grateful to Wayne State for providing me the platform to serve,” she said.

Her research interests include Epidemiology of Health Care-associated Infections, Infection Prevention Antibiotic Stewardship and Immunization. Dr. Chopra has a special interest in immunization and studying the epidemiology of infections, including Clostridium difficile and Multi-Drug Resistant Organisms. She has published more than 70 papers in various journals and book chapters. She has independently reviewed more than 60 journal articles.

A 2001 graduate of the Dayanand Medical College in Ludhiana, India, Dr. Chopra completed her residency in Internal Medicine at WSU, and fellowships in Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology  at the DMC. In 2011, she earned a Master of Public Health degree and joined the WSU faculty.

The program director for a third-year of fellowship in Infection Prevention and Hospital Epidemiology, Dr. Chopra has mentored many medical students and fellows. She developed the curriculum for the Stewardship, Prevention, Antibiotic Resistance and Knowledge, or SPARK program, an initiative to improve student knowledge and perception on infection prevention. A six-week summer internship, SPARK is a collaborative program between Wayne State University School of Medicine and the Michigan Area Health Education Center. Students receive hands-on training in infection prevention, antibiotic resistance and antibiotic stewardship. The program also mentors students in rapid diagnostics, the importance of vaccination and conducting outbreak investigations.