“As a relatively new school, we are fortunate to have nationally recognized specialists among our faculty who contribute to our mission to develop diverse, patient-centered and compassionate physicians devoted to nurturing and serving our community,” said Dr. Phil M. Boiselle, dean of the Frank H. Netter MD School of Medicine.

Boiselle said he is grateful to have such great faculty who have made an impact on the COVID-19 pandemic.

“On behalf of the entire Frank H. Netter MD School of Medicine community, I would like to express our collective pride in Dr. Anand’s distinction as a fellow of the Infectious Diseases Society of America,” said Boiselle. “Infectious diseases specialists, such as Dr. Anand, have played a critical leadership role in the local and global fight against the COVID-19 pandemic — and they are poised to help protect us from future pandemics.”

The IDSA fellowship is one of the highest honors an individual in the infectious diseases field can receive. Individuals are nominated by their peers and elected by the IDSA board. The organization looks for and rewards individuals who add noteworthy evidence or service to the field and show professional excellence.

"The 199 individuals chosen to receive the FIDSA designation this year are committed to blazing trails in the field of infectious diseases and IDSA is proud to honor them," said Dr. Dan McQuillen, president of IDSA. "There has never been a more critical or more exciting time for the field of infectious diseases. These ID physicians and scientists are on the front lines of research and clinical care and represent the passion and commitment to educate and protect us from dangerous illnesses. We all benefit as a result of their vital contributions to local communities and expertise within the field of medicine. I am proud to call them my colleagues."

Anand explained that he is overjoyed and filled with gratitude for the honor of having his work for the past 20 years recognized on such a large scale.

“The past few years have been challenging for all and I am no exception to this with the pandemic taking a toll on me personally and professionally,” said Anand. “What I would most like to say is that I did nothing special to deserve this, I just tried to focus on what is in my locus of control and kept taking one small step at a time trying to be useful to others in any small way I could in my various roles.”

Anand teaches infectious diseases to medical students at Quinnipiac while also being the director of infectious diseases at Community Health Services in Hartford. Anand has previously worked as a faculty member for the IDSA, part of the leadership curriculum faculty, and as an investment committee member. In his spare time, Anand volunteers as a physician for the CDC-IDSA on-call services as a consultant, specifically for underserved communities.

“My mission is to be the best physician-educator-leader I can be in the field of infectious diseases in particular and healthcare in general so that I can ultimately help people feel better and live longer as a result of my work,” explained Anand.

Anand pushes students to reflect on the “why” and “how” of being a physician and its impacts on the community, he said.

“Our collective vision at Quinnipiac is that graduating physicians are committed to being their best selves personally and professionally, building meaningful interpersonal connections, leading effective teams and impacting the healthcare system to bring about much needed change,” said Anand. “I am grateful to my students and this institution for the opportunity to be on this path together. It has been fun and rewarding at the same time.”