Gayathri Krishnan, M.D.

Gayathri Krishnan, M.D., is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Internal Medicine at UT Southwestern and a member of its Division of Infectious Diseases and Geographic Medicine. She serves as Associate Program Director for the Infectious Diseases Fellowship Program.

Originally from India, Dr. Krishnan earned her medical degree from Government Medical College in Thiruvananthapuram. She completed internal medicine residency training at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock, where she served as Chief Resident. She then completed fellowships in infectious diseases and medical education at Washington University in St. Louis, where she served as Chief Fellow. She also hlds a master's degree in health professions education from the Univeristy of Missouri-Kansas City.

Prior to joining UT Southwestern, she served as an Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases at Washington University School of Medicine, where she also held numerous educational leadership roles, including Director of the Long COVID Multidisciplinary Clinic, Director of the Forum for Women in Medicine Leadership Development Program for Women Trainees in Medicine, and Core Faculty member for the Internal Medicine Residency Program.

Dr. Krishnan's research interests center on infectious diseases, with particular emphasis on the diagnosis, epidemiology, clinical outcomes, and management of complex fungal and bacterial infections in immunocompromised populations. Her work has explored invasive fungal diseases such as histoplasmosis, fusariosis, and candidemia, including the performance and limitations of fungal diagnostic assays and biomarkers. She has also investigated HIV-associated opportunistic infections, antimicrobial treatment strategies for difficult bacterial infections, healthcare-associated infections such as Clostridioides difficile and vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus (VRE), and the use of genomic approaches to outbreak investigation. In addition, her scholarly activities reflect an interest in medical education and trainee development, including clinical teaching methods, point-of-care ultrasound education, and innovative approaches to infectious diseases curriculum design. Collectively, her research focuses on improving diagnostic accuracy, patient outcomes, infection prevention, and medical education within the care of vulnerable and medically complex patient populations.

An active medical educator, Dr. Krishnan has developed multiple online curricula for medical students, residents, and fellows and has published and presented nationally on medical education innovations. She has received national recognition from the Infectious Diseases Society of America, including IDWeek Trainee Travel Grant Awards and selection as a Featured Educator for the organization’s Medical Education Community of Practice.

Dr. Krishnan is an active member of the Infectious Diseases Society of America and has served in several national leadership and mentorship roles within the organization, including appointments to its Fellows’ Subcommittee, Medical Education Community of Practice committees, and diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging initiatives.