Glenn Wortmann

Glenn Wortmann, MD, is Chief, Infectious Diseases Section, MedStar Washington Hospital Center, Washington, DC. In addition, he is the Program Director of the Infectious Diseases fellowship program. He recently retired from a 23-year career with the U.S. Army, where he served as chief of the Infectious Diseases Service at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center and program director of the National Capital Consortium Infectious Diseases fellowship program. He also is a professor of Medicine, Infectious Diseases, and an adjunct assistant professor of Emerging/Infectious Diseases at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences F. Edward Hebert School of Medicine, Bethesda, MD.

Dr. Wortmann previously collaborated with the Global Emerging Infections Surveillance and Response System (GEIS) of the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) and the Infectious Disease Clinical Research Program of the Uniformed Services University. He has received numerous awards during his career, including the James J. Leonard Award for Excellence in Teaching Internal Medicine, bestowed by the Uniformed Services University; the Colonel William Crosby Superiority in Research Award, bestowed by Walter Reed; and the U.S. Army Greatest Inventions Program - for the DOD's Rapid Leishmaniasis Polymerase Chain Reaction Test. During his military service, he earned many commendations, including the Legion of Merit, Meritorious Service, Army Commendation and Army Achievement medals.

Dr. Wortmann is a frequent invited speaker on topics, including nosocomial infections, tick-borne infections, sexually transmitted diseases and tropical diseases. He has published more than 80 articles on his research, in peer-reviewed journals such as Clinical Infectious Diseases, the Journal of Trauma and AIDS Research and Therapy. He is a fellow of the American College of Physicians and the Infectious Diseases Society of America and a member of the Armed Forces Infectious Diseases Society and the HIV Medicine Association. In addition to his clinical and teaching responsibilities, Dr. Wortmann has mentored more than 15 young investigators.

Dr. Wortmann is certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine, with a specialty in Infectious Diseases. He holds a Certificate of Knowledge in Clinical Tropical Medicine and Travelers' Health.

He earned his medical degree and completed an internship in Internal Medicine at the Medical College of Virginia in Richmond. He completed a residency in Internal Medicine and a fellowship in Infectious Diseases at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, DC.

Research Publications

Dr. Wortmann's research interests include

  • Infectious diseases
  • Nosocomial infections
  • Tropical diseases
  • Sexually transmitted diseases
  • HIV/AIDS
  • Infection control

Selected Research

Natural history of colonization with gram-negative multi-drug resistant organisms

As a senior investigator, Dr. Wortmann received a grant from the Infectious Disease Clinical Research Program of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences to study the natural history of colonization with gram-negative multi-drug resistant organisms. Dr. Wortmann and colleagues published the results of this research in Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology (2010;31:330-337).

Positive rK39 serologic results in U.S. service members with cutaneous leishmaniasis

As a senior investigator, Dr. Wortmann received a grant from the Infectious Disease Clinical Research Program of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences to study the prevalence of positive rK39 assays in U.S. service members with cutaneous leishmaniasis. Dr. Wortmann and colleagues published the results of this research in The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (2008;79;843-846).

Liposomal amphotericin B for the treatment of cutaneous leishmaniasis

As primary investigator, Dr. Wortmann performed a retrospective evaluation of patients who received treatment with liposomal amphotericin B for cutaneous leishmaniasis. Dr. Wortmann and colleagues published this research in The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (2010;83:1028-1033).

View Dr. Wortmann's publications on PubMed

Research Areas


  • Other Medical