The Emergence of Carbapenem-Resistant Enterobacteriaceae

Speakers

Organizers

Barry N. Kreiswirth, PhD

Public Health Research Institute, UMDNJ–NJMS

Dr. Kreiswirth is the founding director of the PHRI TB Center, a Professor of Medicine at UMDNJ and Visiting Scientist at the Museum of Natural History. In 1992, in response to the New York City tuberculosis outbreaks, the PHRI TB Center was established under Dr. Kreiswirth's direction as a genotyping laboratory to study the molecular epidemiology of tuberculosis. The Center characterized the highly multidrug resistant strain W and beginning in 1992 it has genetically characterized over 27,000 M. tuberculosis isolates from global sources. Since its inception, the Center has worked closely with the CDC and Prevention and the NYC Department of Health to integrate the tools of molecular biology with tuberculosis control efforts. The Center has also focused on the molecular epidemiology of multidrug resistant pathogens including methicillin resistant S. aureus and carbapenem resistant Enterobacteriaceae and developed spa typing and other multiplex assays to track these resistant organisms.

David S. Perlin, PhD

Public Health Research Institute, UMDNJ–NJMS

Dr. David S. Perlin, PhD is Executive Director of the UMDNJ/New Jersey Medical School's Public Health Research Institute (PHRI), a 70 year old specialized center for global infectious diseases research. He is also Director of the new UMDNJ Regional Biocontainment Laboratory, one of thirteen national centers, and a Professor of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics. Dr. Perlin helped establish PHRI as a leading tuberculosis and opportunistic infections research organization. His primary expertise is in fungal infections, antifungal drug resistance and rapid diagnosis of opportunistic drug resistant pathogens in high-risk patients. His laboratory is supported by grants from the NIH, pharma and biotech sectors. He is on the editorial board of several scientific journals and serves on the Board of Directors of the Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center and Scientific/Medical Advisory Boards for pharma and biotech companies, and PinnacleCare. He is also a member of the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene Advisory Panel on Bioterrorism and Emerging Infections and the Executive Committee of the Northeast Biodefense Center.

Dr. Perlin earned an AB degree from Brandeis University in 1976 and a PhD from Cornell University in 1980. He pursued postdoctoral studies at the Yale University School of Medicine and the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry. Dr. Perlin joined PHRI in 1985; he was named Scientific Director in 1992, President in 2005, and Director of the new UMDNJ Center in 2006. He was appointed Professor of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics in 2003 and Executive Director of PHRI and the national Regional Biocontainment Laboratory in 2010. Dr. Perlin was named a Fellow of the New York Academy of Sciences in 2005 and a Visiting Professor at the University of Manchester, UK in 2009.

Issar Smith, PhD

Public Health Research Institute, UMDNJ–NJMS

Dr. Issar Smith is the Associate Director for Programs and Development at the PHRI Center, New Jersey Medical School–UMDNJ. He is involved in the development of new programs at the PHRI center (research, clinical and educational), the evaluation of existing programs, the recruitment of new faculty and the mentoring of young faculty in terms of the progress of research projects and critical evaluation of research grant applications, and the planning and organization of Institutional events such as the annual PHRI Symposium on Infectious Diseases. Dr. Smith is also a Professor at the PHRI Center and the Department of Medicine. His laboratory studies the genetics of Mycobacterium tuberculosis virulence to better understand the processes by which the bacterium causes tuberculosis. Some of his work has led to the development of M. tuberculosis mutant bacterial stains that are greatly attenuated and show promise as new vaccine candidates.

Jennifer Henry, PhD

The New York Academy of Sciences

Speakers

Robert Bonomo, MD

Case Western Reserve University

Dr. Robert A. Bonomo is Chief of the Medical Service at the Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Hospital. He also serves as Vice Chair for Veterans Affairs in the Department of Medicine at University Hospital Case Medical Center. Dr. Bonomo is also Professor of Medicine, Pharmacology, Molecular Biology and Microbiology at Case Western Reserve University. The research interests of Dr. Bonomo include the molecular basis of antibiotic resistance in Gram negative bacteria, the testing of novel antibacterial compounds, and the use of rapid molecular methods in the diagnosis of infectious diseases. Recent investigations in the Bonomo lab have centered upon the genetic and amino acid sequence requirements of carbapenemase enzymes.

Barry N. Kreiswirth, PhD

Public Health Research Institute, UMDNJ–NJMS

Dr. Kreiswirth is the founding director of the PHRI TB Center, a Professor of Medicine at UMDNJ and Visiting Scientist at the Museum of Natural History. In 1992, in response to the New York City tuberculosis outbreaks, the PHRI TB Center was established under Dr. Kreiswirth's direction as a genotyping laboratory to study the molecular epidemiology of tuberculosis. The Center characterized the highly multidrug resistant strain W and beginning in 1992 it has genetically characterized over 27,000 M. tuberculosis isolates from global sources. Since its inception, the Center has worked closely with the CDC and Prevention and the NYC Department of Health to integrate the tools of molecular biology with tuberculosis control efforts. The Center has also focused on the molecular epidemiology of multidrug resistant pathogens including methicillin resistant S. aureus and carbapenem resistant Enterobacteriaceae and developed spa typing and other multiplex assays to track these resistant organisms.

Thomas J. Walsh, MD

NY Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell

Thomas J. Walsh, MD is Professor of Medicine and Director of the new Transplantation-Oncology Infectious Diseases Program. Following graduation from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Dr. Walsh completed ten post-doctoral years of laboratory investigation, clinical research and patient care leading to boards in Medicine, Infectious Diseases and Oncology and laboratory expertise in antimicrobial pharmacology, innate host defenses, and molecular diagnostics. Following a distinguished career in the Pediatric Oncology Branch of the National Cancer Institute, Dr. Walsh was recruited to direct the new Transplantation-Oncology Infectious Diseases Program of Weill Medical College of Cornell University and the New York Presbyterian Hospital. The mission of the Program is to three-fold: [1] conduct leading edge translational research in diagnosis, treatment and prevention of life-threatening infections in immunocompromised patients; [2] provide outstanding patient care to patients with transplantation, cancer and other immunodeficiencies, and [3] to mentor and train the next generation of physician-scientists in understanding serious infections in immunocompromised patients. The Program's current laboratory and clinical investigations include antimicrobial pharmacology, immunopharmacology of innate host defense, biofilm cell biology, and molecular diagnosis of emerging fungal, bacterial and viral pathogens in immunocompromised patients.