We welcome our guest speakers joining us—-
Clifford McDonald, MD, Conference Chair.
Dr. McDonald graduated from Northwestern University Medical School. He completed a medical microbiology fellowship at Duke University and is a former member of CDC’s Epidemic Intelligence Service. Dr. McDonald is currently the Associate Director for Science in the Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion at the CDC. He has first authored or co-authored over 100 peer reviewed publications on subjects related to healthcare and infectious disease epidemiology
Dr. McDonald joins fellow world-renowned topic experts to discuss the burden of
C. difficile infections with the risk factors pertaining to current and emerging treatment options along with the importance of applying evidence-based clinical approaches to the prevention of a C. difficile infection (CDI), one of the leading community and
healthcare-associated infections.
Presentation Topic: “Our Ongoing Battle Against C. diff.: A Status Update, 2016.”
Learning objectives:
1. Recognize major achievements in the surveillance, prevention, and
treatment of C. difficile infections of the past 10 years.
2. Identify remaining challenges in the U.S. and global battles to prevent C.difficile infections including possible reasons why we are not yet achieving U.S. targets for prevention
3. Understand emerging knowledge about epidemiology and unique prevention strategies and how they might be leveraged in the ongoing battle against C. difficile infections.
Charles Darkoh, PhD. Dr. Charles Darkoh is an Assistant Professor at the University of Texas Health Science Center, School of Public Health and Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at Houston, Texas, USA. His laboratory studies pathogenesis and molecular basis of enteric infectious diseases with the goal to identify and understand the mechanisms of action of novel virulence factors, pathways, and unique microbial products that can be harnessed for diagnostics and therapeutics. Dr. Darkoh’s research in Clostridium difficile focuses on understanding the mechanism of how toxins A and B, which are directly responsible for disease, are produced. The discoveries in his laboratory on how the toxins are produced have enabled him to identify promising low molecular weight compounds that inhibit both production and activity of the toxins. These compounds are being developed as non-antibiotic therapy for C. difficile infections.
Presentation Topic: “Targeting Toxin Production and Toxin Activity as a Novel Non-Antibiotic Therapy for Clostridium difficile Infections.”
Lilly Immergluck, MD, MS, FAAP, Dr. Immergluck oversees pediatric clinical translational research studies at the Clinical Research Center at Morehouse School of Medicine. She is Associate Professor of Microbiology/Biochemistry/Immunology and Pediatrics and holds an adjunct faculty appointment at Emory University as Associate Professor of Clinical Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases and is a Pediatric Infectious Disease Specialist with Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. Dr. Immergluck is involved in a number of the pediatric clinical translational and community engagement studies which are based at the Clinical Research Center. She is a co-investigator
on Dr. Jeffery Lewis’s study that looks at children that receive fecal microbiota transplants (FMTs) for treatment of recurrent C.diff.
Presentation Topic: “Applying Fecal Microbiota Transplantation (FMT) to Treat Recurrent Clostridium difficile Infections in Children.”
David Cook, PhD; Dr. Cook is a scientist and entrepreneur who has held senior operating and management positions in the biotechnology industry over his 20-year career. Before joining Seres Therapeutics, he was the chief operating officer for the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative, a global R&D organization whose mission is to develop a safe, globally accessible vaccine for HIV. Prior to IAVI, David was the founding CEO at Anza Therapeutics, a biotechnology start-up developing a novel microbial vaccine platform to induce cellular immune responses to fight or prevent diseases such as cancer, hepatitis C, malaria and tuberculosis. He is also a co-inventor on over twenty-five patents. He received his undergraduate degree from Harvard College and his PhD in chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley. Dr Cook is presently Executive Vice President of R&D, Chief Scientific Officer with Seres Therapeutics, Inc..
Presentation Topic: “Taking the Next Giant Step: Designed Microbiome-based Drugs For Clostridium difficile Infections.”
Mark Wilcox MD, FRCPath, Dr. Wilcox is Consultant Microbiologist, Head of Microbiology and Academic Lead of Pathology at the Leeds Teaching Hospitals (LTHT), Professor of Medical Microbiology at the University of Leeds at their Institute of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, and is the lead on Clostridium difficile for Public Health England in the UK. He was formerly the Director of Infection Prevention, Infection Control Doctor and Clinical Director of Pathology at LTHT. Dr. Wilcox is deputy Chair of the UK Department of Health’s Antimicrobial Resistance and Healthcare Associated Infection Committee and is a member of the HPA’s Program Board on Healthcare Associated Infection & Antimicrobial Resistance. He has a track record of translational research, including providing the basis of clinical advice to the NHS. He has been the Principal/UK Investigator for several clinical trials of new anti-infective drugs and has provided clinical advice as part of the FDA/EMA submissions for the approval of several novel antimicrobial agents.
Presentation Topic: “Clostridium difficile Infection In The Community Setting.”
Jean de Gunzburg, Dr. de Gunzburg is Chief Scientific Officer of Da Volterra, an emerging biotechnology company, headquartered in Paris, France. Prior to this, Jean de Gunzburg led an academic research career in molecular and cell biology at the Institut Pasteur (Paris, France), the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research (Cambridge, MA, USA) and the Institut Curie (Paris, France). He is the author of over 70 publications in international peer reviewed scientific journals, and continues to serve on several grant review committees.
Presentation Topic: “DAV132: A Novel Product Destined To Prevent Antibiotic-Induced Clostridium difficile Infections.”
Barley Chironda,, RPN, CIC, Barley Chironda a Nurse, National Healthcare Sales Director and Infection Control Specialist Clorox Canada, Social Media Manager of IPAC Canada, and the current President of IPAC- GTA. Mr. Chironda is certified in Infection prevention and control (CIC™) and has worked extensively in Infection Control. He is typically found engaged in motivating hospital staff, patients and the public on proper infection prevention practices. Mr. Chironda’s roles allow great participation in quality improvement interventions related to patient and public safety. Therefore Barley has been an integral to the successful decline in Clostridium difficile infections through implementing innovative technology and quality improvement behavioral change.
Presentation Topic: “The C.diff. Disinfection Debate: To Use Or Not To Use Sporicidal Disinfectants Every-Time In Healthcare Facilities.”
Sushma Shivaswamy, Ph.D. Dr. Shivaswamy is Vice President of Research and Development at XBiotech Inc. since January 2015. She joined the company in 2009, and served as Director, R&D between 2011 and 2015. In her current role as VP, she leads teams involved in various Research & Development projects at XBiotech including Antibody Discovery, Cell Line Development, and pre-clinical toxicology and efficacy studies using animal models. Prior to joining XBiotech Dr. Shivaswamy was a postdoctoral researcher at the Center for Systems and Synthetic Biology at the University of Texas at Austin and a Ph.D. degree in Molecular Biology from the Center for Cellular and Molecular Biology, India.
Presentation Topic: “True Human™ Antibody Therapy Against C. difficile”
Rachael Sparks, Rachael Sparks is the Technical Director for Xenex Disinfection Services, studied microbiology with an emphasis in immunology and antibiotic resistance at Texas A&M University. After almost a decade working as a specialist in the field of organ and tissue transplants, she joined Xenex in 2011 as Manager of Client Services and has led over 100 implementations of Xenex room disinfection systems nationally and internationally. Rachael works closely with Xenex customers and other hospitals exploring the decision to lead in their communities by building a pulsed xenon UV disinfection
program to battle healthcare-associated infections.
Presentation Topic:“Evidenced Best Practices For Stopping C.diff In The Healthcare Environment”
Arjun Srinivasan, MD, Dr. Srinivasan is Associate Director for healthcare-associated infection (HAI) prevention programs in the Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion at the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases. Dr. Srinivasan is also a captain in the US Public Health Service. An infectious disease doctor, Dr. Srinivasan oversees several CDC programs aimed at eliminating healthcare-associated infections and improving antibiotic use. For much of his CDC career, Dr. Srinivasan ran the healthcare outbreak investigation unit, helping hospitals and other healthcare facilities track down bacteria and stop them from infecting other patients. Today, Dr. Srinivasan leads CDC’s work to improve antibiotic prescribing and works with a team of CDC experts researching new strategies to eliminate healthcare-associated infections.
Presentation Topic: “Antibiotic Stewardship- Improving Antibiotic Use to Combat C diff.”
Joseph Sliman, MD, MPH, Dr. Sliman, Senior Vice President, Clinical & Regulatory Affairs. Dr. Sliman joined Synthetic Biologics in January 2013 as the Senior Vice President, Clinical & Regulatory Affairs. In this position, Dr. Sliman will be responsible for the design and implementation of all aspects of clinical development, including clinical trials, and will lead the Company’s regulatory initiatives. During his service in the United States Navy, Dr. Sliman led the U. S. Pacific Fleet disease surveillance programs, including influenza surveillance, preparedness, and prevention, as well as communicable disease and injury surveillance and prevention and health policy development. Dr. Sliman earned an M.D. from the Uniformed Services University, a Master’s Degree in Public Health from the Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health, and a B.S. in Molecular and Cell Biology, with Honors in Biology, from Pennsylvania State University
Presentation Topic: “Ribaxamase: Protection of the Gut Microbiome and Prevention of CDI”
Dale Gerding, MD, FACP, FIDSA, Dr. Dale Gerding, Professor of Medicine at Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine in Maywod, Illinois and Research Physician at the Edward Hines Jr. VA Hospital. Prior to his present position Dr. Gerding was Chief of Medicine at VA Chicago, Lakeside Division, and Professor of Medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. He is an infectious diseases specialist and hospital epidemiologist, past president of the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America and past chair the antibiotic resistance committee of SHEA. He is a fellow of the Infectious Diseases Society of America and past Chair of the National and Global Public Health Committee and the Antibiotic Resistance Subcommittee of IDSA. He served as a member of the Board of Directors of IDSA from 2005-2008. He is a Master of the American College of Physicians and the 2013 recipient of the William Middleton Award, the highest research award given by the Department of Veterans Affairs. He is a member of the American Society for Microbiology, and is board certified in Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases. His research interests include the epidemiology and prevention of Clostridium difficile disease, antimicrobial resistance, and antimicrobial distribution and kinetics. He has been a Merit Review funded research investigator in the VA for over 40 years and is the author of over 400 peer-reviewed journal publications, book chapters, and review articles. He holds patents for the use of non-toxigenic C. difficile for the prevention and treatment of this disease.
Presentation Topic: “Clostridium difficile Infection In Infants and Children: Diagnostic Pitfalls and Treatment”
Stuart B. Johnson, MD, MACP, FIDSA, Dr. Johnson, Professor, Department of Medicine, Stritch School of Medicine, Loyola University, Chicago, IL.
Dr. Stuart Johnson, MD is a Professor of Medicine at Loyola University Stritch School
of Medicine at Loyola University Medical Center and a Researcher at the Hines VA Hospital,
Chicago, Illinois. His main research interest and focus has involved the epidemiology pathogenesis, and treatment of Clostridium difficile infection. He is actively studying variant strains of C. difficile and the role of the various toxins in the pathogenesis of C. difficile disease. His clinical experience in the treatment of patients with recurrent CDI has translated into studies helping to define optimal management of these infections, including the utility and pitfalls of alternative treatment agents. He is currently the Principal Investigator of a multi-center study with the VA Healthcare system designed to define optimal management of early recurrences of CDI.
Presentation Topic: “Evolving Management of CDI Since Publication Of the Treatment Guidelines.”
Richard Vickers, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer, Antimicrobials and Programme Lead for CDI, Summit Therapeutics. Dr. Vickers is Chief Scientific Officer of Antimicrobials at Summit Therapeutics. He joined Summit in 2003 and during his time has worked in a variety of roles involved in the development and management of various antibacterial therapeutic programs. This includes leading the discovery and development of ridinilazole, the investigational antibiotic for the treatment of C. difficile infection. Prior to joining Summit, Dr Vickers undertook postdoctoral research studies with Professor Stephen Davies at the University of Oxford and held a Stipendiary Lectureship in organic chemistry at St. Catherine’s College in Oxford. Dr Vickers received a Ph.D. in organic chemistry from the University of Reading and a B.Sc. in chemistry from King’s College London.
Presentation Topic: ” Ridinilazole, a Microbiome Preserving Antibiotic For the Treatment Of a C. difficile Infection.”
C. diff. Survivors: Mr. Roy Poole, Mrs. Nancy Sheridan, Mrs. Victoria Edmund, and Mrs. Elaine Ford - each a C. diff. Survivor — share their personal
C. difficile infection journey; The signs, symptoms, treatments, with the physical, mental, and psycho-social changes endured from this life-threatening infection and how each recurrent
C. difficile infection (rCDI) impacted their lives.
Presentation Topic: “A C. diff. Survivor’s Journey.”
Mary Beth Dorr, PhD, Clinical Director, Clinical Research, Infectious Diseases,
Merck & Co., Inc. Dr. Dorr graduated from the University of the Sciences with a degree in Pharmacy. She completed a clinical pharmacy residency at the Veteran’s Administration Hospital in Philadelphia and obtained a PhD in pharmacokinetics and drug metabolism from the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. She joined the pharmaceutical industry in 1987, and has devoted her career to the design and implementation of Phase 1 to 4 clinical trials, primarily for anti-infective products. Dr. Dorr directed the Phase 3 program investigating the safety and efficacy of the monoclonal antibodies actoxumab and bezlotoxumab as adjunctive therapy for the prevention of C. difficile recurrence.
Presentation Topic: “Bezlotoxumab Shows Efficacy In Preventing Recurrent
C. Difficile infection (rCDI) In Patients At High Risk Of Recurrence.”
Rosie Lyles, MD — Dr. Lyles has an extensive educational background includes the Texas Woman’s University, Denton, Texas BS, Biology, St. Matthew’s School of Medicine, Grand Cayman MD 05/04 Medicine – St. Joseph’s College, Standish, Maine MHA 05/06 Health Services Administration – University of Illinois at Chicago MSc 2014 Clinical and Translation Science. Dr. Lyles serves as the primary medical liaison in healthcare. With over a decade of investigating healthcare-associated infections with a particular focus on the epidemiology and prevention of emerging pathogens across health continuum. She has directed numerous large scale clinical studies, trials, and infection control bundled interventions with numerous peer-reviewed articles related to infectious disease epidemiology. Her continued role as a healthcare provider offers strategic guidance and assists with the development and implementation of a plan for clinical/scientific support in the infection control community. This includes overall responsibility for public health message development, publication planning and education, key opinion leader development and provides relevant input into the clinical path of healthcare.
Presentation Topic: “Asymptomatic Clostridium difficile Carriers: Treat ’em or Clean ’em”
Simon M. Cutting, PhD, Professor Cutting of Molecular Microbiology at Royal Holloway, University of London is a bacterial geneticist with over 25 years of experience with Bacillus
since graduating from Oxford University with a D. Phil in 1986. His D.Phil was on understanding the genetic control of spore formation in Bacillus Clostridium difficile
(see http://www.cdvax.org). His other expertise is in the use of Bacillus spores as probiotics and has a number of contracts and consultancies with European and US companies in the food and feed sectors (see SporeGen.com).
Presentation Topic: “Thwarting the Opportunist: An Anti-adhesion Vaccine That Prevents C.difficult Colonization.”
Kathy Leith, MBA, Ms. Leith is the Director of Marketing for Rebiotix, a results-oriented biotechnology company revolutionizing the treatment of challenging gastrointestinal diseases by harnessing the power of the human microbiome. Kathy has over 20 years of marketing experience with more than 15 years of healthcare, medical device and pharmaceutical background specializing in product and market development and product commercialization. More recently she has worked in the pharmaceutical industry at a mid-size company launching a new epilepsy drug and now at Rebiotix, a biotechnology start-up bringing a breakthrough technology to market by developing a new way of treating disease through Microbiota Restoration Therapy (MRT). The company’s first MRT is a biologic drug targeted at recurrent Clostridium difficile infection. Kathy earned her BBA at the University of Wisconsin –Whitewater and her MBA at the University of St. Thomas in Minneapolis, MN.
Presentation Topic: “Blazing the Trail for Patients with Microbiota Restoration”
Hudson Garrett, Jr., PhD, MSN, MPH, FNP-BC, CSRN, VA-BC, CDONA, FACDONA, IP-BC, PLNC, Dr. Garrett is currently employed as the Global Chief Clinical Officer for Pentax Medical. He holds a dual Masters in Nursing and Public Health, Post-Masters Certificate as a Family Nurse Practitioner, a Post-Masters Certificate in Infection Prevention and Infection Control and a PhD in Healthcare Administration and Policy. He has completed the Johns Hopkins Fellows Program in Hospital Epidemiology and Infection Control, and the CDC Fundamentals of Healthcare Epidemiology program, and is board certified in family practice, critical care, vascular access, moderate sedation, infection prevention, legal nurse consulting, and a director of nursing in long term care. Dr. Garrett is also a Fellow in the Academy of National Associations of Directors of Nursing Administration in Long Term Care.
Presentation Topic: “ Reaching Across Disciplines To Reduce the Incidence Of
C. difficile Infection and Other Super-bugs.”
