Ettie's research experience from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), National Institutes of Health, focused on the immunological consequence of helminth infection.  She gained experience in the design, implementation and analysis of epidemiologic studies in developing countries.  She completed her Masters of Public Health from the University of California, Berkeley, in 2003 where she studies infectious diseases and epidemiology.

For her dissertation research, Ettie plans to investigate the interaction between antimalarial drug resistance and identify polymorphisms associated with susceptibility and resistance to infection in humans.  She intends to integrate the fields of genetics and malaria research to conduct an epidemiologic study that will estimate the contribution of human genetics to the susceptibility of malaria and outcome of infection.

Dan earned a B.A. in Computer Science and Russian from Cornell University, an M.S. in Computer Science from Tufts University, and worked for 2 years as a computational biologist at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard.  His research included analyses of genetic markers of breast cancer, the development of theoretical methodologies for characterization of global transcriptional states, and a malaria pathogenesis study.

Dan is a doctoral student in the Integrated Graduate Program in Cellular, Molecular, Structural and Genetic Studies.  As a member of the Center for Computational Biology and Bioinformatics (C2B2) and the Fidock Malaria laboratory, he plans to study the genetic determinants of P. falciparum resistance to new antimalarials and compensatory mechanisms that accompany the acquisition of antimalarial drug resistance.

Sarah has a background in basic sciences research in microbial genetics and molecular biology, and her sustained interests include elucidating mechanisms of microbial pathogenesis, including antimicrobial resistance and host-pathogen interactions, which might serve as targets for preventive interventions or treatments.

Her current research projects include:
(1) Assessing clinical and microbiological outcomes of infections caused by extensively drug-resistant gram negative bacilli (XDR-GNB), including Acinetobacter spp.,  Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and investigating alternate methods for susceptibility testing of clinical isolates to aid in successful treatment of XDR-GNB infections and to reduce the spread of antimicrobial resistance.

(2) Evaluating hospital adherence to contact isolation precautions for patients infected or colonized with multidrug-resistant (MDR) microorganisms.

Publications/Presentations:

Clock S, Cohen B, Behta M, Ross B, Larson E.  Barrier Precautions for Multidrug-Resistant Organisms (MDROs): Current Recommendations and Actual Practice.  Accepted for presentation at the SHEA Annual Scientific Meeting.  Sheraton San Diego Hotel, San Diego, CA, March 19-22, 2009.

Tim is a nurse and family and pediatric nurse practitioner.  His clinical background includes work with at-risk populations including the homeless and underserved.  He holds a BS (Nursing) from Binghamton University, an MA (Theological Studies) from LaSalle University, and an MS (Nursing) from Pace University.  He recently defended his dissertation, “Methods to detect colonization with Staphylococcus aureus among a homeless population” at The Ohio State University College of Public Health.  Prior to coming to TIRAR, he was a clinical instructor at OSU and practiced part-time at a clinic in Columbus.

His current research interests include colonization with Staphylococcus aureus and MRSA in community dwelling individuals.  He is also interested in patterns of community-based transition, including the role of companion animals and environmental contacts in MRSA colonization.  He is currently working on the effect of misclassification on estimates of risk for the development of antibiotic resistance.