Archive | Infectious Diseases RSS feed for this section

Infectious Diseases faculty lead new hospital antibiotic stewardship initiatives

Prescription MedicineThis month, Infectious Diseases faculty members are implementing a new approach to the way Duke University Hospital uses and monitors antibiotics.

Under the direction of Deverick Anderson, MD, MPH, associate professor of medicine (Infectious Diseases) and Rebekah Moehring, MD, MPH, medical instructor (Infectious Diseases), Duke’s antibiotic stewardship program is launching a new, data-driven program in May that will optimize antibiotic use in the hospital and directly affect and improve patient care and safety.

In the last 10 years, attention to the wise uses of antibiotics in hospital care has grown nationally because of increasing rates of drug resistance and lack of new antibiotics to treat drug-resistant organisms, Moehring said.

In 2007, the Infectious Diseases Society of America published guidelines for antibiotic stewardship. Since then, most institutions have developed programs that help clinicians optimize their antibiotic use.

Continue Reading →

by · Posted on May 21, 2013 in Hospital Medicine, Infectious Diseases · Read full story · Comments { 0 }

Perfect awarded an endowed professorship

John R. Perfect, MD, professor of medicine and chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases, was one of three School of Medicine faculty awarded an endowed professorship by Duke University last week.

John R. Perfect, MD

John R. Perfect, MD

Dr. Perfect now is a James B. Duke Professor of Medicine. The professorships recognize the recipients’ outstanding achievements in health care, research and medical education.

“Dr. Perfect is a passionate researcher, tireless mentor and an outstanding clinician. His work has focused on translating basic investigations in mycology into the improved care of patients. To this end, he has built powerful collaborations to advance the science and has engaged and mentored students, residents and fellows. His commitment to excellence in research, medical education and patient care has made him an exceptional leader,” said Mary Klotman, MD, chair of the Department of Medicine.

Read more about the endowed professorships and click here for a list of other awards and honors bestowed upon members of the School of Medicine.

by · Posted on May 8, 2013 in Awards - honors, Faculty, Infectious Diseases, School of Medicine · Read full story · Comments { 0 }

Infectious Diseases instructor receives global health travel grant

Steve Taylor, MD, a medical instructor in the Division of Infectious Diseases, is one of three Duke researchers to receive an International Travel Grant from Duke Global Health Institute to pursue global health collaborations in Kenya.

Dr. Taylor will travel to Eldoret, Kenya, and Kigali, Rwanda this summer to pursue collaborations focused on translational studies of malaria. In Eldoret, Kenya, Taylor will build upon existing research to study the molecular pathology of malaria and its interaction with other diseases. In Rwanda, Taylor hopes to expand collaborations that explore pregnancy-associated malaria.

“The award will help us expand capacity for genetic studies of malaria in Eldoret, which already has a nucleus of Duke clinical investigators with active protocols in malaria-endemic towns near Eldoret. The visit will help think through how to leverage this existing infrastructure to answer interesting biological questions that can help to reduce transmission of malaria,” Taylor said. “In Kigali, the goal is to complement Duke’s clinical educational activities by starting a clinical research collaboration focused on malaria. Establishing a shared research program with Rwandan investigators in pregnancy-associated malaria would open many avenues for clinical and research training, field studies to reduce maternal and neonatal mortality, and educational exchange.”

Click here to read more about DGHI International Travel Grants.

by · Posted on May 8, 2013 in Awards - grants, Centers & Institutes, Global Health, Infectious Diseases · Read full story · Comments { 0 }

Funding opp: Hartwell Individual Biomedical Research Award

The Hartwell Foundation Individual Biomedical Research Awards program is now in its seventh year, and once again Duke University has been named by the Foundation as one of its Top Ten Centers of Biomedical Research in the United States and been invited to submit four nominees for this faculty award program.

Only investigators nominated by the head of an invited research institution are eligible for consideration for the Hartwell Individual Biomedical Research Award.

Each Award is for three years at $100,000 direct cost per year.

Duke Internal Deadline: June 24, 2013; Sponsor Deadline: September 16, 2013

Continue Reading →

by · Posted on April 17, 2013 in Funding, Infectious Diseases, Uncategorized · Read full story · Comments { 0 }
Link

Duke monitoring avian flu in China

Duke officials are closely monitoring the reports of avian flu in China, where Duke has a growing number of faculty, staff and students in places like Shanghai and Kunshan.

Cameron Wolfe, MBBS, assistant professor of medicine (Infectious Diseases), said that the H7N9 strain of influenza is typically only seen in birds, but it has now been identified in a number of people in China. According to the World Health Organization, there were 24 confirmed cases of H7N9 in China as of April 9; those cases include seven deaths, 14 severe cases and three mild cases. There have been no cases reported outside of China.

“This is the first time this virus has been seen in people,” Wolfe said. “At this stage there appears to be no evidence of human to human transmission. Instead, many of those infected have had close contact with livestock. Although infection seems rare at this stage, the new virus has resulted in severe respiratory illness.”

by · Posted on April 10, 2013 in Infectious Diseases · Read full story · Comments { 0 }
Quote

Hospitals Fail to Take Simple Measures to Thwart Deadly Infections, Survey Says

If everybody washed their hands like they’re supposed to, there would be hardly any transmission of this stuff.
Deverick Anderson, MD, MPH, associate professor of medicine
by · Posted on April 8, 2013 in Infectious Diseases, Media · Read full story · Comments { 0 }
Link

Researchers find potential map to more effective HIV vaccine

The research team, led by Barton F. Haynes, M.D., director of the Duke Human Vaccine Institute, and John Mascola, M.D., acting director of the NIH Vaccine Research Center, have for the first time described the co-evolution of antibodies and virus in a person with HIV whose immune system mounted a broad attack against the pathogen. Findings are published April 3, 2013, in the journal Nature.

Click here to read the article in Nature.

by · Posted on April 4, 2013 in AIDS, Infectious Diseases · Read full story · Comments { 0 }

Grand Rounds 4/5/13: Bartonellosis

Medicine Grand Rounds on Fri., April 5 at 8 a.m. in Duke Hospital room 2002 will feature Christopher Woods, MD, MPH, associate professor of medicine (Infectious Diseases), pathology and global health and chief of Infectious Diseases at the Durham VA Medical Center, and Edward Breitschwerdt, DVM, professor of medicine and infectious diseases at North Carolina State University School of Veterinary Medicine and adjunct professor of medicine at Duke University.

Dr. Woods and Dr. Breitschwerdt will present Bartonellosis – A Paradigm for the One Health Approach to Emerging Infectious Diseases.

Video archives

If you can’t make Medicine Grand Rounds this week, watch a live stream or view the archived video at http://bit.ly/RSlrBP (ignore the security certificate warning, then use your Duke NetID & password).
by · Posted on April 1, 2013 in Grand Rounds, Infectious Diseases · Read full story · Comments { 0 }