Research and Mentoring | Emory School of Medicine

One of the key goals of the EASIL program is to publish research findings and train the next generation of antibiotic stewards in both academia and in the clinic.

Publications

Variation in Measures of Antimicrobial Use Across Four Nursing Homes, Atlanta, Georgia, 2019

Dube, W. et al., 2020: Decennial Abstracts

Background: Although antibiotic stewardship programs (ASP) are now required in nursing homes, assimilating and responding to data to improve prescribing in nursing homes is novel. Four Atlanta-based skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) began collaborating (EASIL: Emory Antibiotic Stewardship in Long-Term Care) to share standardized prescribing data to allow interfacility comparisons and action.

Creating reasonable antibiograms for antibiotic stewardship programs in nursing homes: Analysis of 260 facilities in a large geographic region, 2016–2017

Fridkin, SK. et al., 2019: Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology

Objective: To determine the best nursing home facility characteristics for aggregating antibiotic susceptibility testing results across nursing homes to produce a useful annual antibiogram that nursing homes can use in their antimicrobial stewardship programs.

Evaluation of Care Interactions Between Healthcare Personnel and Residents in Nursing Homes Across the United States

Chang, NC. et al., 2020: Decennial Abstracts

Background: Certain nursing home (NH) resident care tasks have a higher risk for multidrug-resistant organisms (MDRO) transfer to healthcare personnel (HCP), which can result in transmission to residents if HCPs fail to perform recommended infection prevention practices. However, data on HCP-resident interactions are limited and do not account for intrafacility practice variation. Understanding differences in interactions, by HCP role and unit, is important for informing MDRO prevention strategies in NHs.

Mentoring

Thesis Manuscript: Changes in antibiotic prescribing metrics at 3 nursing homes in Atlanta collaborating on antibiotic stewardship

Cool, A. et al., 2020

Summary: Antibiotic overuse can contribute to antibiotic resistance and adverse events. Results showed some improvements in UTI antibiotic prescribing. Exploring how effects may vary due to implementation differences is warranted.

Meet the Team

EASIL Team Photo via Zoom — Our remote team continues to work on improving antibiotic prescribing from home offices.

Principal Investigator Dr. Scott Fridkin, MD Professor of Medicine, Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, and Epidemiology (Joint), Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University.

As the Director of Antibiotic Stewardship Research for Emory Healthcare, Dr. Fridkin is responsible for harmonization of stewardship efforts across Emory Healthcare, and promoting antibiotic resistance prevention research to improve patient safety among interconnected facilities in the greater Atlanta area.

Clinical Research Coordinator Will Dube, MPH Division of Infectious Diseases, Emory School of Medicine

After earning his Bachelor of Arts in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from University of Colorado Boulder, where his research focused on parasite ecology; Will completed his Masters training at Emory's Rollins School of Public Health in the Department of Epidemiology. As a Clinical Research Coordinator, Will is responsible for study coordination and data management across a variety of projects related to healthcare epidemiology and antimicrobial stewardship within the Division of Infectious Diseases at Emory University's School of Medicine.

Clinical Research Coordinator Joseph Kellogg, MPH Division of Infectious Diseases, Emory School of Medicine

Prior to his appointment at Emory University's School of Medicine, Joe obtained a Bachelor of Arts from Pennsylvania State University, a Master of Public Health from Emory's Rollins School of Public Health, and worked as an Emergency Medical Technician for 4 years. Joe's research has focused on healthcare associated infections, particularly in long-term care facilities.

ORISE Fellow, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Andrea Cool, MPH Behavioral Science and Health Education, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University

Andrea Cool currently serves as an ORISE Fellow with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion. She received her Master of Public Health degree from Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health with a concentration in Behavioral, Social, and Health Education Sciences. Andrea’s research interests include healthcare quality improvement, program evaluation, and implementation science.

Research Associate Nadia Khan Department of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University

Nadia Khan is currently a Master of Public Health student in the Epidemiology Department at Emory University's Rollins School of Public Health. Before joining Rollins, Nadia received a Bachelor of Science in Molecular and Cellular Biology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where her work focused on mosquito research. Later, Nadia worked in labs at Rush University and the University of Chicago, where her research focused on drug-resistant organisms and ovarian cancer, respectively. Now at Emory, her primary research interests include infectious disease epidemiology and antibiotic resistance.