January 2021 brought news of the passing of John Bartlett, MD, who was a mentor, colleague, and friend to many. In the initial years of our grant, he played a fundamental role in building ARLG and made significant contributions to our mentoring program. As a tribute to his leadership and legacy, we have given our fellowship program a new name, the Dr. John G. Bartlett ARLG Fellowship.

John’s early work to design and lead the ARLG Mentoring Committee stemmed from his dedication to support early career researchers and sustain ongoing exploration into the threat of antibacterial resistance. The program has now provided development opportunities to more than 45 mentees, and it continues to grow.

John’s commitment to supporting mentees and early-stage research may have originated from his own career experience, which included pioneering the establishment of early HIV treatment guidelines and ground-breaking work on the connection between C. difficile and antibiotic-related colitis. His expertise also spanned other areas including bioterrorism, respiratory tract infections, anaerobic pulmonary infections, and antimicrobial resistance. He fulfilled academic roles at UCLA, Tufts, and Johns Hopkins University where he was instrumental in starting and leading the Infectious Disease Division.

His inspiring career along with his reputation for generosity and compassion make John an ideal namesake for the ARLG fellowship award. His legacy exemplifies our commitment to mentoring and supporting the next generation of infectious diseases researchers. Like John, their contributions to combat the threat of antibacterial resistance will help to improve the lives of countless people well into the future.

Learn more about the Dr. John G. Bartlett ARLG Fellowship.

A July WebMD article titled “Antimicrobial Resistance Threat Continues During COVID” highlighted commentary from Vance Fowler, MD, and Tori Kinamon , MD Candidate at the Duke University School of Medicine, and recipient of the FDA Antibacterial Drug Resistance (DOOR) Fellowship. The input came from an online media briefing sponsored by the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) the previous day and formed the foundation of the article’s content.

The article underscores the urgency of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and the potential complications from COVID-19 treatments. Dr. Fowler and Kinamon provide insight on these topics as well as information on the critical importance of new research and the work happening now on innovative strategies.

Read more

The European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ESCMID) selected Prof. Herman Goossens (University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium) to receive its most prestigious award, the ESCMID Award for Excellence in Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases 2020. At the recent European Congress of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases (ECCMID) 2021 online conference, Prof. Goossens presented his keynote recipient lecture and accepted his award, which was delayed due to last year’s COVID-19 cancellations.

His keynote presentation titled “Transcending European clinical research in infectious diseases through collaboration to break down traditional silos” outlined difficulties in the EU COVID-19 clinical research response and highlighted the need to focus on partnerships and clinical trial networks to streamline research. The alliance between ARLG and COMBACTE is one example of this type of collaboration and correlates to Prof. Goossens’ work as vice-chair of the European Clinical Research Alliance on Infectious Diseases (ECRAID)-Base and the coordinator of The Platform foR European Preparedness Against (Re-) emerging Epidemics (PREPARE).

The ESCMID executive committee selected Prof. Goossens for the award in recognition of his significant contributions in the areas of clinical microbiology and infectious diseases. He is the author of more than 600 Web of Science papers, which have been cited close to 25,000 times. Prof. Goossens has presented at more than 400 international events and received many past honors and awards.

Get On-demand access to this lecture and other great ECCMID21 content.

ECCMID 2021 is over, but you can still watch top ARLG leaders and experts discuss the latest AMR topics on demand! Use the guide below to choose your favorite conference sessions and get on demand access here.

The Food and Drug Association (FDA) selected Air Force 2^nd Lt. Tori Kinamon, MD Candidate at the Duke University School of Medicine, to receive an FDA Antibacterial Drug Resistance (DOOR) Fellowship. The one year fellowship, which begins June 2021, is with the Office of Infectious Diseases Division of Anti-infectives led by Sumanthi Nambiar, MD.

The fellowship evaluates ordinal endpoints using the Desirability of Outcome Ranking (DOOR) approach for anti-infective clinical trials for indications such as hospital-acquired bacterial pneumonia/ventilator-associated bacterial pneumonia (HABP/VABP), complicated urinary tract infections (cUTI), complicated intra-abdominal infections (cIAI) and acute bacterial skin and skin structure infections (ABSSSI). DOOR is an innovative approach used in clinical trials to evaluate the global benefits and risks of an intervention.

The Food and Drug Association (FDA) offers this fellowship opportunity through the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE).

ARLG primary investigator, Thomas L. Holland, MD, is being honored alongside Cameron R. Wolfe, MBBS, and the Division of Infectious Diseases, all with Duke University Hospital, to receive the Presidential Award. Holland, Wolfe, and members of their team were nominated for the award in recognition of their leadership and service efforts to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Presidential Awards represent Duke University’s highest honor and are granted each year to select staff and faculty who personify Duke’s values and legacy. Holland is being recognized for his work leading the COVID-19 in-patient clinical teams and keeping infectious diseases colleagues informed of important COVID-19 challenges. Wolfe led Duke’s Biological and Emergency Preparedness team and served as a Chair of the Atlantic Coast Conference COVID-19 Medical Advisory Group. Their unflagging dedication and effort also included work in community outreach, vaccine development, and infection prevention.

This year’s awards will be presented by Duke University President Vincent Price during a virtual ceremony on April 14. We extend our congratulations to Drs. Holland, Wolfe, and all of the honorees.

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We congratulate Yohei Doi, MD, PhD, on his promotion to Professor of Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh! Dr. Doi is the chair for ARLG’s Gram-Negative Committee which advances research and improves patient outcomes by designing clinical trials for gram-negative infections and mentoring ARLG junior investigators.

Dr. Doi also serves as the Director of the Center for Innovative Antimicrobial Therapy (CIAT) at the University of Pittsburgh as well as the Professor and Chair of Microbiology at Fujita Health University in Aichi, Japan. His primary topics of research include the genetic and molecular basis of emerging antimicrobial resistance mechanisms, inhibitor-based drug discovery, colistin resistance in Acinetobacter baumannii, and the rapid diagnosis of resistance using phenotypic, genetic, and lipidomic approaches.

We are deeply saddened to share news of the passing of our mentor, colleague, and friend John Bartlett, M.D. on Jan. 19. John’s career included academic positions at UCLA, Tufts, and Johns Hopkins University where he also helped to establish the Infectious Disease Division and served as its chief for 26 years. His early work demonstrated the connection between C. difficile and antibiotic-related colitis and he was an early pioneer in establishing HIV treatment guidelines. As a renowned expert in many subjects, John’s work had a profound effect on areas including respiratory tract infections, bioterrorism threats, anaerobic pulmonary infections, and antimicrobial resistance.

In addition to the many significant contributions that helped build the ARLG, John designed and led the ARLG mentoring committee in the initial years of the grant. To date, the ARLG mentoring program has provided mentorship and career-development opportunities to more than 45 mentees and has achieved John’s vision to train the next generation of clinician scientists in antibacterial resistance.

Widely remembered for his kindness and generosity, John’s legacy and the impact of his work will continue to benefit and inspire others for generations to come. We extend our heartfelt condolences to John’s family and many friends. Those wishing to make a memorial contribution in honor of Dr. Bartlett can donate a tribute gift to the IDSA Foundation which will be recognized in the IDSA Jean and John G. Bartlett Member Lounge in Arlington, Virginia.

The Food and Drug Association announces two Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) fellowship opportunities. If you or  someone you know are interested in these one-year fellowships, please apply by February 26, 2021. The anticipated start date is June, 2021.

• FDA Antibacterial Drug Resistance (DOOR) Fellowship
  • The project will evaluate ordinal endpoints using the desirability of outcome ranking (DOOR) approach for anti-infective clinical trials for indications such as hospital-acquired bacterial pneumonia/ventilator-associated bacterial pneumonia (HABP/VABP), complicated urinary tract infections (cUTI), complicated intra-abdominal infections (cIAI) and acute bacterial skin and skin structure infections (ABSSSI).  Under the guidance of a mentor, the selected candidate will perform analysis of the existing database of recently completed antibacterial drug trials to validate ordinal endpoints using the DOOR approach.
  • Apply at: https://www.zintellect.com/Opportunity/Details/FDA-CDER-2021-0617

• FDA Antibacterial Drug Resistance (cUTI) Fellowship
  • Currently, the primary endpoint for complicated urinary tract infection (cUTI) trials is a composite of clinical and microbiologic outcomes assessed at a fixed time point after completing therapy. In recent clinical trials, it has been noted that while some patients are classified as microbiologic failures due to persistently positive urine culture, however they are doing well clinically such that no further antibacterial therapy is needed. The reasons for this discordance are unclear and need further evaluation. For this project, data from recently completed cUTI trials will be reviewed to assess the degree of discordance between the clinical and microbiologic endpoints, the reasons for the discordance and, based on the data, consideration will be given to revising the endpoint if needed.
  • Apply at: https://www.zintellect.com/Opportunity/Details/FDA-CDER-2021-0618

In October, ARLG co-principal investigator Vance Fowler shared insight from his two decades studying Staphylococcus aureus as part of an IDWeek 2020 lecture titled “Staphylococcus aureus: Lessons Learned from 20 Years with the Persistent Pathogen.” The Finland lecture is awarded each year to someone who has made key contributions in the areas of bacterial pathogenesis, antimicrobial agents, emerging infections, and hospital-acquired infections.

Dr. Fowler began the lecture by discussing his first major lesson: “plans change.” While in residency, he thought his career would be dedicated to studying malaria in East Africa but his mentor, Ralph Corey, MD, suggested he study S. aureus instead. During his residency, he started the S. aureus Bacteremia Group (SABG) that has been central to his career.

“Dream big, start small” was the second major lesson Dr. Fowler highlighted as he described the influential clinical and translational work that has been performed through the SABG over the last 25 years. His group was able to show that patients with S. aureus bloodstream infections now have more comorbidities, higher rates of prosthetic devices, and are more likely to have severe disease with metastatic sites of infection than patients with S. aureus bacteremia 20 years ago. Dr. Fowler discussed how research through the SABG has generated key clinical practice recommendations for treating patients with S. aureus bacteremia. His group led some of the original studies showing the importance of performing echocardiography, consulting infectious diseases, and using the appropriate antibiotics. Each of these interventions was subsequently shown to significantly decrease mortality in patients with S. aureus bacteremia in large datasets and are now considered standard, evidence-based practices.

In the third and fourth major lessons presented, Dr. Fowler shared that even the most thorough bedside evaluation can be limited which is why biorepositories of patient samples can be crucial to answering clinical questions. Dr. Fowler’s lab has been able to use a large biorepository of samples from patients with S. aureus bacteremia to answer important translational question including understanding 1) which patients with S. aureus bacteremia and cardiac devices will develop a cardiac device infection and 2) which patients with methicillin-resistant S. aureus bacteremia will develop persistent bacteremia. Both of these questions were inspired by bedside clinical questions but involved using the biorepository to investigate mechanisms in the pathogen and host response. Dr. Fowler urged other institutions to create similar biorepositories as a way to promote hypothesis-generating and hypothesis-testing research.

Dr. Fowler concluded his lecture by stating that trainees led and published much of the research he presented and emphasized the importance of mentorship. He thanked his mentor, Dr. Ralph Corey, for believing in him and expressed his hope to provide the same support for current infectious diseases trainees.

Article by Jessica Howard-Anderson, MD, MSc