Microbiology Virtual Week 2020

Dr. Emily Hollister is a microbial ecologist and serves as the Vice President for Information Technology & Analytics at Diversigen, Inc. Prior to joining Diversigen, Dr. Hollister served as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Pathology & Immunology at Baylor College of ... Medicine and as the Director of Microbial Ecology and Bioinformatics at the Texas Children's Microbiome Center at Texas Children's Hospital. Her microbiome experience ranges from soils and biofuel production systems to the human microbiome, built environment, and pre-clinical models of disease.

Dr Ivan Brukner entered into genomic era back in 1989 (ex-Yugoslavia), trying to describe and solve repeating sequence "branching motif problem" in building whole genome sequence. Next 5-10 years, his research was targeting sequence-dependent DNA structural problems, where ... contradictory puzzle about origin of DNA curvature and bending (crystallographic versus soft biochemistry data) was resolved (Italy, Germany and Canada). In 2000-2007, focus was directed toward design of nucleic-acid-based "ideal" point of care diagnostic device. Robust, multiplex, hybridization-based diagnostic device (which operates at standard "room" temperatures - in spite of ~90% sequence cross-similarity) was constructed and functionally tested. The universal protocol for selection of "robust" hybridization probes was result of this adventure. After joining Jewish General Hospital in Montreal (~2009), his work was becoming more clinically applicable, focusing on high volume molecular assays with strong financial and/or diagnostic impact (MRSA, C.difficile, VRE). He realized the strong need for applicability of new molecular techniques in emergency, including NGS, and definition of technological bottlenecks is subject of his talk in this secession.

Philip A. Geis is a native Texan who earned bachelor and doctor of philosophy degrees in microbiology and mycology from The University of Texas. Between these efforts, he served in the US Army with final duty as clinical microbiologist for the Army's 45th field hospital APO ... 09221. Phil joined The Procter & Gamble Company (P&G) in 1981 as divisional microbiologist for product quality, disinfectant development and study of household and skin microbial ecologies. His subsequent work as scientist and manager focused on preservation, method development, design and operation of sanitary manufacturing systems and microbial ecologies associated with underarm odor, dandruff, toilet soils and bathroom mildew. Through his career, Dr. Geis managed microbiology efforts for cosmetics, OTC drugs, household products and beverage and food business units of P&G.He also carried hard surface cleaner technical brand management responsibilities and is co-inventor for a number of domestic and international patents In addition, Dr. Geis managed federal and state regulatory and environmental affairs.In 2011 Phil retired from P&G and founded Geis Microbiological Quality in affiliation with biological sciences and advisory services of the Advanced Testing Laboratory of Cincinnati Ohio.He is an international consultant for microbiological quality of OTC drug, cosmetic, household and industrial products and cultural properties.He is also an instructor for the Microbiology and Cell Science Department of the University of Florida. Dr. Geis has published numerous chapters and papers and lectured on subjects of applied microbiology. He was responsible for Cosmetic Microbiology: A Practical Handbook 2nd edition and is currently an editor for the journal International Biodeterioration and Biodegradation.He is emeritus member of both the American Society for Microbiology and the Society for Industrial Microbiology and Biotechnology and a fellow of the Ohio Academy of Science.

Jonas Korlach was appointed Chief Scientific Officer of Pacific Biosciences in July 2012. He was previously a Scientific Fellow, supporting commercial development of the PacBio RS II system and performing research aimed at developing new applications for SMRT technologies. He ... co-invented the SMRT technology with Stephen Turner, Ph.D., Pacific Biosciences Founder and Chief Technology Officer, when the two were graduate students at Cornell University. Dr. Korlach joined Pacific Biosciences as the company's eighth employee in 2004. Previously, he was a Postdoctoral Researcher at Cornell University. Dr. Korlach is the recipient of multiple grants, an inventor on 70 issued U.S. patents and 61 international patents, and an author of over 70 scientific studies on the principles and applications of SMRT technology, including publications in Nature, Science, and PNAS. In 2013, Dr. Korlach was honored by the Obama White House as an Immigrant Innovator "Champion of Change." He received both his Ph.D. and his M.S. degrees in Biochemistry, Molecular and Cell Biology from Cornell, and received M.S. and B.A. degrees in Biological Sciences from Humboldt University in Berlin, Germany.

Neil Osheroff received a Bachelor's Degree in Chemistry from Hobart College in 1974 followed by a Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from Northwestern University in 1979. His doctoral dissertation on the mechanism of action of cytochrome c was under the direction of ... Professor Emanuel Margoliash. Following his doctoral studies, Dr. Osheroff moved to the Stanford University School of Medicine in 1980, where he was a Helen Hay Whitney Foundation postdoctoral fellow with Dr. Douglas Brutlag in the Department of Biochemistry. In 1983, he moved to the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine as an Assistant Professor of Biochemistry and he has been on the faculty since that time. Dr. Osheroff currently holds Professorships in the Departments of Biochemistry and Medicine and was endowed with the John G. Coniglio Chair in Biochemistry in 2003. He has spent a combined 27 years on the editorial boards of The Journal of Biological Chemistry and Biochemistry and has authored over 240 publications. Dr. Osheroff's research focuses on topoisomerases, enzymes that remove knots and tangles from the genetic material and modulate torsional stress in DNA. In addition to their critical physiological roles, human type I and II topoisomerases are the targets for a number of widely used anticancer drugs. Furthermore, bacterial type II topoisomerases are the targets for quinolones, a drug class that includes some of the most frequently prescribed antibacterials in the world. The Osheroff laboratory has made seminal contributions to our understanding of how topoisomerases function and how anticancer drugs, natural products, and antibacterials interact with these enzymes and alter their catalytic functions. Beyond his research, Dr. Osheroff has a long-standing interest in mentoring and training young scientists and physicians. Twenty-seven Ph.D. students have graduated under his mentorship. Dr. Osheroff he has been a course director since 1990 and holds a number of educational leadership positions in the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. Dr. Osheroff Chaired the NCI-I "Transition to Independence" study section from 2013-2016 and has held leadership positions in two international medical science educator organizations. Finally, Dr. Osheroff has received awards for mentoring, teaching, curricular design, educational service, and affirmative action and diversity. Over the past five years, he has been invited to present more than seventy scientific and educational talks at forty-six institutions/meetings in seventeen different countries.

Dr. Roossinck received a PhD in 1986 from the University of Colorado School of Medicine in Microbiology and Immunology, studying Hepatitis B virus, on an National Institutes of Health fellowship. Following a postdoctoral fellowship at Cornell University, where she began studying ... plant viruses, she moved to the Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation as a principal investigator, and focused her research on plant virus evolution and ecology. After the discovery of a novel plant-fungus-virus three-way mutualistic symbiosis that allows plants to grow in geothermal soils in Yellowstone National Park her interests expanded to include viruses of fungi. Currently she is a member of the Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics, and a Professor of Virus Ecology, in the Department of Plant Pathology and Environmental Microbiology at the Pennsylvania State University. She and her team have been studying virus ecology and experimental evolution for 25 years using plant and fungal viruses as models, and have published a number of seminal papers in this area. She is an expert in virus diversity and biodiversity, and has done extensive work on complex interactions between beneficial viruses and their hosts that are involved in adaptation of plants and fungi to extreme environments.

Professor Emeritus John G. Thomas, PhD, is recognized as an "International Educator and Global Microbiologist " (www.globalbugs.com) having lectured in more than 43 countries while a clinical microbiologist in pathology (Professor), dentistry (Clinical Professor) and ... Graduate School Education (Adjunct Professor) for 54 years , his translational research emphasizing biofilms and medical devices. He has focused upon micro 3-D- bio Printing of contour fitting gauzes using bio-plastics and unique Prebiotics with Therapeutic Bacteria (Beneficial Bacteria) for chronic wound intervention (SMarT Gauze); this integrates a common pathway, visualized through his 'Microbial Clock' and recently created Center of Hologenomic Clinical Studies (www.globalbugs.com/Hologenomic Center) which underscores a "Dual Citizenship" and co evolution of symbiotic microbes and human ecosystems. "MICROBES MATTER". His Probiotic Solutions integrates Computer Decision Support for Probiotic (Beneficial Bacteria) Guidelines combining AI, Artificial Intelligence and Precision Medicine, expanded recently to emphasize Aging, hypothesized now as a disease by the NIH. He has over 50 publications, multiple book chapters and significant grant support. His military obligation (1969-71)(wounds) and his sabbatical at Cardiff University, Wales, UK (2007)(oral health, biofilms) have remained a driving catalyst. He has been a member of the American Dental Association Scientific Advisory Committee for 8 years and American Society of Microbiology for 54 years. As Faculty at 3 national (Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine, Rutgers University and West Virginia University) and 2 international Universities ( National University of Singapore and Cardiff University) during his career , he has received multiple Alumni and University awards for research and Student Mentoring ; retiring from West Virginia University in 2013 after 23 years as Professor Emeritus , he presently is expanding his research/teaching utilizing the advanced resources of the Allegheny Health Network (Center of Excellence in Biofilm Research) and Carnegie -Mellon University, Pittsburg, PA, and Mass. Gen. Hospital (Dept. of Anesthesia and Critical Care) with Harvard University, Boston, MA, all under the umbrella of his Global Microbiology Consulting. (GMC) (www.globalbugs.com). He was Acting Director of Microbiology, Laboratory Medicine, Allegheny General Hospital, Pittsburgh, PA, 2013-2016.

Glenn is a Senior Vice President at Cempra Inc in Chapel Hill, USA. He is trained in medical microbiology and infectious diseases and almost 30 of pharmaceutical industry experience in various areas including clinical research, commercialization, scientific communications ... including publication planning, strategic drug development, life cycle management and global launch programs. Glenn has been instrumental in the development of ciprofloxacin and moxifloxacin as well as other drugs in the Bayer portfolio for whom he worked for 15 years. He later worked for Optimer Pharmaceuticals as Senior Vice President of Medical Affairs and built a team to support the launch of fidaxomicin (Dificid) the first new antibiotic for C difficile in over 20 years. Glenn is a member of the Scientific Steering Committee for the GTCBio Annual Summit on Anti-infective Partnering as well as the Anaerobe Society. He is also past Chair of the ACCP Chest Infection Network and a member of the ACCP Executive Council of Networks. In 2009 Glenn was honored by the American College of Chest Physicians with the Alfred Soffer Award for contributions to the College. Glenn is on several journal Editorial Advisory Boards including the Lancet Infectious Disease and F1000.