Washington University in St. Louis (WU)
My research interests center around the epidemiology and prevention of healthcare-associated infections. An area of research that I am currently engaged in is to better understand risk factors for colonization and infection with antimicrobial-resistant bacteria among hospitalized patients, particularly methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA), and to develop methods of preventing the continuing spread of these organisms within healthcare and the community, including implementing rapid molecular diagnostic assays for the detection of MRSA colonization. I am involved in a multicenter study of the effectiveness of use of a daily chlorhexidine skin preparation in reducing nosocomial infections. I am also interested in determining prognostic indicators for bloodstream infections, with special emphasis on Staphylococcus aureus.