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2024 Scientific Symposium

Christian John Lillis

CEO of Peggy Lillis Foundation

As head of PLF, Christian has led nine national convenings of C. diff Advocates, built a 50-person volunteer Advocates Council, coordinated the first-ever C. diff Lobby Day on Capitol Hill, and produced the first-ever public service announcement on C. diff infections. In 2013, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recognized PLF’s work with its Excellence in Partnership award for domestic advocates and organizations. Christian has presented to state hospital associations, quality improvement organizations, healthcare systems, and industry leaders, including Mount Sinai Health, National Quality Forum, and the Presidential Advisory Council on Combating Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria. He has also testified at Congressional briefings. Christian’s writing has appeared in the Baltimore Sun, Cleveland Plain Dealer, and the CDC’s Safer Healthcare Blog. He has also co-authored articles for journals, including Advances in Therapy and American Journal of Gastroenterology. PLF’s work has been featured in Consumer Reports, USA Today, and Reuters. Peggy’s story was also featured Dr. Martin Blaser’s 2014 book, Missing Microbes: How the Overuse of Antibiotics Is Fueling Our Modern Plagues.

Alice Guh

Medical officer in the Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion (DHQP) at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Alice Guh, M.D, MPH, is a medical officer in the Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion (DHQP) at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). She is board certified in Internal Medicine and In­fectious Diseases. Prior to coming to DHQP, she served as the Epidemic Intelligence Service Officer for CDC at the Connecticut State Department of Public Health. In that capacity, she conducted epidemiologic studies of community- and healthcare-associated infections and performed outbreak investigations. Currently, Dr. Guh works on the ambulatory and long-term care team at DHQP. Her profes­sional responsibilities include the promotion of safe injection practices; providing technical expertise in investigations of healthcare-associated outbreaks, particularly in outpatient settings; and working with state and local health departments to improve public health response to emerging multidrug-resistant organisms. One of her areas of interest focuses on the prevention of healthcare-associated infections in patients with cancer. Dr. Guh served as the DHQP lead for developing a Basic Infection Control and Prevention Plan for outpatient oncology settings.

Sandra Wingaard Thrane

Co-founder and CSO at Bactolife

Co-founder and CSO of Bactolife A/S, a biotech scale-up developing a new category of functional food ingredients; Binding Proteins. Bactolife take a unique approach to worldwide health for the greater good of humans and animals by making breakthrough Binding Proteins accessible to all. Sandra has a background as a M.Sc.Eng. Biotechnology and Ph.D. Molecular Medical Microbiology from the Technical University of Denmark having studied host-microbe interactions and bacterial adaptive evolution using bacterial genomics. Today she leads the Bactolife research organization, guiding product discovery and qualification in the interplay with the gut microbiome.

Erik Dubberke

Clinical Director of the Transplant Infectious Diseases Consult Service

Erik R. Dubberke, MD, MSPH is the clinical director of the Transplant Infectious Diseases consult service, and is an associate hospital epidemiologist at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and medical director of infection prevention and control at Missouri Baptist Medical Center. He is co-chair of the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA) Prevention Course in Healthcare-Associated Infection Knowledge and Control (Prevention CHKC) program. Dr. Dubberke specializes in clinical and translational infectious diseases, with a focus on transplant infectious diseases, hospital epidemiology, and Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI). His lab specializes in isolation of C. difficile and antibiotic resistant enteric organisms, which creates the bridge between clinical research design and basic science discovery through collaborations with Carey-Ann Burnham, PhD, and Gautam Dantas, PhD. Dr. Dubberke attends on the transplant infectious diseases service teaching fellows, residents, and students. He also sees patients in the outpatient ID clinic, with a focus on recurrent CDI.

Minnie Hatch

Peggy Lillis Foundation Advocates Council

My passion is in my advocacy. I believe for ethical medical advancement, voices of patients must be considered. My goal in life is to help people who've lived with the same pain I have surrounding C. difficile learn to use their voice to form change in the medical industry and in our political structure.

Bruce Hirsch

Infectious Disease Specialist at Northwell, Peggy Lillis Foundation Board of Directors

Bruce Hirsch, MD is a graduate of Cornell University Medical College. His infectious disease practice focuses on optimizing the complete health of a person. Illness is not just biology – we are often impacted in every aspect of our lives. The irony of infection resulting from antibiotics manifesting as Clostridioides difficile colitis has been one professional focus. Together with Gerard Honig, Dr Hirsch developed and described the effectiveness of transfer of fecally derived bacteria by oral capsules and was honored with an Innovators Award by the Peggy Lillis Foundation - the largest lay-person advocacy group for C. diff in the country. Dr Hirsch recently published research describing persistent enhanced morbidity and mortality for those hospitalized with C. diff throughout the 180 days follow up measured. The phenomenon of C. diff reveals our relationships with the microbial life that sustains us, with the well-intentioned but flawed health practices that sometimes hurt us and with our understanding that health and well being are precious and connected with the well being of others.

Vincent Young

William Henry Fitzbutler Collegiate Professor at University of Michigan, Peggy Lillis Foundation Board of Directors

Dr. Young was born in Buffalo, New York, and graduated from Williamsville East High School. He received his undergraduate degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1985 and his M.D., and his Ph.D. in Microbiology & Immunology from Stanford University in 1992. Dr. Young completed clinical training in Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases at the Massachusetts General Hospital followed by postdoctoral research at MIT. He was previously on the faculty at Michigan State University before joining the University of Michigan in 2007. Research in the Young lab is directed at understanding the role of indigenous microbiota in influencing the health status of their host. A key research focus is on the relationship between the gastrointestinal microbiota and healthcare-associated pathogens including C. difficile. Dr. Young’s research spans the gap between the bench and the bedside, conducted both with material from human subjects and using animal models of disease. Outside of the lab, Dr. Young enjoys hiking and cycling. He is the proud father of two adult sons. Dr. Young is also an amateur musician, playing keyboards in a local band and dabbling in jazz with other local musicians.

Maribeth Nicholson

Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition Vanderbilt University Medical Center

Dr. Nicholson has a broad background in clinical and epidemiologic pediatric research, including advanced training in biostatistics and protocol development and experience conducting prospective studies requiring patient enrollment. These skills were obtained through her fellowship in Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition and acquiring a Master's of Public Health in Epidemiology at Vanderbilt University. As an Associate Professor of Pediatrics in Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition, she has established the Pediatric C. difficile Clinic, which cares for children with refractory and recurrent C. difficile disease. She has also established the Pediatric Fecal Microbiota Transplantation (FMT) program at Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt and established herself as an expert in the treatment of C. difficile infections nationally as the co-PI on a multi-center consortium evaluating FMT in pediatric patients with recurrent C. difficile. She received the North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition (NASGPHAN) Young Faculty Clinical Investigator award for this work and has been made the NASGPHAN FMT Special Interest Group co-chair. She has had continuous NIH funding since 2012, including NIAID K23 and U19 awards, and over 40 peer-reviewed publications.

Cindy Hou

Infectious Disease Specialist at Jefferson Health

At Jefferson Health locations in New Jersey, Dr. Hou serves as the Infection Control Officer and Medical Director of Research. Furthermore, she is the physician lead for the system’s Antimicrobial Stewardship Committee, and is active in sepsis efforts at Jefferson. Dr. Hou is the co-editor for the book, “COVID-19 Viral Sepsis: Impact on Disparities, Disability, and Health Outcomes.” Dr. Hou is the Principal Investigator for Project ROLE – Reducing Risk for Readmission, Optimizing Language Access and Improving Equity. Project ROLE is sponsored by a federal grant from the Office of Minority Health’s Promoting Equitable Access to Language Services in Health and Human Services Initiative. Dr. Hou has previously received national recognition as a Hero of Infection Prevention for Patient Safety from the Association for Professionals in Infection Control, as a COVID-19 Osteopathic Hero Award from the American Osteopathic Foundation, and as Researcher of the Year from the American College of Osteopathic Internists (ACOI). She has a Certification in Infection Prevention and Control, is a Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality, and a Certified Professional in Patient Safety. Dr. Hou is a Fellow of the ACOI, American College of Physicians, and Infectious Diseases Society of America. Outside of Jefferson, Dr. Hou serves as the Chief Medical Officer for Sepsis Alliance and is a member of the Board of Directors. Dr. Hou enjoys spending time with her husband Brian, and they love to travel and to explore foodie destinations.

Paul Feuerstadt

PACT Gastroenterology Center. Hartford Healthcare Medical Group, Peggy Lillis Foundation Board of Directors

Dr. Feuerstadt is a native of Long Island, New York and attended the University of Pennsylvania where he graduated Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Biology with distinction in research. He then received his M.D. from Weill Medical College of Cornell University. From there, he completed his internship and residency in Internal Medicine at New York Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center. After completing his Internal Medicine residency, Dr. Feuerstadt joined the Montefiore Medical Center at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York where he completed his Gastroenterology fellowship. Dr. Feuerstadt began with the PACT Gastroenterology Center, a partner of Hartford Healthcare Medical Group, formerly known as GCC, in 2011. His special interests include C. difficile infection and other infections of the small and large bowel, fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT), ischemic diseases of the gut and other diseases of the colon and small bowel including Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS).

Colleen Kelly

Gastroenterologist at The Miriam Hospital

A native of Cleveland Ohio, Doctor Kelly graduated with a BA in Chemistry from Cornell University in 1995. She attended the Ohio State University College of Medicine and completed internship/residency at Boston University Medical Center. She came to Providence, Rhode Island to complete a fellowship in Gastroenterology at the Brown program, where she has remained as a faculty member since 2006. She is a member of the Lifespan Physician Group Gastroenterology practice and her clinical and research interests include inflammatory bowel disease, C difficile infections and fecal microbiota transplantation. She lives with her husband and 3 children in Providence.

Stuart Johnson

Professor of medicine at Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine at Loyola University Medical Cente

Stuart Johnson, MD, DTM&H, is professor of medicine at Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine at Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, Illinois and the Deputy ACOS for Research at the Hines VA Hospital. Dr. Johnson received his MD from the University of Minnesota Medical School and completed his internal medicine residency and infectious disease fellowship training at the University of Minnesota Hospital and the Minneapolis VA Medical Center. He received a diploma in Tropical Medicine and Hygiene at Mahidol University in Bangkok, Thailand and a Career Development Award from the Department of Veterans Affairs. He is the past president of the Anaerobe Society of the Americas. Dr. Johnson's main research interest and focus has involved the epidemiology and pathogenesis of Clostridium difficile infections. He is actively studying variant strains of C. difficile and the role of the various toxins in the pathogenesis of C. difficile disease. He also has been involved in clinical research on the parasite Angiostrongylus cantonensis, responsible for most cases of eosinophilic meningitis, world-wide.

Glenn Tillotson

GST Micro LLC, North, VA

Dr Tillotson is a healthcare scientist with over 40 years global infectious disease experience in drug development and global medical educational and medical affairs. His primary qualifications were in microbiology and biochemistry while his clinical training was at the University of Manchester Division of Surgery where he undertook studies in the microbiological links to inflammatory bowel disease. During his long tenure in the pharmaceutical industry, he has established 8 medical affairs groups each incorporating communication and publication responsibilities. Glenn has published on many aspects of ID over185 papers on PubMed. He has written several book chapters and edited an e-book on Clostridium difficile. He is the Editor in Chief of Expert Reviews in Anti-Infective therapy and has reviewed for many journals including Lancet Infectious Diseases, Clinical Infectious Diseases and several BMC journals. Presently Dr Tillotson is on several journal Editorial Advisory Boards. His current work involved developing novel approaches to the treatment of Clostridium difficile infections with live.

Sahil Khanna

Professor of Medicine, Associate Program Director Internal Medicine Residency at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN

The research program of Sahil Khanna, M.B.B.S., focuses on the epidemiology, risk factors and treatment of Clostridium difficile infection (CDI). As the most common infection in hospitals, CDI is an urgent public health threat with high mortality and recurrence rates. With an epidemic of this infection seen in the community, there is an emergent need to study the epidemiology and novel risk factors. Dr. Khanna leads Mayo Clinic's clinical and research program involving fecal microbiota transplantation for CDI, performs clinical trials for treatment of CDI, and studies the role of the gut microbiome in the management and outcomes of CDI.

Carl Mason

VP of Clinical at Lumen Bioscience

Experienced Research Physician with a demonstrated history of working in the pharmaceuticals industry and government research laboratories. Skilled in Epidemiology, Vaccines, Molecular Biology, and Biotechnology. Strong healthcare services professional with a Master of Public Health (M.P.H.) focused in Epidemiology from The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

Kevin Garey

Chair and Professor of Medicine at University of Houston

Clinical and translational research related to infectious diseases in hospitalized patients; Infectious disease epidemiology; Post-operative infections; Biofilm activity of antimicrobials; Clostridium difficile infection.

Jessica Allegretti

Medical Director, Crohn's and Colitis Center Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School

Dr. Allegretti graduated from the Miller School of Medicine at the University of Miami and received training in internal medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital and in gastroenterology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. She also has received a Master of Public Health degree from the Harvard School of Public Health. Dr. Allegretti is an Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and physician-scientist currently serving as Medical Director of the Crohn’s and Colitis Center at Brigham and Women’s. She was an early adopter of FMT as a first-year GI fellow in 2012, and was responsible for founding the FMT program for C. diff patients at Brigham and Women’s, which she now leads. In addition to her dedication to investigating mechanisms of recurrent C. diff infections, Dr. Allegretti is also a leader in researching the use of FMT for various other GI disorders, including IBD, obesity, and primary sclerosing cholangitis. She is widely published with over 100 peer-reviewed articles and numerous appearances in prominent traditional media coverage of FMT and the microbiome. We commend Dr. Allegretti’s contributions to furthering the field of research on behalf of patients suffering from C. diff and other GI illnesses.

Jason Goldsmith

MD, PhD, Physician-scientist focused on gastrointestinal regeneration

Physician-scientist driven to develop novel pharmaceuticals to improve patient care with R&D, Clinical, and CMC experience. Focused on gastrointestinal, inflammatory, and oncologic disorders. Developed and leads a medical group, clinical lab (CLIA) sciences group, analytical sciences group, and translational/data sciences team in a GMP environment as part of a rapidly growing company. Lead for deployment of a corporate LIMS system and data governance initiative. Successful BLA submission as a lead author in a novel therapeutic space. Experience in pre-clinical and early-stage clinical development with a focus on go/no-go decision-making and alignment with corporate strategy, with an emphasis on biomarkers and companion diagnostics. Head of Donor Pharmacovigilance for a donor-derived, FDA-approved product. Extensive expertise with in vivo gastrointestinal models & subsequent analyses. Experience working on immune-regulatory signaling to develop immunology targets and with host-microbiome interactions. Experienced in assay development. Co-host of the Immunology Podcast, produced by Stem Cell Technologies. History of productive collaborations that drive innovation with 16 publications, 14 presentations at international conferences, and 10 grants.

Stuart Cohen

Distinguished Professor and Chief , Division of Infectious Diseases, UC Davis Health

Stuart H. Cohen specializes in clinical infectious diseases and infection control in the hospital environment. He is interested in AIDS, HIV infection and treatment of immunocompromised patients and serves as primary infectious diseases consultant to transplant programs. Cohen uses molecular biology to investigate epidemiology of resistant microorganisms. His laboratory-based studies look at susceptibility testing of HIV clinical isolates to multiple antiretroviral agents. Additional research focuses on new antimicrobial agents and chemokine and cytokine level changes.

Steven Shiff

SVP, Head of Clinical Research at Vedanta Biosciences

I am a mission-focused pharmaceutical physician executive trained in internal medicine with specialization in gastroenterology and deep knowledge across broad areas of internal medicine. Throughout my career in both the pharmaceutical industry and in academic medicine, I have utilized a unique set of skills cultivated through a solid training in fundamental sciences and medicine complemented with a distinctive combination of experiences. My drive and commitment is focused on fostering new innovations to meet the needs of patients, transforming the practice of medicine. Over the last chapter of my career, I have been successful in bringing new therapeutic agents to benefit patients with GI disorders throughout the world. My global expertise includes patient-focused clinical development in adults and children, regulatory sciences, health economics, and business development. Specialties include Patient Focused Drug Development, Key Interactions, Strategic Partnerships, Change Leadership, Influencer, and Cross-functional Management.

Jon Bruss

Medical Advisor at Crestone Pharma

John Bruss, M.D., M.B.A. is Medical Advisor at Crestone and President for Alarus Development International, LLC, a consulting company founded in 2003. He is an infectious disease specialist with over 20 years of experience in clinical drug development, research, and medical affairs, focused primarily on anti-infective products. He served in Senior positions at Pfizer, PediaMed Pharmaceuticals, Achaogen, Medpace, and Theravance. His experience includes advancing complex development programs from pre-IND through post-approval phase IV studies. Dr. Bruss has lead teams to successful product registration in US, Europe, Japan and other countries and has experience with clinical development of first new classes of compounds, and with managing clinical trials in adults, elderly, pediatric, and neonatal populations. Dr. Bruss’ anti-infective drug development experience has included over 7 classes of antibiotics, multiple antivirals, antifungals, vaccines and biologics. Dr. Bruss has managed medical affairs teams, including national medical science liaison (MSL) teams and medical information, for products that are approved and commercially available. He has proven management skills on multifunctional teams, matrix settings, and multi-cultural environments in government, governmental agencies, large pharmaceutical corporations, small biotech companies, and clinical research organizations.