In Brief: March 26

BGSU Public Health Symposium focuses on crucial issue

The alarming rise of illnesses caused by bacteria that are resistant to traditional treatments has scientists around the world racing to keep up with the demand for new antibiotics. The third annual Public Health Symposium at the University will address this topic with expert speakers, research presentations and networking among public health professionals.

The symposium will take place from 8 a.m. to noon April 12 in 308 Bowen-Thompson Student Union. Sponsored by the College of Health and Human Services, attendance is free to BGSU and University of Toledo faculty and students and to all local health department employees in Ohio and Michigan. For others, the cost is $40. Registration is required.

“Superbugs! Antibiotic Resistance Matters,” is the title of the annual Ned E. Baker Lecture, presented by Dr. Shannon Manning, a Michigan State University Foundation associate professor in the Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Molecular Epidemiology. Manning’s current research focuses on the molecular epidemiology, evolutionary genetics, and pathogenesis of bacterial pathogens including diarrhea-causingEscherichia coliandStreptococcus agalactiae, which she has been studying since 1996. A former emerging infectious diseases research fellow through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, she has contributed to more than 75 publications and book chapters and serves as an ad hoc reviewer for the National Institutes of Health.

Amanda Smith, Antibiotic Stewardship Program coordinator for the Ohio Department of Health Bureau of Infectious Diseases, will give an update on state efforts to educate medical professionals and the public about the dangers of the overuse and improper use of antibiotics, which is a leading cause of bacteria developing resistance to treatment.

Dr. Hans Wildschutte, a BGSU associate professor of biology, will share his research on the impact of environmental factors on the emergence of multi-drug resistant pathogens and the use of natural bacteria as a source of new antibiotic discovery. Wildschutte has a broad background in molecular biology and microbiology, with particular expertise in bacterial pathogenesis, microbial ecology, the evolution and emergence of pathogenicity, and antibiotic discovery.

Continuing Education Units are offered in the areas of Certified Health Education Specialist, Nursing, Sanitarian and Long-Term Care.

For more information, contact Jamie Schimmoeller at jschimm@bgsu.edu or 419-372-6040.