2023 Louisiana Office of Public Health Antimicrobial Stewardship Summit

The Infectious Disease Epidemiology Section of the Louisiana Office of Public Health will host this educational activity targeting infection preventionists employed in healthcare settings, as well as infectious disease personnel across the provider spectrum who have roles in infection surveillance and reporting.

This activity is sponsored by the Healthcare-associated Infections & Antibiotic Resistance Program (HAI/AR) of the Louisiana Department of Health and the Louisiana Society of Health-System Pharmacists. There is no charge to attend, but registration is required.  (PLEASE NOTE THIS ACTIVITY  HAS ENDED)


 LOCATION

In-person education will be held on Friday, June 2, 2023 at the Holiday Inn Downtown-Superdome, 330 Loyola Avenue, New Orleans, Louisiana 70112 in the 8th floor Bayou Ballroom. Early bird parking is available in the hotel’s garage. 

REGISTER HERE FOR  VIRTUAL OR IN-PERSON

INFORMATIONAL FLYER

AGENDA 

PRESENTATIONS

Slides and Recordings:

Opening Remarks and Welcome

John Vanchiere, MD, PhD - LSU Health Sciences Center - Shreveport  "Antimicrobial Therapy: Every choice has consequences!"

Jad Aridi, MD and Stephanie Barras, PharmD - Ochsner Lafayette General Medical Center  "A Day in the Life of the Antimicrobial Steward"

Gregory Cook, PharmD, BCIDP - Children’s Hospital New Orleans  "Small Steps, Big Results: Outpatient Antibiotic Stewardship in Pediatric Medicine"

Alma Roy, PhD, CLS (ASCP) and Udeni Balasuriya, PhD, FSLCVS - LSU School of Veterinary Medicine "Antimicrobial Stewardship Across the Care Continuum Between Veterinary and Human Medicine"

Wade Wheat, PharmD - University Medical Center of New Orleans  "Clinical Impact of Vancomycin MIC on Outcomes in Patients with CoNS Bacteremia"

Megan Sutton, MPH - Louisiana Department of Health "Statewide MDRO Trends"

Closing Remarks and Evaluation

 

ABOUT THE SPEAKERS

Dr. John A. Vanchiere, MD, PhD, FAAP

Dr. John Vanchiere is a second-generation pediatrician from Lake Charles, LA. Chief of LSU Health Shreveport Department of Pediatrics Infectious Diseases Section, Dr. Vanchiere earned his doctorate from Emory University before completing both residency and fellowship training at Baylor College of Medicine. He is currently Professor of Pediatrics, Medical Director of the Clinical Trials Office and an Associate Director of the Center for Emerging Viral Threats at LSU Health Shreveport. Dr. Vanchiere is the current President of the Louisiana Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics. 

Dr. Jad Aridi, MD

Dr. Jad Aridi is the Medical Director of Infectious Diseases and Head of Antimicrobial Stewardship at Ochsner Lafayette General Medical Center. He also serves as a member of the Infection Prevention Committee at OLGMC. He completed Internal Medicine Residency at Lankenau Medical Center, and Infectious Diseases Fellowship at Brown University. Dr. Aridi treats a wide variety of infectious conditions including hospital-acquired infections, HIV, Hepatitis and COVID-19.  

Dr. Stephanie Barras, PharmD

Dr. Stephanie Barras earned her Doctor of Pharmacy degree at University of Louisiana at Monroe. She began her training in antimicrobial stewardship at Beaufort Memorial Hospital in South Carolina.  As clinical coordinator of Jennings American Legion Hospital, she led the antimicrobial stewardship program along with daily clinical duties. She completed her Antimicrobial Stewardship Training Certificate Program through Comprehensive Pharmacy Services in July 2019.  Currently, Stephanie serves as the Antimicrobial Stewardship Pharmacist at Ochsner Lafayette General Hospital under the direction of Dr. Jad Aridi, MD.  Her daily duties include reviewing cultures from all sources to ensure appropriate antibiotic selection, dose, and duration. She evaluates restricted antimicrobials as part of the OLGH Antimicrobial Stewardship policy for main campus and regional rural hospitals.  In 2021, Stephanie spearheaded efforts to receive the Infectious Diseases Society of America’s Antimicrobial Stewardship Center of Excellence accreditation. OLGH is one of only three hospitals in Louisiana to have achieved this honor since its inception in 2017.  When she is not working, Stephanie is busy studying for her BCIDP exam, exercising, or traveling with her husband, six children, and 2 grandchildren.  

 

Dr. Gregory Cook, PharmD, BCIDP

Dr. Gregory Cook is a co-chair of the Antimicrobial Stewardship Program at Children's Hospital New Orleans. He is an Assistant Professor of Medicine for Louisiana State University and an adjunct Professor at Xavier College of Pharmacy. His primary interests are implementing rapid microbial diagnostics in conjunction with health-information technologies and optimizing antimicrobial pharmacokinetics at the bedside.

Dr. Udeni Balasuriya, BVSc, MS, PhD, FSLCVS

Dr. Udeni Balsuriya is the Associate Dean for Diagnostic Operations, Director of the Louisiana Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory and Professor in the Department of Pathobiological Sciences at the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine. He has over 25 years’ experience, and his current research focuses on host-virus interactions and viral pathogenesis, molecular virology, and the development of improved diagnostic and prophylactic reagents for important veterinary and human viral pathogens, including SARS-CoV-2. 

Dr. Alma Roy, BS, MS, PhD

Dr. Alma Roy is an Assistant Professor and Clinical Specialist Consultant at the Louisiana Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory in the Department of Pathobiological Sciences at the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine. She has over 20 years’ experience, with an expertise in diagnostics.

 

Dr. Wade What, PharmD

Dr. Wade Wheat is a PGY-2 infectious diseases pharmacy resident at University Medical Center in New Orleans, Louisiana. He is from Springfield, Louisiana and earned his bachelor's degree in integrative biology at Southeastern Louisiana University. Wade earned his Doctor of Pharmacy at William Carey University School of Pharmacy in Biloxi, Mississippi. He then completed his PGY-1 pharmacy practice residency at Henry County Medical Center in Paris, Tennessee. Some of Dr. Wheat’s practice interests include Gram-negative antimicrobial resistance mechanisms,  antimicrobial pharmacokinetic, and pharmacodynamic optimization.

Megan Sutton, MPH

Epidemiologist Megan Sutton is the Multi-Drug Resistant Organism (MDRO) Surveillance Coordinator for the HAI/AR Program. Ms. Sutton oversees Louisiana’s statewide antibiogram. Additionally, she facilitates MDRO investigations by working directly with healthcare facilities to assess their infection control practices and provide recommendations for containing novel or targeted MDROs.

  • Individuals in control of content disclosed no financial relationships with ineligible companies except Dr. John Vanchiere: Principal Investigator of clinical trials with Pfizer, Merck, GSK, & Enata and Data Safety Monitoring Committee Member with Seqirus and Biocryst. All relevant financial relationships have been mitigated.
  • Continuing education credits offered for nursing and pharmacy.
    • This nursing continuing professional development activity was approved by Louisiana State Nurses Association - Approver, an accredited approver by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation. Activity number: LSNA-101045386-2023
    • To claim pharmacy continuing educations visit LecturePanda.
    • Attendance at the entire activity and completion of the post-activity evaluation are required to earn nursing contact hours. Award certificates will be emailed to eligible attendees. Please allow 30 days to receive certificates.
  • PowerPoint slides are available for this education.  
  • Virtual attendees will be emailed Zoom© links and passwords prior to the event. 
  • This activity is funded by a cooperative agreement with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (award #NU50CK000532). The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is an agency within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The contents do not necessarily represent the policy of CDC or HHS, and should not be considered an endorsement by the federal government.

Email inquiries to marceia.walker@la.gov