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Melinda Pettigrew, PhD

Professor Adjunct
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Additional Titles

Affiliated Faculty, Yale Institute for Global Health

About

Titles

Professor Adjunct

Affiliated Faculty, Yale Institute for Global Health

Biography

Melinda Pettigrew, PhD, is a Professor of Epidemiology. She completed a fellowship from the Hedwig van Ameringen Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine (ELAM) Program for Women and was a Public Voices Thought Leaders Fellow. Professor Pettigrew has an international reputation in the molecular epidemiology of infectious diseases. Professor Pettigrew's research focuses on pathobionts of the respiratory and gastrointestinal tracts (e.g., Haemophilus influenzae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa) and the growing public health threat of antibiotic resistance. Her current work utilizes a combined approach involving microbiology and infectious disease epidemiology to identify factors that influence whether pathobionts asymptomatically colonize or cause diseases such as pneumonia and exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Additional projects focus on how disruptions of homeostasis in the respiratory and gastrointestinal microbiome influence colonization resistance, development of antibiotic resistance, and risk of both hospital and community acquired infections. Current projects utilize next-generation sequence technologies (e.g., whole-genome sequencing, 16S rRNA gene microbial profiling, and RNA-sequencing) to examine the complex relationships between the microbiota, antibiotic exposure, and risk of infections. She serves on the Steering and Executive Committees for the Antibiotic Resistance Leadership Group (ARLG). As the Associate Director of the Scientific Leadership Core, focusing on Diversity, Professor Pettigrew leads efforts implement and integrate principles of diversity, access, equity, and inclusion throughout the ARLG. Professor Pettigrew serves on the editorial board of mBio.

Appointments

Education & Training

Postdoctoral Fellow
University of Michigan School of Public Health (2002)
PhD
Yale University (1999)

Research

Overview

My research focuses on Streptococcus pneumoniae and non-typeable Haemophilus influenzae. The bacteria that I study asymptomatically colonize the respiratory tract of 10-50% of healthy individuals. While asymptomatic colonization is far more common than disease, S. pneumoniae and H. influenzae are important causes of bacterial infections in children and adults (e.g., otitis media, pneumonia, and exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)). Moreover, these infections are frequently, and controversially, treated with antibiotics. We use state-of-the-art methods that integrate clinical epidemiologic, and laboratory studies to elucidate factors that tip the balance between asymptomatic bacterial colonization and disease.

Additional projects focus on how disruptions of homeostasis in the respiratory and gastrointestinal microbiota influence colonization resistance, development of antibiotic resistance, and risk of hospital-acquired infections. We use data and specimens from clinical epidemiologic studies and next-generation sequencing methods to address several key questions including: 1) How does the duration of antibiotic use impact the prevalence of antibiotic resistance genes in the respiratory and gastrointestinal microbiota? 2) How do antibiotic induced changes in the composition and diversity of the gastrointestinal microbiota contribute to antibiotic-associated diarrhea? and 3) How does the diversity and composition of the microbiota relate to risk of colonization, expansion, and infection due to antibiotic-resistant pathogens? Over the long-term, our research will help identify new methods to exploit protective mechanisms provided by an intact microbiota and lead to new interventions to prevent development of antibiotic resistance and hospital-acquired infections.


Medical Research Interests

Drug Resistance; Gastrointestinal Microbiome; Infection Control; Pneumonia; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive; Respiratory Tract Infections

Public Health Interests

Antimicrobial Resistance; Infectious Diseases; Microbiome

Research at a Glance

Yale Co-Authors

Frequent collaborators of Melinda Pettigrew's published research.

Publications

2024

2023

2022

Academic Achievements & Community Involvement

  • honor

    Yale School of Public Health Distinguished Teaching Award

  • honor

    Inspiring Yale

  • activity

    National Institutes of Health

  • honor

    New Professional Award

Get In Touch

Contacts

Academic Office Number
Mailing Address

Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases

PO Box 208034, 60 College Street

New Haven, CT 06520-8034

United States

Administrative Support

Locations

  • 60 College Street

    Academic Office

    Ste 720

    New Haven, CT 06510