My scholarly interests lie in the areas of clinical microbiology, especially point-of-care testing; and medical education.
Emerging technology has enormously expanded the array of tests available at the point of care, e.g. ‘bedside testing,’ in recent years; currently over 40 analytes and over 300 kits and instruments are available as ‘waived’ tests, which can be performed with minimal regulation. These and a number of more-complex tests are all performed at the ‘point-of-care’. New methods for testing for pathogens such as HIV have had a major impact on screening and diagnosis of infectious diseases, but the impact of these tests on health and on the logistics and economics of health care remains unclear in many cases. Emerging technologies for simplifying and automating technologies such as molecular diagnostics, DNA arrays, and mass-spectroscopic methods are likely to cause continued growth in the range and complexity of tests performed outside of traditional laboratory settings. There is a continuing need for research and standards development in this rapidly-advancing area of diagnostic medicine.
In medical education, my work has focused on bringing active learning strategies into the basic science classroom, including microbial songs. I’ve also been active in developing guidelines for resident education in clinical pathology.
Specialized Terms: Clinical microbiology; Point-of-care testing; Medical education; HIV and mycobacterial diagnosis
HIV; Microbiology; Veterans; Point-of-Care Systems
Emerging Infectious Diseases