Please join us for an afternoon of historical and scientific lectures (virtual) to celebrate 100 years of the Eastern Pennsylvania Branch of the American Society for Microbiology. The Eastern PA Branch can trace its origin to February 24, 1920. On this date, Dr David H Bergey invited a group of individuals interested in bacteriology and pathology to attend a meeting in his office on the second floor of the Laboratory of Hygiene, at the University of Pennsylvania (34th Street between Spruce and Walnut). The purpose of the meeting was to organize the Eastern Pennsylvania Chapter of the Society of American Bacteriologists.
Link to Live Meeting on YouTube
Program
4:00 – 4:15 pm Opening Remarks
Dieter M. Schifferli, DVM, Dr Med Vet, Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania, EPAASM Branch President
Victor DiRita, Ph.D., Michigan State University, ASM President
4:15 – 4:45 pm Plenary: Highlights from our First 100 Years
James A. Poupard, Ph.D., Pharma Inst of Philadelphia
After a brief background of Bacteriology in Philadelphia prior to 1920, the 100-year history of our Eastern PA Branch will be presented in five identifiable periods starting in 1920 and culminating in 2020
4:45 – 5:10 pm The Historic and Current Threats of Increasing Antimicrobial Resistance
Alan T. Evangelista, Ph.D., D(ABMM), St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children
A brief review of the major mechanisms of antimicrobial resistance and a focus on key historic milestones in the development of resistance. Recent changing epidemiologic patterns of multidrug resistance and current/future treatment options will be discussed
5:10 – 5:30 pm A Century of Diagnostic Microbiology Advances with Contributions by the Eastern PA Branch ASM
Irving Nachamkin, Dr.P.H., M.P.H., D(ABMM), FAAM, University of Pennsylvania
This talk will discuss various advances in clinical microbiology diagnostics over the past 100 years, highlighting the contributions of our Branch members
Dr. Nachamkin Bio: Irving Nachamkin is Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. He served as the 10th Director of the William Pepper Laboratory of Clinical Medicine, established in 1895 and the first clinical laboratory associated with an academic center, from 2009 to 2020. He was also the Associate Director of the Clinical Microbiology Laboratory at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania from 1982-2020. Dr Nachamkin has authored or co-authored over 225 peer-reviewed research publications, reviews and edited several subspecialty books. He has been active with our local branch since the early 80’s and served as Branch President from 1999-2001. Dr Nachamkin has also been actively involved with our national organization, serving on numerous committees, and was Editor-in-Chief of Clinical Microbiology Reviews from 2002-2012. He has been recognized for his contributions by election to fellowship in the American Academy of Microbiology, and is also a fellow of the Infectious Disease Society of America and fellow of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia. Dr. Nachamkin is currently on sabbatical leave and will retire from Penn as Emeritus Professor in January.
5:30 – 5:50 pm Eavesdropping on Bacterial:Host Conversations: Lessions Learned from Legionnaires’ Disease
Sunny Shin, Ph.D, University of Pennsylvania
In the summer of 1976, an outbreak of a severe pneumonia termed Legionnaires’ Disease occurred among attendees of a Philadelphia convention of the American Legion. This outbreak led to the discovery of the bacterium Legionella pneumophila. Since then, Legionella are now widely recognized as an important cause of community-acquired pneumonia. Legionella has also become a model pathogen studied by many research labs around the world, including several of our branch members. This talk will provide a brief overview of Legionella and highlight the fundamental insights into host cell biology and immunology that have been learned from the study of Legionella
Dr. Shin Bio: Sunny Shin is an Associate Professor in the Department of Microbiology at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine. She received her BS in Biology from MIT, her PhD in Microbiology and Immunology from Stanford University School of Medicine, and her postdoctoral training in the Department of Microbial Pathogenesis at Yale University School of Medicine. Her research program encompasses the fields of bacterial pathogenesis and innate immunity, with a focus on the bacterial pathogens Legionella pneumophila, Coxiella burnetii, and Salmonella Typhimurium. Her laboratory is supported in part by the National Institutes of Health and a Burroughs-Wellcome Fund Investigators in the Pathogenesis of Infectious Diseases Award.
5:50 – 6:10 pm Philadelphia’s Rich History in Vaccine Research and Development: from Empirical Approaches to Advanced Technologies
Michele A. Kutzler, Ph.D., Drexel University School of Medicine
Philadelphia’s rich history of vaccine development stretches back to the 1960s, and many of its highlights came under the direction of collaborating scientists and physicians at institutions and pharma across the city and its suburbs. This short overview will highlight many of the advances moving from historical empirical approaches to more advanced technologies using recombinant strategies. Philadelphia left a formidable imprint on vaccine development in the 20th century leading the world forward into the 21st century
6:10 – 7:00 pm Question and Answers and Closing Remarks
Moderators
Toby Eisenstein, Ph.D., Temple University
Linda Miller, Ph.D., CMID Pharma Consulting, LLC
