Session Chair Profile
M.D., MPH, FIDSA, Professor of Medicine, Pathology and Global Health, Associate Director for Applied Genomics, Center for Applied Genomics & Precision Medicine (CAGPM), Duke University
Biography
Dr. Woods is a professor in the Departments of Medicine and Pathology at Duke University, adjunct associate professor in Epidemiology at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill School of Public Health, and adjunct associate professor in the Emerging Infections Program at the Duke-National University of Singapore Graduate Medical School. He is Co-Director of the Hubert-Yeargan Center for Global Health. Dr. Woods is the Global Health lead for the Duke Tropical Conservation Initiative. Clinically, he is Chief of Infectious Diseases, and hospital epidemiologist for the Durham VA Medical Center. Dr. Woods is board-certified in internal medicine, infectious diseases, and medical microbiology. Dr. Woods has co-authored over 140 peer-reviewed articles. His research focuses on development of novel diagnostic approaches to infectious disease and potential for interspecies transmission of pathogens. His genomic approach to harnessing the host response for diagnosis of infectious diseases has been called a paradigm shift in the field. He is particularly interested in augmenting medical microbiology capacity in the developing world and epidemiology of emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases.
Talk
The Long and Winding Road: Developing Host Response Signatures for Bacterial and Viral Diseases of Global Health Importance
Dr. Woods will discuss a 15-year history of developing novel approaches to infectious disease diagnosis through leveraging the host response to a variety of pathogens. Ultimately, these are tools that will likely contribute to the individualized treatment of patients, thereby reducing empiric therapy and the consequence of increasing antimicrobial resistance.
Session Abstract
Session Synopsis: This session will focus on the development of novel diagnostics approaches to infectious disease, including the promises, challenges and pitfalls, and the regulatory / reimbursement issues associated with these developing tests. Furthermore, the importance of the human microbiome and its significance for targeted antibiotics development will be covered.
