SUSAN MASON RECIPIENTS
2018
2018 Recipient Leila Hojat - I have used the funds to pay for my registration for the SHEA antimicrobial stewardship conference in Baltimore which I wrote about in my application. I will be using the rest of the funds to pay for travel and accommodations. Thanks!
2018 Recipient Farrell Tobolowsky - I used the funds of my Susan Mason Education Award for a biostatistics course at the University of Colorado. As my career goal is to work in the field of public health in applied epidemiology and my background is mostly in clinical medicine, this course enabled me to gain the basic skills in biostatistics that I need for a foundation in my desired field. I am very appreciative of the Colorado IDSA for providing me with this scholarship so I can be better prepared for my future career!
2017
2017 Recipient Kellie Hawkins - I have used the Susan Mason Education Fund to take medical Spanish courses. The courses have greatly helped my ability to interact and treat Spanish-speaking patients. The human connection that is established when I can say small pleasantries to my patients without an interpreter is unparalleled. I plan to continue my studies of Spanish until I become a fully bilingual provider.
2016
2016 Recipient James Colbert – The Susan Mason Education Award for Fellows has allowed me to expand my research expertise and advance my career as a junior physician-scientist. I am using the funds to attend a workshop at the O’Brien Center for Advanced Microscopic Analysis (Indiana University). My primary interest is the microcirculatory mechanisms underlying glomerular dysfunction during sepsis-associated kidney injury. This workshop teaches the technique of “intra-vital” microscopy allowing for the direct, real-time measurement of glomerular filtration and additional changes in the renal microvasculature during experimental sepsis. The skills learned will form the foundation for future investigations and my (hopeful) transition to becoming an independent investigator. Many thanks to the CO-IDSA and Susan Mason’s family for this opportunity!
2019
2019 Recipient Greg Canfield - The Susan Mason Award gave me the opportunity to attend the 2020 Phage Futures Congress in Washington, DC. The meeting provides information on how to translate basic science discoveries into phage-derived clinical diagnostic and/or therapeutic applications. The meeting also offers the chance to network with leaders in bacteriophage research in academia, government and industry. My research in Dr. Breck Duerkop’s Lab investigates the molecular mechanisms by which phage (i.e. viruses that infect bacteria) infect vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium (VRE). VRE is a major cause of hospital-acquired infection causing skin and soft tissueinfection, intra-abdominal abscesses, urinary tract infection, bacteremia, endocarditis, and osteomyelitis. The goal is to harness what I’ve learned from the Phage Futures Congress for design of a clinical trial that investigates the impact of phage on the treatment or prevention of VRE infection.