Research in the Eric McCollum Lab focuses on pediatric pulmonary medicine, particularly pulmonary diseases among children in undeveloped, low-resource countries. We are taking part in the IMPACT trial, which looks at the impact of bubble continuous positive airway pressure (bCPAP) on the mortality of Malawian children with pneumonia.

Research in the Eric Nuermberger Lab focuses primarily on experimental chemotherapy for tuberculosis. We use proven murine models of active and latent tuberculosis infection to assess the effectiveness of novel antimicrobials. A key goal is to identify new agents to combine with existing drugs to shorten tuberculosis therapy or enable less frequent drug administration. We're also using a flow-controlled in vitro pharmacodynamic system to better understand the pharmacodynamics of drug efficacy and the selection of drug-resistant mutants during exposure to current agents.

Work in the Sean Berenholtz Lab focuses on patient safety, ICU care, quality health care and evidence-based medicine. Two notable and successful projects include the National On The Cusp: Stop BSI project, which was implemented in 47 states with the goal of eliminating bloodstream infections, and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)-funded Keystone ICU project, which improved communication and teamwork and reduced hospital-acquired infections in more than 100 ICUs in Michigan. One recent study focused on ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP), one of the most common type of health care-associated infections in the ICU. Existing VAP prevention intervention bundles vary widely on the interventions, but our research team described a structured approach for developing a new VAP prevention bundle.