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$2 Million from CDC to Establish New Infectious Disease Research Program at Penn Medicine’s CCEB

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April 12, 2011, Volume 57, No. 29

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will give the Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics (CCEB) at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine $2 million over the next five years to fund research to find new ways to reduce infections in health care settings.

The CDC Prevention Epicenter program chose CCEB as one of five academic medical centers nationwide to receive the funding. This is the first year that the CCEB is included in the funding. The center—led by Dr. Ebbing Lautenbach, associate professor of medicine, Infectious Diseases Division, and associate professor of epidemiology—will focus on the use of biomarkers, such as C-reactive protein, to improve antibiotic use in intensive care unit settings.

The CDC estimates that 1 out of 20 hospitalized patients will obtain an infection during the process of receiving care for other health conditions. “Although this program has been in existence for over 10 years, this award represents the first time that Penn will be one of the five epicenter sites across the US,” said Dr. Lautenbach. “This represents a great opportunity for us to perform not only the work proposed at the Penn site, but also to help lead a larger collaborative effort to advance the science focusing on healthcare-acquired infections.”

 

Almanac - April 12, 2011, Volume 57, No. 29