November 21, 2019
1:00am – 2:00am
43-105 CHS, Center for Health Sciences UCLA
Olivia Ellis, MS, MPH, REHS
PhD Candidate, Environmental Health Sciences Department, Fielding School of Public Health, UCLA
About the lecture: Olivia Ellis’ research investigates ways to improve Antimicrobial Stewardship Programs (ASPs) in clinical settings. Three discrete topics were explored: (1) using an Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP) assay to evaluate differences between surface types; (2) validating the use of a PCR-based assay to be used to tailor treatment recommendations for patients with Neisseria gonorrhoeae; and (3) investigation of antimicrobial susceptibility trends of Stenotrophomonas maltophilia in a health system over time to provide insights into whether treatment selection can be improved.
About the speaker: Olivia Ellis MS, MPH, PHM, M (ASCP), REHS, CIC, has worked in the field of public health since 2002 when she traveled to Cameroon with Earthwatch. During her time in rural Cameroon, she took part in field-based community health surveillance projects that incorporated health education and treatment interventions for parasitic diseases. Olivia received her Bachelor and Master of Science degrees in Microbiology and Environmental Health from California State University, Northridge. During her graduate studies at Northridge, she held a full time position as a public health microbiologist. Upon graduation she moved to Michigan to complete a CDC EID research fellowship on the molecular variants of rabies virus in Eptesicus fuscus bats. At Yale, she held a part-time research position at the Yale/CDC Emerging Infections Program, where she also completed her thesis on vibriosis. She was instrumental in the development of the FoodCORE program for foodborne illness surveillance in the state of Connecticut. At the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, Olivia is a doctoral candidate in the department of Environmental Health Sciences. Her dissertation research explores various methods to improve antimicrobial stewardship. Olivia is currently employed at Amgen as a Process Development Scientist.
For more information, please email EHS411@ph.ucla.edu