UTMB Special Pathogens Excellence in Clinical Treatment, Readiness, & Education (SPECTRE)

Welcome to SPECTRE! A UTMB program dedicated to special pathogen awareness, preparedness, & education, and the Regional Emerging and Special Pathogens Treatment Center (RESPTC) HHS Region VI leader #education #specialpathogens #specialpathogenpreparedness

Check out NETECs latest podcast regarding dengue. #podcast #infection #disease #NETEC

Yesterday members from the Texas Department of State Health Services, Public Health Region 6/5 South drove down Galveston to take a tour of UTMB’s Galveston National Laboratory (GNL) and Biocontainment Unit (BCU). During these tours they were able to hear the history of the GNL, see the BLS1-4 labs, and the PPE suits researchers must wear in these high containment labs. Corri Levine, PhD, MS, MPH then gave a tour of the BCU giving an overview of the unit's operations and capabilities. The tours concluded with lunch and Q&A’s with the SPECTRE team. We look forward to our continued collaboration with DSHS 6/5S! 

📢 NEW SPECTRE BLOG 📢 https://lnkd.in/gCN6npRP) Check out SPECTRE's Research Nurse, Malinda Ruelas new blog post!

NETEC faculty and Chief Biopreparedness Officer at NYC Health + Hospitals Syra Madad led a training exercise to simulate how to screen and isolate a “patient” with symptoms of avian influenza. The exercise included safely transporting the patient from NYC Health + Hospitals/Kings County in Brooklyn to NYC HEALTH+HOSPITALS | BELLEVUE in Manhattan. NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue is one of 13 HHS-designated Regional Emerging Special Pathogen Treatment Centers (RESPTCs) nationwide with the knowledge and experience to support collaborative and coordinated management of special pathogens. Learn more about the RESPTCs: https://lnkd.in/gMnWtA8d #NETEC #NSPS #SpecialPathogens #AvianInfluenza #BirdFlu Massachusetts General Hospital Johns Hopkins Hospital MedStar Washington Hospital Center Children's National Hospital UNC Health Emory University Children's Healthcare of Atlanta Corewell Health University of Minnesota Medical Center UTMB Special Pathogens Excellence in Clinical Treatment, Readiness, & Education (SPECTRE) University of Nebraska Medical Center Nebraska Medicine Denver Health Cedars-Sinai Providence HHS Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response

On November 16, 2024, the California Department of Health reported the first known case of clade 1 mpox in the United States. The person became infected after traveling to Eastern Africa, where there is an outbreak of clade 1 mpox. Clade I is known for more severe clinical manifestations compared to other clades, with a higher rate of transmission, increased virulence, and a greater potential for causing serious health complications. Remember to ask about recent travel and exposures in anyone presenting with a new rash! Check out the NETEC Mpox exhibit for more information: https://ow.ly/AAhH50Ucbav #NETEC #NSPS #SpecialPathogens #Mpox #MPXV #IdentifyIsolateInform #NETECNugget Emory University Children's Healthcare of Atlanta UNC Health MedStar Washington Hospital Center Children's National Hospital Johns Hopkins Hospital NYC HEALTH+HOSPITALS | BELLEVUE NYC Health + Hospitals Mass General Hospital Corewell Health University of Minnesota Medical Center UTMB Special Pathogens Excellence in Clinical Treatment, Readiness, & Education (SPECTRE) University of Nebraska Medical Center Nebraska Medicine Denver Health Cedars-Sinai Providence HHS Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response

Each month, UTMB’s Biocontainment Care Unit hones critical donning and doffing techniques in our PPE trainings, led by the BCU’s Nursing Program Coordinator Julie Stefanick MEd, BSN, RN, CEN, TCRN, CPEN. These sessions are essential to our mission of safety and readiness in handling high-consequence infectious diseases. #SPECTRE #Training #Biocontainment #Infection #Disease

SPECTRE's Associate Director, Dr. Corri Levine, PhD, MS, MPH, will be speaking tomorrow at the #Oklahoma EPIC conference.

Darrell Ruby, CEM, Regional Coordinator at Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center and Children's Hospital (PSHMC&CH), and co-chair of NETEC's Emergency Management workgroup is presenting "Regional and National Special Pathogen Preparedness: Collaboration, Coordination and Cooperation" at the International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM) 72nd Annual Conference on Monday, November 18, at 9:45 a.m. MST. See the schedule: https://ow.ly/ghyW50U6r2m If you’re attending the IAEM Conference, join this presentation to learn about the The National Special Pathogen System (NSPS) and how PSHMC&CH leveraged regional relationships and a national partner to assess and refine systems, protocols, and partnerships critical to Region 10 special pathogen preparedness and response. As the HHS Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response designated Region 10 Emerging Special Pathogen Treatment Center (RESPTC), PSHMC&CH is among 13 RESPTCs nationwide with the knowledge and experience to support collaborative and coordinated management of special pathogens. During a multi-day exercise, PSHMC&CH partnered with the Region 7 RESPTC at the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) and the Global Center for Health Security(GCHS) to deliver frontline special pathogen preparedness training in Alaska. The event featured a simulation of a patient suspected to be infected with a high-consequence infectious disease that had to be transported via ground and fixed-wing transport from Fairbanks to Anchorage, Alaska, and ending at PSCHC&CH in Spokane, Washington. The field exercise utilized a revolutionary portable negative pressure containment patient care system, Isolation System for Treatment and Agile Response for High-Risk Infections (ISTARI) in development at UNMC. #NETEC #NSPS #SpecialPathogens #InfectiousDiseases #ISTARI #IAEM #IAEM24 Photo: LifeMed Alaska and Life Flight Network partnered with PSHMC&CH and UNMC for the exercise. Cedars-Sinai Denver Health Nebraska Medicine UTMB Special Pathogens Excellence in Clinical Treatment, Readiness, & Education (SPECTRE) Corewell Health University of Minnesota Medical Center Mass General Hospital NYC HEALTH+HOSPITALS | BELLEVUE NYC Health + Hospitals Johns Hopkins Hospital MedStar Washington Hospital Center Children's National Hospital UNC Health Emory University Children's Healthcare of Atlanta

Kicking off our Annual BCU Curriculum Workshop led by SPECTRE's own Melissa Massey! Members of our BCU team are spending the afternoon reviewing our program objectives, training competencies, and setting goals for the next year of training. #Preparedness #Healthcare #InfectiousDisease