Emory/PEACH Prevention Epicenter

Overview

The Emory/Prevention Epicenter of Emory and Atlanta Consortium Hospitals (PEACH) Prevention Epicenter leverages national experts across diverse scientific disciplines at Emory University, Georgia Tech and several other partnering institutions to reduce antimicrobial-resistant (AR) infections in healthcare.

The Emory/PEACH Prevention Epicenter's research addresses healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) caused by multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs) across the healthcare spectrum, from pre-hospital into acute short-term through long-term care facilities.

The Epicenter has the capacity to engage in research activities at the largest healthcare system in the Atlanta metropolitan area using Emory's Clinical Data Warehouse, established research ties to a multi-state network of nursing homes and longstanding research collaborations with other Prevention Epicenters, the Georgia Emerging Infections Program and Georgia Department of Health.

Core research study areas

The Emory/PEACH Prevention Epicenter team is advancing transdisciplinary research incorporating human factors engineering, microbiome and environmental ecology, and informatics into transmission interruption efforts in a diverse range of settings.

This work includes:

• Rapid prototyping in simulation labs.
• Quantifying and visualizing spatial metrics using special analytic tools.
• Using novel technologic approaches to promote hand hygiene.

Clinical research in Atlanta includes:

• InPART Rx: Inpatient Provider Antibiotic Rate Benchmarking to Reduce Unnecessary Prescribing. (Scott Fridkin, MD)
• FAIR: A Clinical Trial of Fecal Microbiota Transplant for Antibiotic-Resistant Infections in Inpatients. (Michael Woodworth, MD)
• PRE-ALERT: Predicting Admissions Likely Colonized with Antibiotic-Resistant Pathogens. (Jessica Howard-Anderson, MD)
• CHAMPIONS: Collaborative Human Factors and Microbiology Approaches to Prevent Infections in Post-Acute Care. (Joel Mumma, PhD)

Multicenter collaborative research projects

• REACT: Response to Emerging Antimicrobial Resistance with Ring Containment Microbiota Therapy–A Clinical Trial in Long-Term Acute Care and Ventilator-Capable Skilled Nursing Facilities. (Michael Woodworth, MD)
• IMPRESS: Impact of Prehospital Sepsis Recognition on Timely Antibiotic Administration and Subsequent Adverse Events. (Carmen Polito, MD)
• RAISE Hand Hygiene: Reductions in Healthcare-Associated Infections After Implementation of a System to Electronically Monitor Hand Hygiene. (Lindsey Gottlieb, MD)

Principal investigators

Jesse Jacob, MD and Scott Fridkin, MD