Biomed/Biotech Special Interest Group  

“Overview of NARMS Program and 

Detection of Emerging/Novel Antimicrobial Resistance”

To be presented by

Shaohua Zhao, PhD

Senior Microbiologist

Office of Research

Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM), US FDA

Thursday, January 8, 2015

6:00 – 6:20 PM – Networking; Pizza/drink 

6:20 – 8:45 PM – Program 

8:45 – 9:00 PM – Door-prizes drawing; Networking

Online Registration site: https://asq509.org/ht/d/DoSurvey/i/35817

Open to Public – 

$5: non-ASQ members to cover pizza/drink cost; 

Free: ASQ members, veterans, senior citizens, past speakers, teachers, students, interns, residents, postdocs, FDA Commissioner’s Fellows, MJ-DC members, NTUAADC members, CAPA members, CKUAADC members, CCACC volunteers/employees, FAPAC members, CBA members, AAGEN members, Commissioned Corp officers, and current job-seekers. 

Location: Kelly’s Deli Conference Center, 7529 Standish Place, Rockville (Derwood, for GPS users), MD 20855

Registration Deadline: Please register by Thursday noon, January 8, 2015.  

Question: Please contact Dr. C.J. George Chang, Chair of Biomed/Biotech SIG, ASQ509; [email protected] or 240-793-8425 (cell).

Driving directions: By Cars: From I-270 (N or S bound): Take Exit 9A and exit from the FIRST right exit; turn left (east) onto Shady Grove Dr.; turn right (south) onto Rockville Pike (Route 355); turn left (east) onto East Gude Dr.; turn left (north) immediately onto Crabb’s Branch Dr.; turn left (west) immediately onto Standish Place. The first building on your right side is 7519 Standish Place; open parking). The venue is on the first floor of 7529 Building with its external entrance opposite to the left side of 7519 building main entrance. By Metro trains: Off from Red Line Shady Grove Station, and take RideOn Route 59 TOWARD ROCKVILLE and get off from “Calhoun Place” stop. Standish Place is next to the Bus stop. Our venue is within 2 min of walking distance from the stop.

Summary  

Antimicrobial drugs have been widely used in human and veterinary medicine for more than 70 years, with tremendous benefits to both human and animal health.  The development of resistance to antimicrobials poses a serious public health threat. 

The National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System (NARMS) was launched in 1996 as a partnership among the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to track antimicrobial resistance in foodborne bacteria from humans, retail meats, and food animals.  NARMS main function is to serve FDA/CVM as a post-approval safety monitoring system for food animal antimicrobials.  The primary goal of the program is to assist the FDA in making decisions related to the approval of safe and effective antimicrobial drugs for humans and animals.  

This presentation will provide an overview on the NARMS program and describe how advanced technologies including whole genome sequencing have been applied to the identification of emerging and novel genetic determinants responsible for antimicrobial resistance in foodborne pathogens.

Speaker’s Bio: 

Dr. Shaohua Zhao is a senior microbiologist at Division of Animal and Food Microbiology in Office of Research, Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM), US FDA.  Dr. Zhao’s primary responsibilities within CVM include advancing subtyping technologies, overseeing molecular subtyping database for foodborne pathogens, and conducting and coordinating research NARMS retail meat program with CDC.  She has investigated antimicrobial-resistant pathogens in food of animal origin, resistance gene transfer, and the molecular mechanisms of resistance. 

Dr. Zhao has published over 130 peer-reviewed journal articles, review articles, book chapters, and 200 research abstracts presented at national and international meetings. Dr. Zhao has received numerous FDA awards, and was promoted as a Senior Biomedical Research Service (SBRS) member in 2011.  She was a recipient of Alumni Achievement Award of UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine in 2012. 

This Biomed/Biotech SIG event is cosponsored by the Monte Jade Science and Technology Association of Greater Washington (www.MonteJadeDC.org) and NTU Alumni Association at DC (www.ntuaadc.org).