Vertical Transmission, August 2005

Abstract

Associate Professor Keryn Christiansen, who is the Director of the Department of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases at Royal Perth Hospital, has been elected unopposed as President-elect of ASM. A/Prof Christiansen will take up her position after the Annual General Meeting in Canberra in September. She will then assume the office of President of the ASM from July 2006 for a two year term. A/Prof Christiansen is responsible for the Gram Positive Typing and Research Unit in Western Australia, which has a strong research interest in MRSA including genetics, epidemiology and virulence determinants. Her other areas of interest include antibiotic resistance, pharmacodynamics and infection control. Keryn brings a wealth of experience to her new role in ASM. She is currently President of the International Society for Infectious Diseases, President of the Australian Society for Antimicrobials, a Member of the National Health and Medical Research Committee (NHMRC) Expert Advisory Committee on Antimicrobial Resistance and a member of the World Health Organisation Working Party to develop the Framework for the WHO Global Strategy for the Containment of Antimicrobial Resistance. I am sure that she will prove to be an outstanding President and I very much look forward to working with her over the next few years.