Warp Speed Research: Experiences during COVID and Mpox Responses 

On this episode of Transmission Interrupted, we welcome members of NETEC’s Special Pathogen Research Network to discuss their experiences as research personnel during the COVID-19 pandemic and Mpox outbreak. Join us as the team explores the challenges, triumphs, and lessons learned from implementing research protocols at warp speed in time-sensitive and high-pressure environments.

Questions or comments for NETEC? Contact us at [email protected].

Visit Transmission Interrupted on the web at netec.org/podcast.

GuestsChrista Arguinchona, MSN, BSN, CCRN

Manager, Special Pathogens

Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center and Children’s Hospital

Christa is the Manager for the Special Pathogens Program at Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center and Children’s Hospital (PSHMC&CH). Her responsibilities include developing and maintaining a care team for the Special Pathogens Unit and developing policies, protocols, and educational and training plans. Christa manages the Special Pathogens Program that facilitates readiness throughout HHS Region 10 for emerging special pathogens. Christa collaborates with community, regional and national partners on all aspects of what it means to be a Regional Treatment Center for Emerging Special Pathogens.

Christa has her Master’s Degree in Nursing and a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing and is certified in Critical Care. She has over 30 years of critical care experience in the neurological/trauma ICU at PSHMC&CH. 

Barry Clark, MS, BSN, ASN, RN

Research Educator, General Clinical Research, Serious Communicable Disease Unit.

Emory University Hospital, Atlanta, Georgia

Barry is the Research Educator for the Georgia CTSA Clinical Research Centers (GCRC) at Emory University Hospital. His responsibility includes functioning as a liaison and educator for research teams that use the GCRC clinic and the inpatient nursing units where clinical trials are conducted. Barry's primary function is working with principal investigators and research coordinators, guiding them through the process of carrying out research studies. Barry also functions as a support nurse to the Serious Communicable Disease Unit and works as an instructor for the research-based phlebotomy program.

Barry has a Master’s Degree in Education and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing. He has been a registered nurse at Emory University Hospital for 27 years and has worked in the role of staff nurse, nurse educator, transplant nurse, research nurse, research coordinator for the liver transplant program, clinic manager, and unit charge nurse. 

Jade Flinn, MSN, RN, CCRN, CNRN  

Program/Unit Director Biocontainment Unit  

Department of Medicine 

The Johns Hopkins Hospital 

Jade Flinn graduated from the Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing in 2011 and Notre Dame of Maryland University in 2019. She is trained as a neurocritical care nurse, critical care transport nurse, and nurse education leader. Her role as the BCU unit director is to maintain the unit’s overall activation readiness including physical infrastructure, rostered personnel training, and systemic preparedness for capacity to safely care for patients infected with high consequence pathogens. Flinn also serves as a bedside clinical nurse in the Johns Hopkins intensive care units and during inter-hospital ground transports. Her professional interests revolve around representation of nursing in disaster preparedness and response, health care worker safety, and hospital emergency operations. Her most current work involves an international, multicenter COVID-19 clinical trial (Adaptive COVID-19 Treatment Trial), quality improvement developments for category A waste processing using autoclaves, and effective personal protective equipment training. 

Jessica Gieseke, BA, BSN, CCRN

Research Nurse Coordinator, Special Pathogens Unit

University of Minnesota and M Health Fairview University of Minnesota Medical Center

Jessica is a research nurse working in both Special Pathogen research and the Department of Emergency Medicine for the University of Minnesota. In these roles, her work includes supporting rapid implementation of research protocols and uses her nursing expertise to develop plans to adopt protocols to work with inpatient nursing workflows. 

Jessica has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Biology with a focus in Community and Global Health as well as a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing. She has 3 years of experience working on different types of research protocols in different specialties and has 5 years of experience working in critical care in the M Health Fairview System and has a specialty certification in Critical Care Nursing.

Michael Willig, MSN, BSN, RN, CNEcl

Nursing Program Manager

Biocontainment Care Unit

University of Texas Medical Branch

Michael is the Nursing Program Manager for the Biocontainment Care Unit (BCU) at the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) which represents the Health and Humans Services (HHS) Region 6 for emerging special pathogens. His responsibilities include developing and maintaining the patient care team for UTMB’s BCU. Additional BCU responsibilities include developing policies, protocols, educational and training plans as well as following the routine and preventative facility maintenance for the BCU. Michael also collaborates with community, regional and national partners to represent UTMB’s commitment to being a Regional Treatment Center for Emerging Special Pathogens.

Michael earned his Master of Science Degree in Nursing Education following a Bachelor of Science Nursing Degree and Paramedic Certifications. His healthcare experiences include prehospital, pediatric, critical care, teaching, and clinical research that spans over 40 years.

HostJill Morgan, RN

Emory Healthcare, Atlanta, GA

Jill Morgan is a registered nurse and a subject matter expert in personal protective equipment (PPE) for NETEC. For 35 years, Jill has been an emergency department and critical care nurse, and now splits her time between education for NETEC and clinical research, most of it centering around infection prevention and personal protective equipment. She is a member of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC), ASTM International, and the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI).

Resources

NETEC COVID-19 Novel Coronavirus Resources: https://repository.netecweb.org/exhibits/show/ncov/ncov

NETEC COVID-19 Webinar Series Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5JyGXQ8MP0TZXU2Ldy-jzjLuUNfFX8JZ

NETEC Mpox Resources: https://repository.netecweb.org/exhibits/show/monkeypox/monkeypox

NETEC Resource Library: https://repository.netecweb.org

About NETECA Partnership for Preparedness

The National Emerging Special Pathogens Training and Education Center’s mission is to set the gold standard for special pathogen preparedness and response across health systems in the U.S. with the goals of driving best practices, closing knowledge gaps, and developing innovative resources.

Our vision is a sustainable infrastructure and culture of readiness for managing suspected and confirmed special pathogen incidents across the United States public health and health care delivery systems.

For more information visit NETEC on the web at www.netec.org.

NETEC Consultation Services

Assess and Advance Your Readiness for Special Pathogens with Free, Expert Consulting.

NETEC offers free virtual and onsite readiness consulting to help health care facilities and EMS agencies prepare for special pathogen events. Our targeted support services are delivered by experts selected and assigned to each inquiry based on the unique needs of your organization. Have a question? Ask a NETEC expert.

For more information visit: netec.org/consulting-services.