Dr. Erika D’Agata is a Professor of Medicine at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University and the Director of Research for the Division of Infectious Diseases at Rhode Island and Miriam Hospital. She is a clinical researcher whose area of focus is in the clinical and molecular epidemiology of multidrug-resistant organisms (MDRO) in a variety of healthcare settings, including the out-patient chronic hemodialysis facilities, long-term care facilities and hospitals. She has been funded by the National Institute of Health, National Science Foundation, Agency of Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for over 20 years. Her current research focuses on 1] the epidemiology of MDRO among persons not exposed to antimicrobials, 2] microbiome analyses of the gut among persons who acquire MDRO and characterizing microbiome disruption indices and 3] antimicrobial stewardship efforts in out-patient dialysis facilities and long-term care facilities. She is currently conducting an antimicrobial stewardship study in over 30 nursing homes in the Boston area and has recently completed an AHRQ grant which demonstrated the efficacy of implementing a stewardship program in out-patient dialysis facilities. Dr. D’Agata oversees the infectious disease fellows’ research and mentors numerous internal medicine residents, infectious disease and nephrology fellows, as well as graduate students. She is the recipient of the NIH K24 patient-oriented mentoring award.
Keywords: Multidrug-resistant organisms, long-term care facilities, chronic hemodialysis, microbiome, acquisition, antimicrobial stewardship
Key Publications:
Snyder G, Patel PR, Kallen AJ, Strom JA, Tucker JK, D’Agata EMC. Factors associated with the receipt of antimicrobials among chronic hemodialysis patients. Am J Infect Control 2016;44:1269-74.
Wares JR, Lawson B, Shemin D, D’Agata EMC. Evaluating infection prevention strategies in out-patient dialysis units using agent-based modeling. PLOS One 2016 19;11(5):e0153820. PMID:27195984
Araos, R, Tai AK, Snyder GM, Blaser MJ, D’Agata EMC. The protective role of Lactobacillus spp. Against Colonization with Multidrug-Resistant Organisms. Clin Infect Dis 2016:63:937-43. PMID:27358350
Shaffer M, D’Agata E, Habtemariam D, Mitchell SL. Examining the relationship between multidrug-resistant organism acquisition and exposure to antimicrobials in the long-term care population. Ann Epidemiol 2016 (in press).
Snyder GM, McCoy C, D’Agata EM. Quantifying Antimicrobial Exposure: Hazards in Populations With End-Stage Renal Disease. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol. 2016 Dec 5:1-4.
Araos R, Montgomery V, Ugalde JA, Snyder GM, D’Agata EMC. Microbial disruption indices to detect colonization with multidrug-resistant organisms. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol. 2017;38:1312-8.
D’Agata EMC, Tran D, Bautista J, Shemin D, Grima D. The Clinical and Economic Benefits of Implementing Antimicrobial Stewardship Programs in Out-Patient Hemodialysis Units. Clin J Am Soc Nephrol 2018 (in press)
Araos R, Andreatos N, Ugalde J, Mitchell S; Mylonakis E, D’Agata EMC. The fecal microbiome among nursing home residents with advanced dementia and Clostridium difficile. Dig Dis Sci 2018 (in press)
D’Agata EMC, Lindberg C, Lindberg C, Shemin D, Rosen S. The positive effects of an antimicrobial stewardship program targeting out-patient hemodialysis facilities. Infect Control Hosp Epi 2018;39(12):1400-1405.
D’Agata EMC, Varu A, Geffert SF, Araos R, Mitchell S. Situ A, Cameron C. Acquisition of multidrug-resistant organisms in the absence of antimicrobial exposure. Clin Infect Dis 2018 (in press)
Chapters/Review Articles:
Cunha CB, D’Agata EMC. Antimicrobial Stewardship in out-patient dialysis units. Curr Opin Nephrol Hypertens Nov 2016;25:551-5.
D’Agata EMC. Addressing the Problem of Multidrug-Resistant Organisms in Dialysis [perspectives]. Clin J Amer Soc Nephrol 2018;13:666-8.
D’Agata EMC. Pseudomonas species, including Pseudomonas aeruginosa” In: Mandell, Douglas, and Bennett’s Principles and Practice of Infectious Diseases (9th edition) 2018
Araos R, D’Agata EMC. The microbiome and its role in infection control. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2018 (invited editorial) (in press)
Additional links of interest: