They call it Staph Camp for short. It’s a summer camp like none other.
Participants come to Omaha from around the world. This year’s attendees hailed from seven U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and four foreign countries.
The attendees all have one goal in mind — they want to jump start their research careers by gaining a better understanding of staph infections.
Workshop instructors
The instructors, who are all in the UNMC Department of Pathology and Microbiology, include:
- Ken Bayles, Ph.D., professor;
- Paul Fey, Ph.D., professor;
- Tammy Kielian, Ph.D., professor;
- Vinai Chittezham Thomas, Ph.D., assistant professor;
- Marat Sadykov, Ph.D., assistant professor;
- McKenzie Lehman, Ph.D., instructor;
- Sujata Chaudhari, Ph.D., instructor; and
- Luke Handke, Ph.D., senior scientist.
They come to Omaha because UNMC is the mecca when it comes to research in staph infections. It is the only institution in the world that offers a weeklong course that solely focuses on staph.
“It’s a crash course on staph genetics and metabolism,” said Ken Bayles, Ph.D., who heads the Center for Staphylococcal Research at UNMC.
“Most are new to the field,” said Paul Fey, Ph.D., professor, pathology/microbiology. “It allows them to hit the ground running and gain a basic understanding of Staphylococcus aureus. Best of all, they get to know each other — their future colleagues in the field.”
This year’s course was held July 8-12 and marked the fourth consecutive year that UNMC has hosted the event, officially called the “Essentials of Staphylococcal Genetics Workshop.”
UNMC has the only program project grant in the U.S. that is focused on staph infections, said Dr. Bayles, who was the 12th UNMC Scientist Laureate in 2018 and serves as associate vice chancellor for basic science research at UNMC and interim associate vice chancellor of research and creative activity at UNO.
The grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) at the National Institutes of Health was renewed last month for another five years and $11 million. Since UNMC first received the grant in 2009, it has brought more than $30 million in research funding to the medical center.
“One of the things that separates our program from others is that we think outwardly by providing education and research opportunities like this workshop,” Dr. Bayles said.
Attendees not only learn about staph infections but also are given a taste of the community. Activities include a visit to Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium and dinner at a variety of restaurants. They are given a tour of the city and can work out in the UNMC Center for Healthy Living. Their inexpensive lodging is in UNMC’s International House.
“This gets them started,” Dr. Bayles said. “They get to see how we do things.”
And they get to learn from the best.
What a GREAT asset!!