Vera Tesic

Vera Tesic, MD, MS, D (ABMM), FCAP, is a Professor of Pathology at the University of Chicago Medicine. Her research focus is on clinical microbiology and immunology translational studies to optimize patient testing. She has a specific interest in provision of high-quality testing for sexually transmitted diseases and creating laboratory algorithms that will enhance and speed clinical care. She has also been course faculty at multiple national and international meetings and is actively involved with CLSI.

Tentative Title:

Showcasing the Clinical Value of Point of Care Testing in Infectious Diseases

Session/panel summary and proposed speakers:

Session Overview: Despite the availability of excellent Point of Care (POC) diagnostic tests for infectious diseases, their use is still inadequate, resulting in sub-optimal patient management. This session will provide a clinician’s perspective on patient management challenges and discuss unmet needs, particularly in marginalized patient populations. The session will also address strategies the laboratory community can deploy to leverage POC testing to enable timely access to care. Audience polling will be incorporated to assess the participants’ current practices, and clinical cases will be presented to illustrate needs across different patient populations and highlight the potential impact of POC testing. The session will close with a panel discussion to facilitate this very important dialog.

Statement of need: WHO encourages use of POC tests for diagnosis of infectious diseases, especially in resource limited settings, because of their simplicity, short turnaround time and wide accessibility. They provide actionable results near the patient and pave the way for prompt diagnosis. Despite being powerful tool for effective patient care, antibiotic stewardship, and outbreak containment POC tests are still not widely used.

Pillar and topic/subtopic:

PILLAR 1: FRONTIERS HEALTH & CLINICAL INNOVATIONS

1.3: Clinical & Public Health Microbiology

Sub-topic 1.3c: Diagnostics: Bacteriology, Public Health Microbiology, Veterinary Microbiology and Parasitology