Sophia Kenney has a deep interest in immunology and microbiology. She has participated in several antimicrobial resistance projects taken on in the laboratory with hopes of making a change and helping to reduce antimicrobial resistance to benefit the health of humans and animals.
One project Sophia has been working on is in collaboration with the PA Department of Health to investigate antimicrobial resistance and the zoonotic potential of Salmonella from dogs. Zoonotic diseases and pathogens are ones that can be transmitted from animals to humans, impacting their health. This project is important because there are a lot of studies done that focus on antimicrobial resistance in agriculture or environmental sectors, but not many in companion animals. Given that a large number of the population has one or more dogs living in extremely close proximity, this is key information to know.
Sophia has submitted her abstract to the International Conference on Emerging Infectious Diseases (ICEID), hosted by the CDC in Atlanta Georgia. Her abstract has been accepted and she will present her findings at the conference in March of 2022. This conference has been held every 2 or 3 years since 1998 and allows for networking between professionals in the public health sector from around the world. This event allows for exchange of pertinent issues and information regarding the emergence, potential spread, and ideas for control of infectious diseases.
The 2022 conference will be the 11th conference and will include speakers, oral abstract and poster presentations, exhibits from science and public health professionals and various panel sessions. All topics will be focusing on infectious diseases around the globe. Sophia’s background in immunology and medical microbiology has well prepared her to do her best at this conference and we cannot wait to see her present.