On Monday, July 21, I had the pleasure of being interview by Dr. Fred Southwick, a physician and long-time patient safety activist, on his new online radio show: Patient Voices with Dr. Fred. We discuss our mother, Peggy, and her death from a C. diff infection. What spurred us to start the Peggy Lillis Memorial Foundation, and the lessons we’ve learned over the past 4 years.
On June 21, I had the opportunity to present to a group of more than 50 physicians and researchers, who are part of the Gulf Coast C. diff Collaborative (GCCC). Founded in 2012, GCCC is led by Texas Children’s Hospital’s Tor Savidge, associate director its Children’s Microbiome Center, and offers C. diff experts and young scientists an opportunity to share knowledge, best practices and emerging research. The Collaborative includes Texas Children’s Hospital, University of Texas-Houston, University of Houston, University of Texas-Arlington, University of Texas Medical Branch, Baylor College of Medicine, and Texas A&M. The day was packed with presentations ranging from a “state of the art lecture” by Dr. Herbert DuPont, who leads the Center for Infectious Diseases at the University of Texas’ School of Public Health, to new research that suggests sleep aids like Ambien are a risk-factor for C. diff infections by Alex Peniche of the University of Texas Medical Branch.
