The Microbes and Social Equity speaker series 2024:"Antimicrobial
chemicals, antimicrobial resistance, and the indoor microbiome.”, presented by Dr. Erica Hartmann.
June 28, 2024
About the speaker: Dr. Erica Hartmann is an environmental
microbiologist interested in the interaction between anthropogenic chemicals
and microorganisms, as well as bio-inspired mechanisms for controlling
microbial communities. Her career began at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School
of Public Health, where she worked on mass spectrometry-based methods for
detecting microbial enzymes necessary for bioremediation. She then moved to
Arizona State University where she was the first graduate of the
interdisciplinary Biological Design PhD program. She then moved to France on a
Fulbright, studying microbes that degrade carcinogenic pollutants at the
Commission for Atomic Energy. She began leading studies on antimicrobial
chemicals and microbes found in indoor dust at the Biology and the Built
Environment Center at the University of Oregon. She is currently continuing
that work, as well as developing novel non-chemical antimicrobials, as an associate
professor at Northwestern University. She was recently awarded an NSF CAREER to
support her work on antimicrobial textiles.
About the series: Microorganisms are critical to many aspects of biological life, including human health. The human body is a veritable universe for microorganisms: some pass through but once, some are frequent tourists, and some spend their entire existence in the confines of our body tissues. The collective microbial community, our microbiome, can be impacted by the details of our lifestyle, including diet, hygiene, health status, and more, but many are driven by social, economic, medical, or political constraints that restrict available choices that may impact our health. Access to resources is the basis for creating and resolving social equity—access to healthcare, healthy foods, a suitable living environment, and to beneficial microorganisms, but also access to personal and occupational protection to avoid exposure to infectious disease. This speaker series explores the way that microbes connect public policy, social disparities, and human health, as well as the ongoing research, education, policy, and innovation in this field.
