HJNO Mar/Apr 2025

44 MAR / APR 2025  I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF NEW ORLEANS   Healthcare Briefs illnesses, and more. Phillips is a graduate of Tulane University School of Medicine and completed his residency at Tulane's Pediatric Residency Program with a spe- cific focus on outpatient primary care. As a medi- cal student, Phillips was involved in Tulane's stu- dent-run clinics, splitting time between Ozanam Inn and Covenant House. Phillips obtained an undergraduate degree in biomedical sciences and a master's degree at the University of South Florida before settling in New Orleans in 2017. Phillips is also a member of the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and is certified in pediatric advanced life support and neonatal resuscitation. “DePaul Community Health Centers is excited to welcome Dr. Brett Phillips to our team,” said Michael G. Griffin, MSPH, DSc, FACHE, president and CEO of DCHC. “His experience in provid- ing health care services to the New Orleans com- munity as a medical student and his passion for providing the best care for his patients is com- mendable. We’re grateful to welcome such an enthusiastic provider.” NewRadiation Therapy ProgramManager Joins Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center has named Randy Williams to the role of radiation therapy program manager, overseeing all radiation ther- apy and diagnostic imaging operations at Terre- bonne General Health System in Houma. Williams takes over from Dan Vincent, who is retiring after several decades in the role. “Mr. Williams comes with a wealth of experience in the non-profit world,” said Ryan Houston, Mary Bird Perkins’ cancer program administrator, com- munity sites. “He has a passion for starting and building upon programs, is an excellent commu- nicator, and has a long track record of working collaboratively with individuals and organizations. We’re proud to welcome him to the role.” As radiation therapy program manager, Wil- liams is responsible for all activities, personnel, programs, and resources of the Houma facility, as well as ensuring high-quality patient care and fostering a collaborative relationship with Terre- bonne General Heath System. Williams has an extensive track record of lead- ership, management, and program development. Before arriving at Mary Bird Perkins, he served as program coordinator at Clover New Orleans, a nonprofit organization offering nationally-accred- ited and state-certified programs and services to people throughout greater New Orleans. Researchers Identify Genetic ‘Fingerprint’ to Predict Drug Resistance in Bacteria Antibiotic resistance is a global public health crisis responsible for more than a million deaths annually. By 2050, the World Health Organization estimates it could surpass cancer and heart dis- ease as the leading cause of death as more bac- teria develop defenses to the drugs designed to combat them. Now researchers from Tulane University have identified a unique genetic signature in bacteria that can predict their likelihood of developing antibiotic resistance, according to a new study published in Nature Communications. The find- ings could help researchers more quickly iden- tify precision-based treatments that are more effective against the deadly, treatment-resistant pathogens. “If we see this pattern when we sequence its genome, we can expect it to become drug-resis- tant if you try to treat it,” said lead author Kalen Hall, PhD, who spearheaded the research before graduating from Tulane University School of Med- icine in 2024. At the center of the study is Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a bacteria with a known history of multidrug resistance and a common cause of infection in hospitals. The bacteria are prone to deficiencies in a specific DNA repair pathway, a condition known to spur rapid mutations in bac- teria, which increase the odds of drug resistance developing. After analyzing the bacterial genomes for mutational signatures – a technique typically used in cancer research to map genetic changes in tumors – the team found a distinct pattern associated with these DNA repair deficiencies that accurately predicted bacteria’s potential to develop antibiotic resistance. “It’s essentially a fingerprint that’s able to pre- dict the presence of potential multidrug-resistant bacteria,” said Zac Pursell, PhD, associate pro- fessor of biochemistry and molecular biology at Tulane University School of Medicine. Resistance can only be acquired when bacteria are treated with an antibiotic that fails to kill them, underscoring the need to identify the proper path of treatment. Making matters worse, the findings show that bacteria acquire resistance to drugs not involved in initial treatment. “Over 50% of antibiotics prescribed are either unnecessary or the wrong treatment, and if you provide the wrong antibiotic, you’re promoting more and more resistance,” Hall said. Importantly, the same DNA sequencing tech- nology that can identify bacterial “fingerprints” can also identify points of attack for clinicians. The researchers found success identifying sepa- rate resistance pathways and administering spe- cific combinations of antibiotics that target these pathways, preventing the bacteria from acquiring drug resistance. Though the findings are still in their early stages, successful creation of a diagnostic tool could reduce the overuse of antibiotics and allow for more precise treatment of bacterial infections. Hall is now CEO and cofounder of Informuta Inc., a San Diego-based startup that aims to develop a machine learning model that can scan bacteria samples and predict the development of antibi- otic resistance. “There’s absolutely nothing like this available right now, and it would be game changing for so many patient populations. Antibiotic resistance is getting worse year over year,” Hall said. “I believe proper antibiotic stewardship and accurate diag- nostics are important pieces of the puzzle.” n Randy Williams