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CHAIR BIOS: WORKING GROUP CHAIRS
pathogen,
Coxiella burnetii
, the agent of Q fever, with basic studies on mechanisms of pathogenesis and
applied goals of novel vaccine and diagnostic development. Dr. Samuel has taught courses in genetics,
microbiology and microbial pathogenesis for both medical and graduate education.
Sandra M. Tallent, PhD
Center for Food Safety and Nutrition, United States Food and Drug Administration
SPADA VENEZUALAN EQUINE ENCEPHALITIS (VEE) WORKING GROUP CHAIR
Sandra McKenzie Tallent received her Bachelor of Science from Florida Southern College, Lakeland
Florida and, upon graduation, attended Orlando Regional Medical Center’s School of Medical
Technology. The challenges of antimicrobial resistance prompted her to alter her career focus from
clinical microbiology to public health research. She earned her Master’s and Doctorate in Microbiology
and Immunology from Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia followed by a CDC
Emerging Infectious Disease Research Fellow appointment with Virginia’s Division of Consolidated
Laboratory Services. She has been with the U.S. FDA for seven years where her work involves assay
development to detect
Staphylococcus aureus
and
Bacillus cereus
and their enterotoxins in food
matrices.
David Wagner, PhD
Associate Professor, Department of Biological Sciences
Associate Director, Center for Microbial Genetics and Genomics
Northern Arizona University
SPADA F. TULARENSIS WORKING GROUP CO‐CHAIR
Dave Wagner has been working with dangerous pathogens, including
Bacillus anthracis
,
Yersinia pestis
,
Francisella tularensis
, and
Burkholderia pseudomallei
, in field and laboratory settings since 1999. He is
the Associate Director of the Center for Microbial Genetics and Genomics at NAU, which employs more
than 60 faculty, staff, and students. Dr. Wagner has established research collaborations around the
world, including
F. tularensis
research in Europe and Asia and
Y. pestis
research in Africa, Asia, Europe,
and South America, among many others. His is broadly interested in the evolutionary history,
phylogeography, and ecology of infectious disease agents.