Welcome to Transmission Interrupted! In this episode, host Jill Morgan sits down with the principal investigators of NETEC—Dr. Aneesh Mehta, Dr. Vikramjit Mukherjee, and Dr. John Lowe—to reflect on a decade of advancing special pathogen preparedness across the U.S. healthcare system. Together, they revisit the origins of NETEC, tracing back to the transformative events of the 2014 Ebola outbreak, and share their unique journeys as infectious disease experts, critical care clinicians, and scientists on the front lines. The conversation dives into the challenges and lessons learned while building a national network equipped for high-consequence infectious diseases, the evolution from isolated specialty units to a system-wide approach, and the critical importance of healthcare worker safety. You'll hear insights on what it takes to maintain readiness in a landscape of ever-changing threats, the value of interdisciplinary collaboration, and a call to expand this “tight-knit club” of preparedness champions. Whether you’re a healthcare professional, public health advocate, or just curious about how the U.S. prepares for medical crises, this episode delivers an inspiring look at the past, present, and future of special pathogen response—and why it matters to us all. Guests John-Martin Lowe, PhD John-Martin Lowe, PhD, is the director of the Global Center for Health Security, assistant vice chancellor for health security training and education, and professor of Environmental, Agricultural and Occupational Health at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. At the University of Nebraska Medical Center, he leads research and training initiatives to advance environmental risk assessment and infection control for high consequence pathogens. As a virologist and environmental exposure scientist, Dr. Lowe has worked extensively throughout the U.S., Africa, Asia and Europe as an educator, researcher, and in health emergency risk management related to infectious disease, infection control and emergency response. As a professor of environmental and occupational health, his expertise focuses on infectious disease risk assessment and management of risk for clinical, community and industrial environments. Dr. Lowe also has extensive experience in emerging pathogens and health security. He is co-PI for the U.S. National Emerging Special Pathogens Training and Education Center, established an international network for emerging infectious diseases, and served lead investigator for a multi-country bio-surveillance network in Africa. He has experience in a broad range of health security topics from surveillance, public health response and clinical response to health emergencies. Dr. Lowe led successful COVID-19 efforts in 2020 at the National Quarantine Unit and Nebraska Biocontainment Unit to provide monitoring and care for repatriated U.S. citizens exposed to and infected with SARS Coronavirus 2. He also led early and continued efforts to characterize the transmission dynamics of SARS Coronavirus 2 which were presented to in a joint meeting hosted by the Academy of Medicine and American Public Health Association on April 15, 2020. Dr. Aneesh Mehta, MD, FIDSA, FAST Aneesh Mehta is a Professor of Medicine and of Surgery at Emory University School of Medicine, and also serves as the Chief of Infectious Diseases Services and Assistant Director of Transplant Infectious Diseases at Emory University Hospital. He is a board-certified infectious diseases physician, who received an MD from the University of Oklahoma and completed Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases training at Emory University. Aneesh has been one of the core physicians of the Emory Serious Communicable Diseases Unit (SCDU) since 2009. He was admitted physician for Emory’s first patient with Ebola Virus Disease and was highly involved in care of the four patients with EVD, one patient with Lassa Fever, and several PUIs cared for by the Emory SCDU. During the Ebola activation, Aneesh was involved in all aspects of unit management, patient care, laboratory handling, and research. Aneesh is a co-Principal Investigator at NETEC. He also has been involved in development of the Special Pathogens Research Network Biorepository and evaluation of Medical Countermeasures. Vikramjit Mukherjee, MD, FRCP (Edin) Vikramjit Mukherjee is an intensive care physician who serves as the Chief of Critical Care at NYC Health+Hospitals/Bellevue. He also is the Chief of Bellevue’s Special Pathogens Program. Dr. Mukherjee is an Associate Professor of Medicine in the Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine. Dr. Mukherjee serves as co-Principal Investigator for NETEC, as a steering committee member for the National Special Pathogens System of Care, and as an executive member of the Task Force for Mass Critical Care. His research interests include special pathogen preparedness and mass critical care. Vikramjit Mukherjee completed his medical training at Armed Forces Medical College, India, before arriving in the United States. Here, he completed his residency and chief residency at Georgetown University/Washington Hospital Center and fellowship and chief fellowship in Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at New York University Medical Center. Following completion of training in 2015, he joined faculty in the Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine at New York University Grossman School of Medicine. Host Jill Morgan, RN Emory Healthcare, Atlanta, GA Jill Morgan is a registered nurse and a subject matter expert in personal protective equipment (PPE) for NETEC. For 35 years, Jill has been an emergency department and critical care nurse, and now splits her time between education for NETEC and clinical research, most of it centering around infection prevention and personal protective equipment. She is a member of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC), ASTM International, and the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI). Resources About NETECNETEC LeadershipTransmission Interrupted PodcastNational Special Pathogen System (NSPS)NETEC Resource Library About NETEC A Partnership for Preparedness The National Emerging Special Pathogens Training and Education Center’s mission is to set the gold standard for special pathogen preparedness and response across health systems in the U.S. with the goals of driving best practices, closing knowledge gaps, and developing innovative resources. Our vision is a sustainable infrastructure and culture of readiness for managing suspected and confirmed special pathogen incidents across the United States public health and health care delivery systems. For more information visit NETEC on the web at www.netec.org. NETEC Consultation Services Assess and Advance Your Readiness for Special Pathogens with Free, Expert Consulting. NETEC offers free virtual and onsite readiness consulting to help health care facilities and EMS agencies prepare for special pathogen events. Our targeted support services are delivered by experts selected and assigned to each inquiry based on the unique needs of your organization. Have a question? Ask a NETEC expert. For more information visit: netec.org/consulting-services.
