Patricia J. Simner, Ph.D., M.Sc.

Headshot of Patricia J. Simner
  • Associate Professor of Pathology

Background

Dr. Patricia (Trish) Simner received her Ph.D. in 2011 at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.  Her Ph.D. research was funded by the successful application for the prestigious Alexander Graham Bell Canadian Graduate Scholarship Award from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.   In Dr. Simner's thesis work, she studied the epidemiology and molecular characterization of ESBL- and AmpC β-lactamase-producing Enterobacteriaceae isolated in Canadian hospitals from 2005-2009.  Her work as part of the Canadian Antimicrobial Resistance Alliance has resulted in a total of 25 peer-reviewed publications from 2007 to date with greater than 30 abstract presentations at national and international conferences.  From her Ph.D. work she is a known researcher in the area of mechanism of antibiotic resistance, in particular β-lactam resistance among Gram-negative bacteria.


After obtaining her Ph.D., Dr. Simner completed a two year Clinical Microbiology Fellowship at the world renowned Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN.   During her time at the Mayo Clinic she was involved in the evaluation, development and implementation of novel molecular diagnostic tools such as matrix-assisted laser-desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry and polymerase chain reaction electrospray ionization mass spectrometry.  Her time at the Mayo Clinic was very productive and resulted in 6 book chapters, 5 national and international conference presentations, 4 peer-reviewed publications, 2 case-reports and 1 invited review article.  In addition, she was promoted to Assistant Professor of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology at the Mayo School of Graduate Education due to her excellence in teaching and mentoring.  At the completion of her Clinical Microbiology Fellowship she became board-certified in Medical Microbiology by the American Board of Medical Microbiology. From her fellowship work she is known in the Clinical Microbiology field for developing and evaluating novel diagnostic platforms.


At the completion of her fellowship Dr. Simner returned to her home Province in Manitoba, Canada and worked as a Clinical Microbiologist at St. Boniface Hospital and as an Assistant Professor at the University of Manitoba in the Department of Infectious Diseases and Medical Microbiology for 13 months.  She continued her research focus on antimicrobial resistance mechanisms and her collaborations with the Canadian Antimicrobial Resistance Alliance.  She was able to continue her productivity during this transition period with two peer-reviewed publications.


From there Dr. Simner was welcomed as Assistant Professor of Pathology and Director of the Bacteriology and Parasitology sections of the Medical Microbiology Laboratory in March, 2015.  In her short time at Johns Hopkins she has submitted multiple grant submissions, publications and is involved in interdisciplinary research collaborations. Dr. Simner continues her research in the areas of gram-negative bacterial resistance mechanisms with a focus on carbapenem-resistant gram-negative bacilli and novel diagnostic tools for infectious diseases such as next-generation sequencing.


Dr. Simner is also active in the Clinical Microbiology communities by participating on committees and as a reviewer for the Journal of Clinical Microbiology.

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Titles

  • Associate Professor of Pathology
  • Joint Appointment in Medicine

Departments / Divisions

Education

Degrees

  • B.Sc.; University of Manitoba, Winnipeg (Canada) (2006)
  • M.Sc.; University of Manitoba, Winnipeg (Canada) (2008)
  • Ph.D.; University of Manitoba, Winnipeg (Canada) (2011)

Additional Training

  • American Board of Medical Microbiology / Medical and Public Health Microbiology

Research & Publications

Selected Publications

View all on PubMed

Simner PJ, H Adam, M Baxter, M McCraken, G. Golding, JA Karlowksy, K Nichol, P Lagacé-Wiens, MW Gilmour, Canadian Antimicrobial Resistance Alliance-CARA, DJ Hoban and GG Zhanel. 2015. Epidemiology of Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococci (VRE) in Canadian Hospitals: CANWARD 2007-2013. Submitted to Antimicrob. Agents Chemotherapy.

Simner PJ, MW Gilmour, P DeGagne, K Nichol and JA Karlowsky. 2014. Evaluation of Five Chromogenic Agar Media and the Rosco Rapid Carb Screen Kit for Detection and Confirmation of Carbapenemase Production in Gram-Negative Bacilli. J Clin Microbiol. 53:105-12.

Simner PJ, SP Buckwalter, JR Uhl, NL Wengenack and BS Pritt. 2013. Detection and Identification of Yeasts from Formalin-Fixed, Paraffin-Embedded Tissue Using PCR-Electrospray Ionization. J Clin Microbiol. 51:3731-4.

Simner PJ, SP Buckwalter, JR Uhl and NL Wengenack. 2013. Identification of Mycobacterium species and Mycobacterium tuberculosis Complex Resistance Determinants Using PCR-Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry. J Clin Microbiol. 51:3492-8.

Simner PJ, JR Uhl, L Hall, MM Weber, RC Walkchak, S Buckwalter and NL Wengenack. 2013. Broad-Range Direct Detection and Identification of Fungi Using the PLEX-ID PCR-Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry (ESI-MS) System. J Clin Microbiol. 51:1699-1706.

Simner PJ, SP Buckwalter, JR Uhl, NL Wengenack and BS Pritt.  2013. Detection and Identification of Yeasts from Formalin-Fixed, Paraffin-Embedded Tissue Using PCR-Electrospray Ionization. J Clin Microbiol. 51:3731-4.


Simner PJ, SP Buckwalter, JR Uhl and NL Wengenack. 2013. Identification of Mycobacterium species and Mycobacterium tuberculosis Complex Resistance Determinants Using PCR-Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry. J Clin Microbiol. 51:3492-8.

Vasoo, S, S Cunningham, P Kohner, PJ Simner, JN Mandrekar, K Lolans, MK Hayden, and R Patel. 2013. Comparison of a Novel, Rapid Chromogenic Biochemical Assay, the Carba NP Test with the Modified Hodge Test for Detection of Carbapenemase-Producing Gram-Negative Bacilli. J Clin Microbiol. 51:3097-101.

Simner PJ, JR Uhl, L Hall, MM Weber, RC Walkchak, S Buckwalter and NL Wengenack. 2013.  Broad-Range Direct Detection and Identification of Fungi Using the PLEX-ID PCR-Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry (ESI-MS) System.  J Clin Microbiol. 51:1699-1706.

Simner PJ, MW Gilmour, P DeGagne, K Nichol and JA Karlowsky.  2014. Evaluation of Five Chromogenic Agar Media and the Rosco Rapid Carb Screen Kit for Detection and Confirmation of Carbapenemase Production in Gram-Negative Bacilli.  J Clin Microbiol. 53:105-12.

Simner PJ, H Adam, M Baxter, M McCraken, G. Golding, JA Karlowksy, K Nichol, P Lagacé-Wiens, MW Gilmour, Canadian Antimicrobial Resistance Alliance-CARA, DJ Hoban and GG Zhanel. 2015. Epidemiology of Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococci (VRE) in Canadian Hospitals: CANWARD 2007-2013. Antimicrob. Agents Chemotherapy. 59:4315-7.

Goodman K, PJ Simner, PD Tamma and A Milestone. 2015. Infection control implications of heterogeneous resistance mechanisms in carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE). Expert Rev Anti Infect Ther. Jan;14(1):95-108.

Suwantarat N, L Logan, KC Carroll, RA Bonomo, PJ Simner, S Rudin, AM Milstone, T. Tekle, T. Ross, and PD Tamma. 2016. The Prevalence and Molecular Characterization of Multidrug-Resistant Enterobacteriaceae Colonization in a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol. In press.

Gniadek T, KC Carroll and PJ Simner. 2016.  Carbapenem-Resistant Glucose Non-Fermenting Gram-Negative Bacilli: The Missing Piece to the Puzzle. J Clin Microbiol. In press.

Tamma PD, N Suwantarat, S Rudin, L Logan, PJ Simner, L Rojas Coy, MF Mojica, KC Carroll and RA Bonomo. 2016. First Report of a VIM metallo-β-lactamase-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae in a Child in the United States. J. Pediatric Infect Dis Soc. In press.

Simner PJ, I Martin, B Opene, PD Tamma, KC Carroll and A Milestone. 2016. Point-Prevalence Study and Evaluation of Multiple Methods for the Detection of Gastrointestinal Colonization of Carbapenem-Resistant Organisms from Rectal Swabs in High-Risk Patient Populations. J Clin Microbiol. Submitted to JCM.

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