The Mouths, Microbes, and Misuse

About this Seminar

The Mouths, Microbes, and Misuse session will introduce dental professionals to the concepts of antibiotic stewardship and antibiotic resistance. Dentists will achieve an understanding of the importance of embedding antimicrobial stewardship into their practice. The session will also provide awareness of resources and best practice recommendations to promote better antimicrobial prescribing habits among dentists (e.g., assessment and management of penicillin allergies, management of dental abscesses, and antibiotic prophylaxis).

Presenters

About Jason Vanstone

PhD

Jason grew up in Regina and completed a B.Sc. in Biology at the University of Regina in 2006. He then completed a Ph.D. in Cellular and Molecular Medicine at the University of Ottawa in 2013 where his research focused on regenerative medicine. Following a post-doctoral fellowship in rare disease research at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario, Jason returned home to Regina in 2015. In 2016, he began working with the Regina Qu’Appelle Health Region (now Saskatchewan Health Authority) and is currently the Research Scientist for the Stewardship and Clinical Appropriateness Department. Jason is passionate about educating the public on the threat of antibiotic resistance and improving antibiotic stewardship efforts in healthcare.

About Melissa Kucey

BSP, ACPR

Melissa is an antimicrobial stewardship and infectious diseases pharmacist with the SHA Antimicrobial Stewardship Program. She completed a B.Sc. in Physiology in 2010 and a B.Sc. in Pharmacy in 2014 at the University of Saskatchewan. After university, Melissa completed a hospital pharmacy residency at the Regina General hospital in 2015, and was employed as a clinical pharmacist for the SHA. She covered critical care and internal medicine for a few years before transitioning into her specialized role of antimicrobial stewardship in April 2020. Infectious diseases and antimicrobial stewardship are areas Melissa is very passionate about and she enjoys working with her colleagues to educate the public and health care providers around the threat of antimicrobial resistance and ways to optimize antimicrobial use.

About Kristin Schmidt

BSP

Kristin obtained her B.Sc. in Pharmacy from the University of Saskatchewan in 2012. Since then she has worked in a variety of practice settings in Saskatchewan and internationally, with the majority of her career spent in hospital practice in Regina in the areas of internal and emergency medicine. Additionally, she has worked in rural and urban community pharmacy, long term care, outpatient mental health, and a brief stint in the Regina HIV clinic. Since 2017 she has completed four international contracts with Doctors Without Borders in Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Iraq, and Yemen as a project and country pharmacy manager. In 2020, she began working with the SHA’s Antimicrobial Stewardship Program in Regina and soon after completed the Society of Infectious Diseases Pharmacists Antimicrobial Stewardship Certificate Program. Her professional role encompasses education to all types of health care providers and the public, research and quality improvement, policy, advocacy, as well as clinical practice. She is passionate about appropriate use of antibiotics to ensure that this critical health care resource remains available for generations to come.