Faculty

Dr. Darren Linkin, M.D., M.S.C.E.

Darren R. Linkin, MD, MSCE, is an Assistant Professor of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, and the Hospital Epidemiologist for the Philadelphia VA Medical Center. Dr. Linkin clinical research focus is on hospital antimicrobial resistance. His studies have examined the unanticipated consequences of antimicrobial stewardship programs and legislation of public reporting of hospital infections, epidemiologic studies of antimicrobial resistance, and methodological evaluations. He frequently presents his research at national meetings including the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America. He is a reviewer for major medical journals including the Annals of Internal Medicine and the Journal of Infectious Diseases. He is part of an eight person “Expert Panel” that has developed guidelines for the national MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) program in the Veterans Health Administration. He also serves as a consultant for the FDA Drug Safety and Risk Management Advisory Committee.

Selected publications:

Linkin DR, Sausman C, Santos L, Lyons C, Fox C, Aumiller L, Esterhai J, Pittman B, Lautenbach E: Applicability of Healthcare Failure Mode and Effects Analysis to healthcare epidemiology: evaluation of the sterilization and use of surgical instruments. Clinical Infectious Diseases 41(7): 1014-9, Oct 2005.

Linkin DR, Paris S, Fishman N, Metlay J, Lautenbach E: Inaccurate Communications in Telephone Calls to an Antimicrobial Stewardship Program. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 27(7): 688-694, Jun 2006.

Cohen AE, Lautenbach E, Morales KH, Linkin DR: Fluoroquinolone-resistant Escherichia coli in the long-term care setting. American Journal of Medicine 119(11): 958-63, Nov 2006.

LaRosa LA, Fishman N, Lautenbach E, Koppel RJ, Morales K, Linkin DR: Evaluation of Antimicrobial Orders Circumventing an Antimicrobial Stewardship Program: Investigating the Strategy of "Stealth Dosing" Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 28(5): 551-556, May 2007.

Linkin DR, Fishman NO, Landis JR, Barton TD, Gluckman S, Kostman J, Metlay JP: The Effect of Communication Errors During Calls to an Antimicrobial Stewardship Program. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 28(12): 1374-1381, Dec 2007.

Haynes K, Hennessy S, Morales KH, Gibson GA, Barnhart C, Jaipaul CK, Linkin DR: Inter-rater Reliability of a Classification System for Hospital Adverse Drug Event Reports. Clin Pharmacol Ther  Nature Publishing Group, 83(3): 485-488, Mar 2008.

Lee I, Thompson S, Lautenbach E, Gasink LB, Watson B, Fishman NO, Chen Z, Linkin DR: Effect of Accessible Influenza Vaccination on the Rate of Daycare Staff Vaccination. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol  29(5): 465-467, May 2008.

Gasink LB, Linkin DR, Fishman NO, Bilker WB, Weiner MG, Lautenbach E: Stockpiling for Avian Influenza:  Examining the Surge in Oseltamivir Prescriptions During Heightened Media Coverage of the Potential for a Worldwide Pandemic. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 30(4), April 2009.

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