The next several issues of the e-newsletter for the virtual 2020 National Tuberculosis Conference (NTC) will focus on the agenda, providing an in-depth look at the planned educational content, the faculty identified to deliver the content, suggested resources to review in advance of the session, and other information. These issues are prepared to provide an overview of the sessions and to generate excitement and enthusiasm around this year’s virtual TB conference. 
09.25.2020 Session
Drug-Resistant TB Roadmap:
Directions, Detours, and Roundabouts
Session Description:

The intent of the session is to discuss how to operationalize the MDR-TB guidelines and address the practical aspects of managing MDR-TB patients with regards to medication management, drug procurement, infection control, isolation, and contact investigations.

Learning Objectives:

  • Describe the unique processes to obtain medications used to treat drug-resistant TB to enable providers to more quickly start treatment and improve patient outcomes.
  • List monitoring activities that are recommended to be performed for patients who are receiving treatment for drug-resistant TB based on the medications used to reduce the risk of serious adverse events to patients.
  • Discuss key steps that can be implemented to limit the spread of drug-resistant TB in hospital and out-of-hospital settings to improve patient safety and prevent a further threat to public health.
  • Identify the key components of a contact investigation and subsequent treatment of infected contacts to drug-resistant TB in order to limit transmission and protect the health of the public.
This session is the perfect complement to the 09.23.2020 session on MDR Treatment Guidelines. Developed from the perspectives of front-line TB clinical and programmatic staff, these presentations provide real-life situations and practical roadmaps created to navigate the complexities of diagnosing and treating individuals with drug-resistant tuberculosis and their contacts.
Session Faculty
Diana Nilsen, MD
Dr. Nilsen has been working with TB patients for the last 30 years. She is board certified in internal medicine, pulmonary and critical care medicine. Since 2004, Dr. Nilsen has been the Director of Medical Affairs at the NYC Bureau of TB Control. She is responsible for the medical care of patients in the TB clinics and in the community. Dr. Nilsen also supervises medical consultation for non-health department providers and has extensive knowledge of TB on a clinical and programmatic level.
Paul Jensen, PhD, PE, CIH
Dr. Jensen is currently an independent consultant and proud member of the End TB Transmission Initiative of the Stop TB Partnership. On 31 May 2020, Dr. Jensen retired from the US Government after a total of 33 years with the US Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) and ten years with the US Coast Guard. His most recent CDC assignment was with the Global TB Branch, Division of Global HIV/AIDS & TB, Center for Global Health. He served as the lead for TB infection prevention control and laboratory biosafety. Dr. Jensen has extensive experience in sampling and analysis of bioaerosols, design and evaluation of ventilation systems, control of airborne Mycobacterium tuberculosis & other diseases, and evaluation of respiratory protective equipment. He served as chair of CDC working group that revised the US CDC Guidelines for Preventing the transmission of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in Health-Care Facilities (CDC 2005) and collaborates regularly with WHO and many international partners.
Nadya Sabuwala, MS, MPH, RN, PHN
Ms. Sabuwala, is a Nurse Consultant with the Tuberculosis Prevention and Control Program at the Minnesota Department of Health and serves as the lead nurse on the MDR-TB outbreak response team. She received her Master of Science and Master of Public Health from the University of Minnesota Schools of Nursing and Public Health. She began her career as a community health nurse and later an infection control nurse in Mumbai, India where tuberculosis control was a major part of her role. Over the last nineteen years, she has continued to work with tuberculosis in various capacities and settings such as the hospital, public health, university student health, and international health.
Session Moderators
Tracy Murphy, MD
Nadya Sabuwala,
MS, MPH, RN, PHN
The moderators for this session are Dr.Tracy Murphy and Nadya Sabuwala, who is also presenting in this session.

Dr. Murphy is currently the Medical Director and Tuberculosis Clinician for the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control's Upstate Region based in Greenville, SC. Prior to this position he was the State Epidemiologist, Chief of the Public Health Sciences Section, and Deputy State Health Officer for the Wyoming Department of Health. Dr. Murphy served as an Epidemic Intelligence Service Officer with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC EIS) from 2003 to 2005.
IT’S NOT TO LATE TO JOIN US!
As the virtual conference platform, and our ability to provide enduring materials credit, allows for a rolling registration, we encourage you to consider joining us even if you are unable to join today's session.

If you have any questions about the registration process or the Virtual 2020 National TB Conference, email 2020NTC@tbcontrollers.org for more information.
Continuing Education Credits
NTCA has partnered with the University of New Mexico’s School of Medicine’s Office of Continuing Medical Education and the Eastern New Mexico University’s for continuing education (CE) credits for the Virtual 2020 NTC. In addition to credits for the live broadcast, these accredited providers have also approved enduring materials credit. If you cannot attend on the original broadcast dates, video recordings of the session will be available for enduring credits for up to a year. Further, after completing sessions, your registration will grant you access to the recordings for a year, to review and revisit the content.

We hope these accommodations provide our participants with the reassurance that content will remain accessible and resemble an on-demand learning environment and that this increased flexibility will encourage broad participation in this year’s virtual TB conference.
Conference Agenda
We are excited about the Virtual 2020 Conference agenda and think you will be too! Check it out!
CONTACTS :
Sherry Brown, NTCA: sbrown@tbcontrollers.org
Donna Wegener, NTCA: dhwegener@tbcontrollers.org