Alina Iovleva

MD

Research

I am a postdoctoral research fellow and an Infectious Diseases physician at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. My research focus is on elucidating mechanisms of antimicrobial resistance and pathogenesis in extensively drug resistant (XDR) bacteria. Currently, I am studying genomic epidemiology of Carbapenem- resistant Acinetobacter baumannii in the United States, with special focus on antimicrobial resistance and virulence genes. My goal is to translate this knowledge to new diagnostics and treatment development to improve clinical outcomes in these difficult to treat infections.

As an Infectious Diseases physician, I have had the opportunity to gain first-hand experience in managing challenging clinical cases of complicated extensively drug-resistant infections. I am interested in phage as a treatment modality for infections caused by these difficult- to- treat bacterial pathogens. As a member of Pittsburgh Phage Project’s clinical isolate group, I am working on building library of clinical isolates for which treatment options outside of phage therapy are limited. Additionally, I am collaborating with Dr. Daria Van Tyne on identifying phages active against clinical XDR bacterial isolates in our medical center for further investigation and treatment.