Washington, DC—May 28, 2008—The 2008 American Society for Microbiology (ASM) bioMérieux Sonnenwirth Award for Leadership in Clinical Microbiology is being presented to Geraldine S. Hall, Staff, Department of Microbiology, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Ohio. This award recognizes a distinguished microbiologist for the promotion of innovation in clinical laboratory science, dedication to ASM, and the advancement of clinical microbiology as a profession.
Under Dr. Hall's leadership, and that of Gary Procop, the Cleveland Clinic was the first to implement the use of pyrosequencing as a routine method for the identification of clinically important mycobacteria. Along with Dr. Procop, Dr. Hall played a key role in implementing the routine use of PNA FISH for the rapid identification of Staphylococcus aureus and Candida albicans. Dr. Hall is also an active participant in professional societies. She is an organizer and promoter of the Northeast Ohio Association for Clinical Microbiology, and has participated in the South Central Association for Clinical Microbiologists since 1983, where she has held nine senior positions, including President. At ASM, she has served on the Meetings Board and as Chair of ASM's Clinical Microbiology Division, and presently serves as Chair of the ASM Branch Lectureship Program (ASMBL), the Committee on Continuing Education, the Distance Education Committee, and the Placement Committee. Dr. Hall is a certified Diplomate of the American Board of Medical Microbiology and a Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology.
Dr. Hall received her B.S. in Biology from Saint Francis College, Loretto, Pennsylvania, and her Ph.D. in Biology with an emphasis on Microbiology from Saint Bonaventure University, New York.
The bioMérieux Sonnenwirth Award for Leadership in Clinical Microbiology will be presented during the 108th General Meeting of the American Society for Microbiology (ASM), June 1 – June 5, 2008 in Boston, Massachusetts. ASM is the world's oldest and largest life science organization and has more than 43,000 members worldwide. ASM's mission is to advance the microbiological sciences and promote the use of scientific knowledge for improved health and economic and environmental well-being.