Episode 2: Can the Microbiome Predict Sepsis?

Description: 

Episode 2 of The Sepsis Spectrum: Microbial Mysteries Podcast. 

Can standard sepsis protocols catch what the gut already knows? In this conversation, Nicole sits down with Dr. Laura Kahn to explore how the microbiome could transform our understanding of sepsis, antimicrobial resistance, and upstream prevention. They dive into One Health thinking, gut-brain signaling, dysbiosis as an early disease marker, and why your patient’s toilet might someday replace lab work. A provocative look at the limits of protocolized medicine and the potential power of microbial diagnostics.

Learning Objectives: 

At the end of the session, the learner should be able to:

• Define the One Health concept;
• Describe the relevance of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) within the One Health framework;
• Identify key health challenges that arise at the interface of human, animal, and environmental health, including shared risks and solutions;
• Evaluate how implementing One Health best practices contributes to combating AMR at local and global levels;
• Analyze the role of One Health in the prevention, identification, and management of infections and sepsis across different populations and settings;
• List practical strategies that can be applied within one’s own clinical practice, organization, or community to support One Health and mitigate the threat of AMR.

Target Audience: 

Nurses, advanced practice providers, physicians, emergency responders, pharmacists, medical technologists, respiratory therapists, physical/occupational therapists, infection prevention specialists, data/quality specialists, and more.

Guest:

Laura Kahn, MD, MPH, MPP, FACP

Co-Founder

One Health Initiative

Laura H. Kahn, MD, MPH, MPP, FACP is a physician, policy researcher, educator, and author. For 17 years, she was a research scholar in the Program on Science and Global Security at Princeton's School of Public and International Affairs, Princeton University. Her education and training encompass nursing, medicine, public health, and public policy.

In April 2006, she published Confronting Zoonoses, Linking Human and Veterinary Medicine in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Journal of Emerging Infectious Diseases which helped launch the One Health Initiative, a global movement promoting the health of all species by increasing communication and collaboration between human, animal, plant, environmental, and ecosystem health professionals.

Princeton University awarded her course, Hogs, Bats, and Ebola: An Introduction to One Health Policy, with a 250th Anniversary Fund for Innovation in Undergraduate Education. She converted the course into a free, online Coursera course, Bats, Ducks, and Pandemics: An Introduction to One Health Policy that enrolled over 9000 students from around the world from 2020 to 2023. It is now available on YouTube.

Dr. Kahn is the author of several books. The first, "Who's in Charge? Leadership during epidemics, bioterror attacks, and other public health crises", was originally published in 2009 by Praeger Security International. In 2020, a second edition was issued with a new preface discussing leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic. Her second book, "One Health and the Politics of Antimicrobial Resistance", was published in June 2016 by Johns Hopkins University Press. Her third book, "One Health and the Politics of COVID-19", was published in October 2024 by Johns Hopkins University Press. She has written online columns for the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists and has published in many peer-reviewed journals.

A native of California, Dr. Kahn holds a bachelor's degree in nursing from UC Los Angeles, a doctorate in medicine from the Mt. Sinai School of Medicine, a master's degree in public health from Columbia University and a master's degree in public policy from Princeton University. Dr. Kahn is a fellow of the American College of Physicians. In 2007, the New Jersey Chapter of the American College of Physicians awarded her with their highest honor, the Laureate Award. In 2014, the American Association of Public Health Physicians awarded her with a Presidential Award for Meritorious Service, and in 2016, the American Veterinary Epidemiology Society (AVES) awarded her with their highest honor for her work in One Health: the K.F. Meyer-James H. Steele Gold Head Cane Award.

CE Information:

Provider approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing, Provider Number CEP17068 for 0.9 contact hours.

Other healthcare professionals will receive 0.75 participation contact hours for this session.

Medical Disclaimer: 

The information on or available through this site is intended for educational purposes only. Sepsis Alliance does not represent or guarantee that information on or available through this site is applicable to any specific patient’s care or treatment. The educational content on or available through this site does not constitute medical advice from a physician and is not to be used as a substitute for treatment or advice from a practicing physician or other healthcare professional. Sepsis Alliance recommends users consult their physician or healthcare professional regarding any questions about whether the information on or available through this site might apply to their individual treatment or care.