Episode 9: Are We Failing Sepsis Survivors Who Need Us Most?

Description: 

Episode 9 of The Sepsis Spectrum: Microbial Mysteries Podcast. 

What you don’t track, you can’t fix, and too often, we’re not even looking. Nicole is joined by sepsis survivors Dr. Hilary Spangler and Jackie Duda, along with pediatric ICU nurse-scientist Dr. Mallory Perry-Eaddy, for a raw conversation about what happens after survival. From missed red flags in special populations to long-term trauma and broken feedback loops, this episode is a wake-up call for teams ready to see the full picture of sepsis care.

Learning Objective: 

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

• Describe why patients living with chronic disease (such as pediatrics, older adults, and the immunocompromised) need tailored approaches for infection prevention, AMR, and sepsis care;
• Recognize age- and population-specific pathogens, and why empiric antibiotic decisions carry different risks for different groups;
• Analyze how antimicrobial stewardship can help protect vulnerable patients long-term by preserving their microbiome and slowing resistance;
• Restate how vaccination and proactive prevention strategies can play a frontline role in managing AMR and sepsis, especially in high-risk groups;
• Describe the lasting impacts of AMR and sepsis in specialty populations and how those outcomes shape clinical decisions, recovery, and future risk.

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.

Guests:

Mallory Perry-Eaddy, PhD, RN, CCRN

Assistant Professor

University of Connecticut School of Nursing

Mallory A. Perry-Eaddy, PhD, RN, CCRN, is an Assistant Professor at the University of Connecticut School of Nursing, with a joint appointment in the School of Medicine Department of Pediatrics. She is a pediatric critical care nurse and translational scientist dedicated to improving outcomes of all critically ill children, especially those with sepsis and those from underserved populations. To this end, she is an NIH/NIGMS MOSAIC K99/R00 Fellow and NIH/NHLBI PRIDE Scholar in Functional and Translational Genomics. Recently, she completed a Provost’s Postdoctoral Fellowship at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, affiliated with the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing.

As a promising early-stage investigator, her program of research aims to understand the potential role of inflammation in physical outcomes in children who survive critical illness. Dr. Perry-Eaddy has authored manuscripts on topics such as pediatric critical illness outcomes, sleep, and pain transitions using omics-based approaches. Her work is currently funded by an NIH/NIGMS (R00GM145411) grant and an American Association of Critical Care Nurses Impact Grant. She has incorporated racial and ethnic disparities into her program of research, including co-authoring several manuscripts related to pain bias and inequalities, pediatric sepsis disparities, and social determinants of health in pediatric acute respiratory failure and its impact on quality of life and resource utilization after discharge.

Dr. Perry-Eaddy is an active member of the interdisciplinary Pediatric Acute Lung Injury and Sepsis Investigators Network, American Thoracic Society, American Association of Critical Care Nurses, and the Society of Critical Care Medicine. 

Hillary Spangler, MD

Assistant Professor, Division of Geriatric Medicine

UNC School of Medicine

Hillary Spangler, MD, is a clinician-researcher in the field of geriatrics at UNC School of Medicine. She completed all her medical training at UNC School of Medicine, including her internal medicine-pediatrics residency, chief year, and geriatrics fellowship. She is currently pursuing a Masters of Science in Clinical Research at UNC Gillings School of Public Health.

Dr. Spangler began her sepsis journey as a 10-year-old with sepsis from a bacterial infection after the flu. She was a patient at UNC Children’s Hospital, which largely impacted her decision to pursue medicine and advocate for sepsis awareness. She has participated in various sepsis efforts at UNC, designing sepsis awareness education materials for at-risk pediatric patients and implementing inpatient prediction models for identification of patients at risk of sepsis.

Dr. Spangler had the honor of receiving a Sepsis Alliance Sepsis Hero award in 2016, due to her advocacy work. She previously helped organize local Sepsis Alliance 5K events, promoting awareness and fundraising. She is honored to work with others passionate about sepsis awareness, as sepsis impacts all ages and collaboration is key to sepsis recognition and timely treatment.

Jackie Duda

Sepsis Survivor and Advocate

Jackie Duda is a wife and mom of four, and also a septic shock survivor and journalist living in New Market, Maryland. Jackie is a vocal sepsis and disability advocate, vlogger, and public speaker.

On May 22, 2021, Jackie suffered a colon perforation from undiagnosed diverticulitis. Jackie has battled POTS, Hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos, Crohn’s Disease, osteoporosis, and other life-altering disabilities for more than ten years.

Jackie’s professional writing career began in 2001 after she left teaching at Montgomery County Public Schools. Her writing was paused from 2012 through 2022, while she gained enough strength during her septic shock recovery to start pitching stories again to her former editors. Jackie felt an overwhelming need to tell her sepsis survival story and eventually landed an assignment with The Washington Post in September 2023.

Jackie’s articles on health and travel have appeared in Woman’s Day, AARP, Costco Connection, Reader’s Digest, and dozens more. She sub-specializes in writing accessibility guides for tourism bureau websites.

She has also appeared on WBAL 11 and WJZ 9 in Baltimore to tell her sepsis survival story. Jackie travels throughout her area teaching about sepsis in community talks and helping sepsis survivors and others battling chronic illnesses and disabilities on Instagram, @jackiesjourney4. Jackie is considering getting involved in politics as a local legislator. Jackie will launch a sepsis and disabilities podcast in early 2025 and will help lead the new “Invisible Disabilities” group discussion forum on Sepsis Alliance Connect. She is also currently working on her first book, a memoir about her experiences with child loss and grief, homelessness, disability, chronic conditions, and her sepsis survival, titled “I Just Keep Dancing.” There is a possibility of working in tandem on a second book chronicling the stories of sepsis survivors and family members who’ve lost someone to sepsis. She is extremely grateful for this opportunity to volunteer on the Advisory Board of her favorite sepsis advocacy organization, Sepsis Alliance. 

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 episode.

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.