PEGGY LILLIS FOUNDATION APPOINTS LEADING C. DIFF EXPERTS AND CLINICIANS TO ITS BOARD OF DIRECTORS

NEW YORK, NY (February 5, 2024)—Peggy Lillis Foundation (PLF), a national non-profit organization advocating for awareness and education for Clostridioides difficile (C. diff), announces the appointment of three new members to join its board of directors: Paul Feuerstadt, MD, Debbie Trinker, BA, JD and David Shlaes Ph.D., MD. 

Debbie Trinker, BA, JD: © Peggy Lillis Foundation - stock.adobe.com

“We are delighted to welcome Dr. Feuerstadt, Dr. Shlaes and Mrs. Trinker to our board of directors. They each bring a wealth of knowledge and a unique perspective to the fight against C. diff,” said PLF President Dr. Gerard Honig.

Paul Feuerstadt, MD, joins PLF's board of directors, bringing with him a deep medical knowledge of C. difficile infection and other infections of the small and large bowel. Dr. Feuerstadt received his M.D. from Weill Medical College of Cornell University. From there, he completed his internship and residency in Internal Medicine at New York Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center. After completing his Internal Medicine residency, Dr. Feuerstadt joined the Montefiore Medical Center at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York where he completed his Gastroenterology fellowship. Dr. Feuerstadt began with the PACT Gastroenterology Center, a partner of Hartford Healthcare Medical Group, in 2011. His special interests include C. difficile infection and other infections of the small and large bowel, fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT), ischemic diseases of the gut, and other diseases of the colon and small bowel, including Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)

Previous Senior Vice President of Regulatory Affairs at Rexall Sundown, Inc. and Kemin Health, L.C, Debbie Trinker also joins the board of directors at PLF—bringing with her over 26 years of domestic, international legal, and regulatory experience with FDA-regulated products. These positions included transactional and IP experience, and submissions to FDA, FTC, USDA and international and state regulatory bodies on e.g., safety, claims substantiation, clinical trial data, labeling, adverse events, recalls, inspections and Warning Letters. She has served as an officer and member of the Executive Board and Board of Directors of the Council for Responsible Nutrition and has published and made presentations in areas of FDA-regulated products. Debbie has a B.A. from Northwestern University and a J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center.

Dr. David Shlaes, Ph.D., MD, has had a 40-year career in anti-infectives, spanning academia and industry with a long-standing scientific interest in antimicrobial resistance. Dr. Shlaes trained in infectious diseases at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland. He then joined the faculty and ultimately became a Professor of Medicine. Dr. Shlaes left academia to become Vice President for Infectious Diseases at Wyeth Pharmaceuticals in 1996. He was a member of the Forum for Emerging Infections of the National Academy of Sciences for seven years. In 2002, Dr. Shlaes became Executive Vice President, Research and Development for Idenix, Pharmaceuticals, a company focused on the discovery and development of antivirals. In 2005, he established a consulting company. During his career, he contributed significantly to the discovery and development of tigecycline, avibactam, eravacycline and lefamulin. Dr. Shlaes is the author of three books focusing on his scientific interest and extensive research on antimicrobial resistance. Since his retirement from Anti-infectives Consulting, he has authored a blog—Antibiotics the Perfect Storm—on Substack. Dr. Shlaes will bring methodical insight into antibiotic policy areas in his new board member position with PLF.

“We have made great progress in raising C. diff awareness, educating and supporting patients, and advocating for better policies, said PLF Chief Executive Officer Christian John Lillis. “These three new board members bring new insights and strengths to PLF as we look toward taking the fight against C. diff and drug-resistant infections to the next level.”

The new additions to PLF’s board of directors signal the beginning of another productive and impactful year of progress in C. diff education, advocacy and legislation. The additions come on the heels of PLF’s most successful C. diff Awareness Campaign to date. The 2023 “See C. diff” campaign achieved its goal of reaching 23 million people with C. diff facts and preventative information. Additional milestones reached this year include PLF organizing the first-ever FDA patient-led C. diff Listening Session, and the approval of new therapeutics to treat recurrent C. diff. The three new board members are expected to bring innovative ideas for PLF to continue spreading awareness and advocacy for C. diff.

Clostridium difficile, also known as C. diff, is a Gram-positive, spore-forming bacterium that colonizes the human colon, leading to Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) For more information visit www.cdiff.org

About Peggy Lillis Foundation for C. diff Education & Advocacy

Founded in response to the April 2010 death of a 56-year-old kindergarten teacher, Peggy Lillis Foundation for C. diff Education & Advocacy (PLF) is the leading national organization dedicated to combating C. difficile infections through educating the public, empowering advocates, and shaping policy. PLF is a 501(c)3, nonprofit organization. For more information visit www.cdiff.org