Lona Mody, MD, MSc

Interim Division Chief, Geriatric & Palliative Care Medicine
Amanda Sanford Hickey Professor of Internal Medicine
Director, UM Pepper Center Pilot & Exploratory Studies Core
Associate Director, Clinical and Translational Research, Geriatrics Center

University of Michigan Geriatrics

300 North Ingalls

Room 914

Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2007

Biography

Dr. Mody is Amanda Sanford Hickey Professor of Internal Medicine and directs the Center for Research and Innovations in Special Populations (CRIISP). She is a tenured professor at Michigan Medicine and VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System.

Funded by NIA, AHRQ, UM Pepper Center, CDC, VA and Foundations, her research defines the clinical and molecular epidemiology of antimicrobial resistant pathogens and develop novel interventions to prevent them. In order to achieve her goals, she collaborates with investigators across the translational spectrum and disciplines, including infectious diseases, hospital medicine, molecular epidemiology, health outcomes researchers, nursing and health policy.

In an NIH-R01 randomized controlled study, her team evaluated a multi-modal targeted infection-prevention (TIP) intervention to prevent resistant organisms and infections in post-acute and long-term care residents with indwelling devices. This innovative work led to a successful AHRQ contract to implement our intervention in over 500 facilities across 50 states in the US. Funded by another NIH-R01, she defined the complex relationship between antimicrobial resistance, functional disability and the role of regional networks in transmission of resistant pathogens and developed interventions to disrupt this transmission. In another study, funded by the VA CSR&D Merit Review, she studies transmission of drug resistant organisms in common use areas by hospitalized patients and downstream consequences of these events.

Her most recent funding – Revolutionizing Precision Health Among Older Adults involving the UM and two academic institutions in Israel will address major challenges related to healthy aging including understanding and preventing common recurring infections that decrease quality and quantity of life. Funded by NIA, she has led many clinical, research and training initiatives during COVID-19 Pandemic with an explicit focus on older adults.

She directs her division’s T32 training grant and with support from NIA K24 is actively involved in mentoring the next generation of physician-scientists. She and her mentees have published in high impact journals such as JAMA, JAMA Internal Medicine, Clinical Infectious Diseases, J of American Geriatrics Society and PNAS. She has published several career development articles particularly on work-life balance.

 

Link to CV

 

For information on current research: https://criisp-mody.lab.medicine.umich.edu/home

 

Published Articles (2021):

  1. Montoya A et al. Partnering with local hospitals and public health to manage COVID-19 outbreaks in nursing homes. J Am Geriatr Soc.

  2. Lydecker AD et al. Targeted gown and glove use to prevent Staphylococcus aureus acquisition in community-based nursing homes: A pilot study. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol.

  3. Mody L et al. Gender Differences in Work-Family Conflict Experiences of Faculty in Academic Medicine. J Gen Intern Med.

  4. Mody L et al; SHEA Research Committee. COVID-19 Research Agenda for Healthcare Epidemiology. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol.

  5. Jones K et al. When Planning meets reality: COVID-19 Interpandemic survey of Michigan Nursing Homes. Am J Infect Control.

  6. Ellingson KD et al; SHEA Research Committee. Interfacility transfer communication of multidrug-resistant organism colonization or infection status: Practices and barriers in the acute-care setting. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol.

  7. Cassone M, Mody L. Measuring the outsized impact of COVID-19 in the evolving setting of aged care facilities. EClinicalMedicine

  8. Gontjes KJ et al. Can alternative anatomical sites and environmental surveillance replace perianal screening for multidrug-resistant organisms in nursing homes? Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol.

  9. Gibson KE et al. Multidrug-resistant organism (MDRO) contamination of privacy curtains in nursing homes. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol.

  10. Zietlow KE et al. Commentary: Special care considerations in older adults hospitalized with COVID-19. Aging Health Res.

  11. Cassone M et al. Not too close! Impact of roommate status on MRSA and VRE colonization and contamination in Nursing Homes. Antimicrob Resist Infect Control.

  12. Cassone M et al. Seasonal Patterns in Incidence and Antimicrobial Resistance of Common Bacterial Pathogens in Nursing Home Patients and their Rooms. Frontiers Public Health.

  13. Mody L et al. Effectiveness of a Multicomponent Intervention to Reduce Multidrug-Resistant Organisms in Nursing Homes. JAMA Netw Open.

  14. Sturm L et al. Updates on Infection Control in Alternative Health Care Settings. Infect Dis Clin North Am.

  15. Wolfenberger A et al. Understanding short-term transmission dynamics of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in the patient room. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol.

  16. Cassone M, Mody L. To Each Villain Its Plot: The Case of Candid auris. Ann Intern Med.

  17. Brady SS et al. Noncancerous Genitourinary Conditions as a Public Health Priority: Conceptualizing the Hidden Burden. Urology.

 

For full bibliography and ongoing projects and resources: https://criisp-mody.lab.medicine.umich.edu/home 

 

Media Interviews:

November 22, 2021: US News: TV Remotes, Nurse Call Buttons: Where Coronavirus Lingers in Nursing Homes

November 22, 2021: Atlanta Journal Constitution: This is where coronavirus lingers in nursing home residents' rooms

September 4, 2021: Physician's Weekly: Boosted Surveillance, Infection Control Swiftly Contained 'Super Bug'

July 9, 2020: Drs. Lona Mody and John Mills were interviewed by the Washington Post regarding the safety of environmental practices during the pandemic.

May 22, 2020: Dr. Mody was a guest on NPR’s Michigan Public Radio to discuss pandemic planning for nursing homes and testing strategies.

April 26, 2020: McKnights: Nursing homes more prepared for the coronavirus than for H1N1: survey

April 24, 2020: Dr. Mody was a guest on NPR’s Here & Now to discuss the CDC’s announcement that all nursing homes should disclose cases to residents and the public. She provided expertise as to why nursing homes are so susceptible to the virus.

April 5, 2020: Washington Post: To discuss a large COVID-19 outbreak in a Maryland Nursing Homes 

March 18, 2020: Drs. Lona Mody and John Mills were guests on the Geripal podcast in the first of a series about COVID-19. In this episode, they discussed terminology and epidemiology of COVID-19, and what can be done to protect older and vulnerable patients.

March 4, 2020: Washington Post: To discuss status of COVID-19 preparedness in US

February 28, 2020: US News: To discuss epidemiology of COVID-19 including impact on older adults

April 25, 2019: Infection Control Today: Superbugs Found on Many Hospital Patients' Hands and What They Touch Most Often

Areas of Interest

Clinical Interests: Geriatrics and infectious diseases

Research Interests: Infections and antimicrobial resistance in long-term care, pneumonia in older adults, and quality of care in nursing homes

Credentials

Medical School: Smt NHL Medical College, Ahmedabad, India, 1992

Residency: University of Medicine & Dentistry of New Jersey, Internal Medicine, 1997

Fellowship: Internal Medicine Geriatrics, University of Michigan Medical Center, 1999

Board Certification: Internal Medicine, Geriatric Medicine

Locations
East Ann Arbor Health and Geriatrics Center Floor 1
4260 Plymouth Rd
Ann Arbor, MI, 48109
Phone: 734-764-6831
VA Medical Center Rm F252
2215 Fuller Rd
Ann Arbor, MI, 48105
Phone: 734-845-3072