Editors in Conversation

So, you think you want a career in clinical microbiology? This field demands more than technical skill—it's driven by curiosity, growth, and the confidence to lead. From mastering diagnostics to pushing innovation and mentoring the next generation, success comes to those who keep evolving. In this episode, we explore the many paths into the field—and spotlight the Laboratory Director role through a candid conversation between early- and mid-career leaders, sharing the real highs, lows, and advice for those ready to step up.
Watch this episode: https://youtu.be/p992HyDcm-M
Guests:
Amanda Roth, Ph.D.
Janiece Glover, Ph.D., MS
Links: 
This episode is brought to you by the Journal of Clinical Microbiology. 
Visit asm.org/jcm to browse issues and/or submit a manuscript. If you plan to publish in JCM, ASM Members get up to 50% off publishing fees. Visit asm.org/joinasm to sign up.

Artificial intelligence is revolutionizing the world in many ways. One of the most exciting applications of artificial intelligence is in the area of drug discovery. Particularly the discovery of antimicrobial molecules that are in the environment or even hidden within our own body. Today, we discuss some of the uses of artificial intelligence in the discovery of antimicrobials with an outstanding expert in the field.
Topics discussed:
How artificial intelligence can help the discovery of new antimicrobial moieties
Antibiotic discovery and challenges to bring molecules to the clinic
The implications for artificial intelligence and infectious diseases in particularly in the discovery of antibiotics.
Guest:
César de la Fuente, Ph.D., FRSB, Presidential Associate Professor at the University of Pennsylvania. Director, Machine Biology Group.
This episode is brought to you by the Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy journal available at https://asm.org/aac. 
If you plan to publish in AAC, ASM Members get up to 50% off publishing fees. Visit https://asm.org/joinasm to sign up.
Visit https://asm.org/aac to browse issues and/or submit a manuscript.
Follow Cesar on twitter at https://twitter.com/SuperBugDoc for AAC updates. 
Get the audio only podcast at https://asm.org/eic.

Accurate AST results are the backbone of diagnostic stewardship, yet routine quality control (QC) might be missing subtle shifts that skew your hospital's annual antibiogram. By examining a real-world "silent failure" in daptomycin testing, we explore how lab-driven data is essential to the AMR crisis response and why the human eye—and traditional QC bugs—aren't always enough to catch technical drifts. This session breaks down the importance of LIS rules, alert fatigue, and the future of automated susceptibility testing.
Guests:
Laurel J. Glaser, M.D., Ph.D.
Rebekah Dumm, Ph.D. D(ABMM)
Links: 
Leveraging patient data to detect systematic shifts in daptomycin susceptibility testing associated with reduced prescribing
This episode of Editors in Conversation is brought to you by the Journal of Clinical Microbiology and hosted by JCM Editor in Chief, Romney Humphries, Ph.D., D(ABMM) and Elitza (Elli) Theel, Ph.D., D(ABMM). 

Visit journals.asm.org/journal/jcm to read articles and/or submit a manuscript.

Become an ASM member to receive up to 50% off publishing fees when you publish in JCM or any of the ASM journals. Sign up at asm.org/joinasm.

In this episode, a fascinating new bacteriophage, JS1. While most contractile phages (which inject DNA like a spring-loaded syringe) are rigid and straight, JS1 sports a curved, flexible tail that may help it navigate the complex "canyons and valleys" of the bacterial cell wall.
Watch this episode: https://youtu.be/eDGta8xc4_0
Guests:
Sabrina Suhani, Ph.D., Graduate Student, Monash University, Australia
Trevor Lithgow, Ph.D., Professor, Monash University's Biomedical Discovery Institute.
Links: 
Staphylococcus species infected by a bacteriophage with a tail that is both curved and contractile
This episode of Editors in Conversation is brought to you by mBio® and hosted by mBio Editor in Chief, Marvin Whiteley, Ph.D. 

Visit journals.asm.org/journal/mbio to read articles and/or submit a manuscript.

Receive up to 50% off fees when you publish in mBio® or any of the ASM journals by becoming an ASM member. Sign up at asm.org/joinasm.

Is the future of cervical cancer screening non-invasive? Sharmila Manjeshwar, Ph.D. and Jeffrey Klausner M.D. MPH, discuss a breakthrough in HPV diagnostics: urine-based testing. While vaccination and clinical screening have reduced cervical cancer rates, participation has stalled due to barriers like healthcare access and the invasive nature of traditional clinician-collected samples. This conversation explores how novel high-volume urine concentration technology is changing the landscape, making screening more accessible, private, and efficient.
Watch this episode: https://youtu.be/am7NvL1Y0g4
Guests:
Sharmila Manjeshwar, Ph.D.
Jeffrey Klausner M.D. MPH
Links: 
Performance of a novel, urine-based test for the detection of cervical human papillomavirus infection
This episode of Editors in Conversation is brought to you by the Journal of Clinical Microbiology and hosted by JCM Editor in Chief, Romney Humphries, Ph.D., D(ABMM) and Elitza (Elli) Theel, Ph.D., D(ABMM). 

Visit journals.asm.org/journal/jcm to read articles and/or submit a manuscript.

Become an ASM member to receive up to 50% off publishing fees when you publish in JCM or any of the ASM journals. Sign up at asm.org/joinasm.