Descriptions of Medical Fungi

David Ellis (Author)

David Ellis is an Affiliate Associate Professor in the School of Biological Sciences, University of Adelaide, and Emeritus Mycologist at SA Pathology in Adelaide, Australia. He graduated from La Trobe University Botany Department with BSc Hons, MSc and PhD in mycology, and served as head of the Medical Mycology Unit at the Women’s and Children’s Hospital, for 33 years. David is a Fellow and Past President of the Australian Society for Microbiology and a recipient of the David White Teaching Award and the Lyn Gilbert Award that recognises major contributions in diagnostic laboratory microbiology in Australia. He is an Honorary Fellow of the Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia and a recipient of the RCPA Outstanding Teaching Award. David is an Honorary Member and Past General Secretary and President of the International Society for Human and Animal Mycology and a recipient of the ISHAM Lucille K Georg medal for distinguished contributions to medical mycology. He is also an Honorary Life Member of the Australasian Society for Infectious Diseases. David is a recipient of the Australasian College of Tropical Medicine Ashdown Medal and an Associate Member of the Australasian College of Dermatologists. He has been an author of 134 peer reviewed scientific papers and of 14 books and/or book chapters.

Catriona Halliday (Author)

Catriona Halliday is the Principal Scientist in charge of the Clinical Mycology Reference Laboratory, at the Institute for Clinical Pathology and Medical Research (ICPMR), NSW Health Pathology based at Westmead Hospital in Sydney. The laboratory has partnerships with Centre for Infectious Disease - Public Health (CIDM-PH) and the Sydney Institute for Infectious Diseases at the University of Sydney. Catriona is actively involved in teaching both scientific and medical staff in medical mycology and her research interests have focused on the development and implementation of culture independent tests to aid in the rapid diagnosis of invasive fungal infections, in particular invasive aspergillosis. More recent research projects have involved the evaluation of antifungal susceptibilities of novel antifungal drugs and the use of whole genome sequencing to detect antifungal resistance. She is head of the Laboratory Working Group of the Australian and New Zealand Mycoses Interest Group (ANZMIG), and a founding member of the ISHAM working group for Fungal PCR (FPCRI) working with international colleagues to develop recommendations to optimise PCR testing in fungal diagnostics. Most recently, Catriona is a member of the multi-disciplinary team of researchers who were awarded funding from WHO to develop the Fungal Priority Pathogen List and describe the R&D antifungal and diagnostic pipeline.

Sarah Kidd (Author)

Sarah Kidd is Head of the National Mycology Reference Centre at SA Pathology, as well as Adjunct Senior Lecturer at the University of Adelaide. She completed a Bachelor of Medical Science with Honours (1999) and a PhD in Medicine (2003), both at the University of Sydney. She has undertaken postdoctoral training and research in medical mycology at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada, and at Monash University at The Alfred Hospital, Melbourne. She is a Fellow of the Australian Society for Microbiology (ASM), and an active member of the Australasian Society of Infectious Diseases (ASID), and the International Society for Human and Animal Mycoses (ISHAM). Sarah has served as Secretary of the Australia and New Zealand Mycoses Interest Group (ANZMIG) since 2011 and has co-authored more than 80 peer reviewed journal articles and book chapters in the field of medical mycology. Sarah is active in mycology education in Australasia, has convened the biennial Mycology Masterclass since 2011, Co-Chaired the ISHAM 2015 Congress, and provides mycology expertise to the RCPA QAP Microbiology Advisory Committee and Mycology program.