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The University of Tennessee Health Science Center

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Professor Vickie Baselski of

 

The University of Tennessee Health Science Center

 

Moves Laboratory Medicine Practice to Methodist University Hospital

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Memphis, Tenn. (January 14, 2011) – Charles Handorf, MD, PhD, chairman of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, is pleased to announce that Professor Vickie Baselski, PhD, DABMM, FAAM, is moving her practice in infectious disease diagnostics and clinical microbiology to Methodist University Hospital (MUH).  Dr. Baselski will begin her practice at MUH in mid-January.  Her services include consulting on laboratory diagnosis of infectious diseases, as well as interpreting laboratory findings to enhance patient care.

Funded by Duckworth Pathology Group, Dr. Baselski’s practice will be especially important for serving patients at high risk for infectious diseases, such as those undergoing cancer treatment and organ transplantation.   

“Patients at Methodist University Hospital will benefit greatly from Dr. Baselski’s expertise in microbiology and laboratory medicine,” said Dr. Handorf.  “Her teaching career spans 30 years at UTHSC and she is a nationally recognized expert in the diagnosis of infectious diseases, particularly in lower respiratory tract infections, sexually transmitted diseases, and infections that emerge from bioterrorism.”

“I eagerly look forward to serving patients at Methodist University Hospital,” said Dr. Baselski.  “You don’t grow up wanting to become a clinical microbiologist, but I became excited about microbiology, infectious diseases and laboratory medicine in college.  I was fortunate to be exposed to this unique profession, which allows me to participate in the diagnosis of infectious diseases of all types, including those that have plagued mankind throughout history such as tuberculosis, as well as those that have recently emerged like Influenza H1N1 and infections that may be caused intentionally from exposure to bioterrorism.”

Dr. Baselski joined UTHSC in 1980 as an instructor and moved up the ranks to become a tenured professor.  Her professional practice in laboratory medicine has included serving the Regional Medical Center at Memphis, the American Esoteric Laboratories (formerly Memphis Pathology Laboratory), and the Shelby County Health Department.  The clinical microbiologist will retain her role at the Health Department, as well as her teaching role at UTHSC.

Dr. Baselski holds a PhD in clinical microbiology from the University of Texas in Austin.  The expert completed a postdoctoral fellowship in Public Health and Medical Laboratory Microbiology at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Ga.  She is certified by the American Board of Medical Microbiology and holds a license as a microbiology laboratory director in Tennessee.  In addition, she is a Fellow in the American Academy of Microbiology, the honorific arm of the American Society for Microbiology.

For 11 years, Dr. Baselski has been a member of the American Society for Microbiology (ASM) Professional Affairs Committee and currently serves as its chairman.  In this role, she works on numerous regulatory, managerial and reimbursement issues in diagnostic microbiology, and often serves as spokesperson for ASM in presentations to Congressional staff and federal agencies. 

In 2008, Dr. Baselski received the highest honor bestowed to members of the American Board of Medical Microbiology (ABMM) or the American Board of Medical Laboratory Immunology (ABMLI) who have made significant contributions to the recognition of microbiologists and immunologists.  The honor is the ASM TREK Diagnostic Systems ABMM/ABMLI Professional Recognition Award. 

Dr. Baselski received the ASM Biomerieux Sonnenwirth Award in 2007 for Leadership in Clinical Microbiology, and in 2004, she received the Excellence in Education Award from the National Laboratory Training Network.  This award was earned for her work in training Tennessee’s laboratory directors on Laboratory Response Network Sentinel protocols, as well as for leading workshops in the state and nation on laboratory preparedness for bioterrorism and related infections.  

As the flagship statewide academic health system, the mission of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center is to bring the benefits of the health sciences to the achievement and maintenance of human health, with a focus on the citizens of Tennessee and the region, by pursuing an integrated program of education, research, clinical care, and public service.  In 2011, UT Health Science Center celebrates its centennial: 100 years advancing the future of health care.  Offering a broad range of postgraduate training opportunities, the main UTHSC campus is located in Memphis and includes six colleges: Allied Health Sciences, Dentistry, Graduate Health Sciences, Medicine, Nursing and Pharmacy.  UTHSC has additional colleges of Medicine and Pharmacy plus an Allied Health Sciences unit in Knoxville, as well as a College of Medicine campus in Chattanooga.  Since its founding in 1911, UTHSC has educated and trained more than 53,000 health care professionals on campuses and in health care facilities across the state.  For more information, visit www.uthsc.edu.

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