Jolene Bowers Ph.D.

Dr. Bowers is a Research Assistant Professor at TGen North, the Pathogen and Microbiome Division of TGen, and serves as Assistant Director of the Public Health and Clinical Translation Center. Her work centers around development of next-generation molecular tools for clinical diagnostics for infectious disease, antibiotic resistance detection, and for epidemiological surveillance of pathogens. She recently oversaw the clinical validation of a diagnostic assay for valley fever (coccidioidomycosis) in preparation for FDA clearance. Dr. Bowers’ team also works closely with public health agencies at the local, state, and national levels to apply cutting edge tools to investigate outbreaks and conduct epidemiological studies in support of these agencies.

Dr. Bowers joined TGen North in 2007, and received her Ph.D. from Northern Arizona University in 2016, focusing on the evolution and dissemination of a carbapenem resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) known as Klebsiella pneumoniae ST258, and identifying genomic markers for identification and characterization of K. pneumoniae in complex specimens. Her dissertation work has served as a template for several studies at TGen North.

Publications

SELECT PUBLICATIONS

KlebSeq: A Diagnostic Tool for Healthcare Surveillance and Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring of Klebsiella pneumoniae. Bowers, JR, D Lemmer, J Sahl, T Pearson, E Driebe, B Wojack, M Saubolle, D Engelthaler, P Keim. 2016. J Clin Microbiol 54(10): 2582-96.

Notes from the Field: Cluster of Acute Flaccid Myelitis in Pediatric Patients — Maricopa County, Arizona, October 2016. Iverson, SA, S Ostdiek, S Prasai, DM Engelthaler, M Kretschmer, N Fowle, HK Tokhie, J Routh, J Sejvar, T Ayers, J Bowers, S Brady, S Rogers, WA Nix, K Komatsu, R Sunenshine, AFM Investigation Team. 2017. MMWR 66 (28): 758-760.

Hypervirulent emm59 Clone in Invasive Group A Streptococcus Outbreak, Southwestern United States. Engelthaler, DM, M Valentine, J Bowers, J Pistole, EM Driebe, J Terriquez, L Nienstad, M Carrol, M Shumacher, ME Ormsby, S Brady, E Livar, D Peter, D Yazzie, V Waddell, M Peoples, K Komatsu, P Keim. 2015. Emerg Infect Dis. 22(4):734-8.

Genomic Analysis of the Emergence and Rapid Global Dissemination of the KPC-Producing Klebsiella pneumoniae Pandemic. Bowers, JR and B Kitchel, EM Driebe, DR MacCannell, C Roe, D Lemmer, T de Man, B Limbago, JK Rasheed, DM Engelthaler, PS Keim. 2015. PLoS ONE 10(7): e0133727.

Dust Devil: The Life and Times of the Fungus That Causes Valley Fever. Bowers, JR and EL Lewis, BM Barker. 2015. PLoS Pathog 11(5): e1004762.