As a pediatric infectious disease fellow at St Jude and UTSHC, Hayley Scheerer’s research interests have shifted from congenital CMV towards the immunocompromised host, an understudied but very vulnerable population. Her primary focus is on strategies to combat the development of antimicrobial resistance, which remains a leading cause of significant morbidity and mortality in pediatric oncologic and hematopoietic stem cell transplant patients, including approaches to minimize antibiotic overuse through establishing evidence-based minimum effective treatment durations for uncomplicated bacteremia in concert with development of robust clinical guidelines and effective multidisciplinary antimicrobial stewardship programs.
Scheerer graduated in 2013 with a BS in biology and a minor in chemistry from Truman State University in Kirksville, Missouri. She obtained her MD in 2020 from the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Medicine and completed her pediatrics residency at UTHSC in 2023.
Throughout Scheerer’s medical training, her mentors exemplified that to become an exceptional physician one must be capable of critical evaluation of current research, recognizing its limitations, and conducting high quality research aimed at the continued advancement of their field. The knowledge gained from a master’s in clinical investigations allows one to critically appraise then translate current scientific literature to patient care and provides the tools and skillset need to develop rigorous clinical studies which drive actionable change in clinical practice.
Hometown: Kansas City, MO
Education:
Fellowship, Pediatric Infectious Disease – St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital-UTHSC, Memphis, TN
MS, Experimental Psychology, Health and Neuroscience – University of Texas at Arlington
PhD, Experimental Psychology, Health and Neuroscience – University of Texas at Arlington
Publications:
Carillo-Marquez M, Scheerer H, Khedar, S, Gentry R, Arnold S. Universal Congenital Cytomegalovirus (cCMV) Screening Program: real world institutional experience. #89. 3rd Congenital CMV-International Congress. From pregnancy to infancy: Let’s face it. November 23-24, 2023. Naples, Italy
Scheerer H, Richard C, Gallo N, Gentry R, Smith R, McDonald C, Arnold, S, Carrillo-Marquez M. Universal Congenital CMV Screening Program: Clinical Characteristics and Outcomes from Our Real-World Institutional Experience (2016-2021). Oral Abstract. PAS 2024, May 2-6, 2024. Toronto, Canada
N Gallo, C Richard, H Scheerer, R Smith, R Gentry, S Arnold, R Yawn, C MacDonald, M Carrillo-Marquez. Audiological Outcomes of CMV-Positive Newborns in Support of Universal Screening Development. Oral Presentation. AAO-HNSF Annual Meeting and Oto Expo 2024. Sep 28 – Oct 1, 2024. Miami, Florida.