The National Emerging Special Pathogens Training and Education Center (NETEC) announced the appointment of Laura Evans, MD, MSc, as the new Executive Director of the National Special Pathogen System (NSPS). Dr. Evans will lead the NSPS as it continues its expansion, including the addition of 54 new Level 2 Special Pathogen Treatment Centers (SPTCs).
Dr. Evans is a Professor of Medicine at the University of Washington and the former Medical Director of Critical Care at the University of Washington Medical Center. Her clinical and scholarly interests focus on preparedness for HCIDs and sepsis. Before joining the University of Washington faculty, she was the Medical Director of Critical Care at NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue, where she helped found the Special Pathogens Program. From 2014 to 2019, Dr. Evans served as the inaugural Co-Principal Investigator of NETEC at NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue.
Dr. Evans joins NETEC at a pivotal moment in the evolution of the NSPS. With the recent expansion to include 54 new Level 2 SPTCs through the NSPS Special Pathogen Treatment and Network Development Award, the system is significantly strengthening the nation’s capacity to respond to emerging infectious diseases and special pathogen threats.
Dr. Evans is internationally known for her work in guideline development and implementation, particularly as co-chair of the past two revisions of the Surviving Sepsis Campaign adult sepsis guidelines. She is a former member of the Council of the Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM) and currently serves as chair of SCCM’s Discovery Clinical Research Network. She is also chair of the American Board of Internal Medicine’s Critical Care Medicine specialty board and the ABIM Council.
