Emily R.M. Sydnor Spivak

Emily R.M. Sydnor Spivak, MD, MHS, is a Clinical Professor of Medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases at the University of Utah. She serves as Co-Director of the Antimicrobial Stewardship Programs at University of Utah Health and the Salt Lake City Veterans Affairs Healthcare System. Dr. Spivak completed her medical training at the University of Virginia School of Medicine, residency at Johns Hopkins University, and earned a Master of Health Sciences in Clinical Investigation from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Her research focuses on antimicrobial stewardship, healthcare epidemiology, and infectious diseases, with emphasis on optimizing antibiotic use, evaluating patient outcomes, and developing interventions to combat antimicrobial resistance. She leads national initiatives with the CDC, IDSA, and SHEA to improve antimicrobial prescribing practices.

Dr. Spivak's recent publications (2023-2025) demonstrate strong trends in:

• Antimicrobial stewardship interventions in diverse clinical settings
• Diagnostic stewardship and metrics development
• Outcomes research in bacteremia and healthcare-associated infections
• COVID-19 treatment strategies and pandemic impacts on antibiotic use
• Environmental sustainability of antimicrobial prescribing

Awards & Honors:

• Fellow of the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA)

She holds leadership roles in national committees including:

• Vice Chair, IDSA Antimicrobial Resistance Committee
• Member, CDC Board of Scientific Counselors for Infectious Diseases
• Co-Chair, Vizient Antimicrobial Stewardship Committee

Her work influences clinical guidelines and public policy for infection prevention.