Division of Infectious Diseases

This post is the final part of a multi-part installment exploring the career and life of Dr. Mark Rupp, outgoing Chief of Infectious Disease at UNMC. If you missed our first post introducing Dr. Rupp and this series, part 2 exploring Dr. Rupp’s career, or part 3 exploring his life outside of medicine, see the linked posts to catch up. Otherwise, read on to learn more about Dr. Rupp’s outlook on the future of ID and advice for the next generation of ID professionals.

How do you avoid burnout?

I think a little introspection and self-reflection really helps.  In our line of work, it is not hard to find very worthy people who, through no fault of their own, are dealing with truly daunting challenges.  Many of us have so much for which to be grateful. Many people in the world would jump at the chance to switch places with us. Keeping these things in mind goes a long way to avoiding a doom and gloom/burnout cycle. Also, I think that the 24-hour news feed, social media, and the pace of communication – constantly texting, checking posts, and emails, lends itself to a frantic, chaotic mindset.  Setting aside the phone for a while, turning off the TV and radio, and getting outside in nature is a great way to recalibrate.

What advice do you have for those considering ID?

Infectious Diseases is a wonderful field. In many instances, ID docs are able to cure their patients fully and restore them to health.  There is rarely a dull moment – a new bug, outbreak, or resistance trait is always just around the corner.  Also, the people who chose ID as their field of specialization are some of the smartest, most interesting, and most pleasant folks in the world – you’ll have great colleagues and coworkers!

Where do you see the field of ID going in the next 10 years?

I only see the need for ID specialists growing in the coming years.  We’ll continue to see a quick pace in the development of better ways to diagnose infections and AI/ML assisting us in the clinics. The interface between public health, funding, politics, and social media will continue to be challenging.  ID specialists who have additional skills in IT, data analysis, population health, patient safety/quality improvement, and mass media/communication will be in high demand.  The way in which our country funds health insurance and healthcare will continue to be problematic, as will healthcare access issues – these issues are global but will impact the practice of infectious diseases in the coming years.  Antimicrobial resistance will only increase and ID specialists will be needed to steer how to best treat these complex patients.  The big wild card is when we will see the next pandemic.

What keeps you excited about ID to this day?

As I mentioned earlier “you‘ve got to love them bugs”  – new pathogens, new virulence determinants, new resistance traits. In addition, interacting with students and trainees keeps you on your toes.

-Dr. Mark E. Rupp

This post is part of a multi-part installment exploring the career and life of Dr. Mark Rupp, outgoing Chief of Infectious Disease at UNMC. If you missed our first post introducing Dr. Rupp and this series or part 2 exploring Dr. Rupp’s career, see the linked posts to catch up. Otherwise, read on to learn more about Dr. Rupp’s life, interests, and hobbies.

What are your favorite pastimes/hobbies?

Up until fairly recently (pandemic casualty) I played indoor soccer with an “old timers” club.  With the arrival of grandchildren, I enjoy spending time with them and watching them grow up so very quickly.  Gardening is a favorite pastime, as is spending evenings on the backyard deck with friends and neighbors. The high point of my year is an annual backpacking trip with my adult children in a remote wilderness area – truly off the grid.

What are your favorite genres of book/movie/music?

I’ve always thought that life is a bit better when you are reading a good book and I usually have a book or two that I am engaged with. I favor American history, but also enjoy science, current events, economics, politics, etc. Once in a while, my wife will steer me to great fiction. For example, I just finished Eric Larson‘s “The Demon of Unrest’ about the days just before the Lincoln inauguration and the initiation of the Civil War (some interesting parallels to the modern day) and I’ve started Hampton Sides’ “The Wide Wide Sea” about Captain James Cook’s 3^rd and final voyage. I definitely recommend Abraham Verghese and the Covenant of Water. A few other recent worthy reads include Wasteland – by Oliver Franklin Wallis, Caste – by Isabel Wilkerson, and The Deadly Rise of Anti-Science – by Peter Hotez.  

Where have you lived? Which was your favorite?

My father was a geologist who worked for an oil company, and we moved around the western US oil fields as I was growing up – born in Kansas, lived in Oklahoma, Colorado, and moved to Houston, Texas, in high school.  I went to UT Austin and Baylor College of Medicine and then went out to Virginia for 7 years of post-doctoral training.  UNMC was my first “real job” – my dad kidded me about finishing 27^th grade as I joined faculty at UNMC.  I’ve lived in Nebraska longer than any other place.  I truly believe that “you should bloom where you are planted” and every place I’ve lived has been full of wonderful people, places, and opportunities.   

-Dr. Mark E. Rupp

This post is part of a multi-part installment exploring the career and life of Dr. Mark Rupp, outgoing Chief of Infectious Disease at UNMC. If you missed our first post introducing Dr. Rupp and this series, catch up here. Otherwise, read on to learn more about Dr. Rupp’s career in medicine and his impact on UNMC.

I’ve been fortunate to enjoy a long career at UNMC and I have many persons to thank. After completing residency in Internal Medicine, I spent 4 years as an ID Fellow at Virginia Commonwealth University and trained in Dr. Gordon Archer’s lab studying staphylococcal pathogenesis.  I came to UNMC in 1992 to join the new UNMC/Creighton University combined ID Division led by Laurel Preheim.  Prior to 1992, UNMC ID was an ID “one-man show” with J Calvin Davis. The UNMC component of the combined ID Division consisted of Drs. Swindells, Dominguez, Rupp, and Preheim, with Cal Davis leading the University Hospital infection control program.

I opened a lab at UNMC primarily directed toward understanding adherence and biofilm formation in coagulase-negative staphylococci. One of the smartest professional decisions I made was the recruitment of Dr. Paul Fey to UNMC ID and the Staphylococcal lab.  Dr. Fey has been tremendously successful and was a cornerstone in the development of the UNMC Center for Staphylococcal Research.

In about 1994, I assumed leadership of the infection control program, and most of my career has been dedicated to better understanding and preventing healthcare-associated infections. In 1998, with the merger between Clarkson Hospital and University Hospital, Dr. Phillip Smith transitioned to the UNMC ID Division Chief position. Phil moved the Division forward and had the foresight to establish the Nebraska Biocontainment Unit. 

A few of my career highlights include my service on the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA) Board of Directors and being the President of SHEA in 2009 (the year of the H1N1 flu pandemic – just a warmup act for the 2019 COVID-19 pandemic). I founded the Antimicrobial Stewardship Program at UNMC in 2004 and turned over the directorship to Dr. Van Schooneveld in 2009, who has helped to build the stewardship program into the nationally recognized program it is today.  I was fortunate to assume leadership of the ID Division in 2011.   

In 2014, the ID Division was tested during the West Africa Ebola outbreak, and the Biocontainment Unit, established by Drs. Smith and Angela Hewlett, rose to the occasion with great success and notoriety.  The care of patients with Ebola hemorrhagic fever was the start of the next phase of the UNMC Biosecurity Program and led to the development of the Global Center for Health Security.  The UNMC ID Fellowship kicked off in 2012 and, despite stiff headwinds from national ID training trends, under the leadership of Dr. VanSchooneveld, has been terrifically successful. In part because of our performance during the Ebola outbreak, the CDC supported our development of the Nebraska ICAP and ASAP programs in 2015 (a unique model of cooperation between the CDC, NEHHS, and UNMC to improve infection prevention and antimicrobial stewardship throughout the state of Nebraska) which came under the capable leadership of Dr. Salman Ashraf in 2017 and now Dr. Juan Teran.  I served as the Chief of Staff for Nebraska Medicine in 2018 and 2019 and remember thinking as 2019 was winding down that I would enjoy not having quite as many 6:30 or 7:00 AM or 5 PM meetings.  Unfortunately, SARS-CoV-2 and the COVID-19 pandemic had different plans.  Again, the UNMC ID Division stood up and served in an exemplary fashion. 

It has been incredibly gratifying to help the UNMC ID Division grow from the 3 UNMC faculty in 1992 to the over 30 faculty, over one dozen specialized APPs, 6 Fellows, and dozens of support staff and clinical researchers that make up the Division today and to witness UNMC ID blossom into a nationally well-recognized Division with excellent training programs, state of the art clinical care, and vibrant clinical research. UNMC ID is known for expertise in immunocompromised host ID that has been developed over the years by Drs. Kalil, Florescu (who tragically died in 2023), Freifeld, and Zimmer; HIV care capably led by Dr. Swindells for many years and more recently by Drs. Fadul and Bares; Orthopedic ID led by Drs. Hewlett and Cortes-Penfield; and Community Practice led by Dr. Starlin.  Many other faculty are involved in our programs in infection prevention, antimicrobial stewardship, OPAT, biocontainment, telehealth, DEI/Advocacy, and other areas.  We are truly fortunate to have so many smart, talented, and hardworking people call UNMC ID their professional home. UNMC ID is a wonderful mix of persons of different ages, genders, ethnic backgrounds, and religious/cultural beliefs – it is a place where people are comfortable and can achieve their full potential.

As I wind down my career in UNMC ID, there are so many to thank for the great opportunities and support I’ve been afforded.  I would also be remiss to not note that any career success I’ve enjoyed has only been possible with the unwavering support of my wife and family.                           

-Dr. Mark E. Rupp

We are thrilled to announce a new blog post series on the UNMC ID blog: microBio. microBio is a biographical exploration of the lives and careers of ID physicians and scientists at UNMC segmented into multiple periodic installations. In this series, we will gain a deeper understanding of the professionals and leaders who have worked tirelessly to make UNMC ID better.

Who better to be our inaugural featured physician than Dr. Mark Rupp, outgoing Chief of Infectious Disease here at UNMC. Dr. Rupp has been an incredibly impactful force for good during his tenure at UNMC ID. We recently recognized his continued service in educating the public on ID topics on Rural Health Matters, a television show that features experts discussing various health topics and their impact on farmers, ranchers, and rural Americans. In the same vein, he was also recently awarded the prestigious Bartee Advocacy of Science Award in recognition of his exceptional community engagement as a scientist. Dr. Rupp has also garnered national recognition as well, having previously served as president of the Society for Hospital Epidemiology of America (SHEA) and as a consultant for the FDA, CDC, NIH, and the VA. He has also published well over 100 peer-reviewed scientific articles. As you will see during the series of upcoming microBio posts, these achievements only scratch the surface of the positive changes he oversaw in the Division and University at large. Dr. Rupp plans to stay on as faculty for several more years, and we thank him for his leadership through pandemics, outbreaks, and impressive growth in the Division.

Please tune in to the upcoming 3 microBio posts exploring Dr. Rupp’s career, life, and advice/outlook for the next generation of ID professionals. For now, though, enjoy a sneak peek below, where Dr. Rupp offers how he got interested in medicine and how that interest matured into a passion for ID?

I have had a life-long interest in biology/life science.  My mother related that she thought I would be a doctor when I showed an interest during elementary school in microbiologists and “Microbe Hunters” a book published back in 1926 by the famous bacteriologist Paul De Kruifl (and no, despite common belief, I was not around to work with Dr. De Kruif or read the initial release).  I earned a degree in Chemical Engineering because I’ve always been a “belt and suspenders” kind of person and wanted to have a profession to fall back on if I was not able to get into med school.  While in medical school at Baylor College of Medicine (a few years before Dr. Cortes-Penfield – also a Baylor grad), I thought I wanted to be a surgeon.  I ended up going into Internal Medicine due to the very broad career choices available and eventually came around to ID because “you just got to love them bugs!”    

-Dr. Mark E. Rupp