Stephen P. Bergin, MD

My research focuses on improving our ability to rapidly and accurately diagnose acute respiratory infections, especially in patients who are critically ill or who have preexisting lung disease. It is often difficult for clinicians to determine if a patient's acute illness is caused by an infection that can be treated with antibiotics or a noninfectious illness, which may cause very similar symptoms. The development of better diagnostic tests will allow clinicians to prescribe the most effective antibiotics sooner while avoiding unnecessary and potentially harmful antibiotic use in patients with noninfectious illnesses. My research also includes studies of new treatments for pneumonia as well as improving our understanding of the best ways to use the pneumonia treatments we currently have available.