Richard T. Ellison III, M.D., is Professor of Medicine, Microbiology, and Physiological Systems in the Division of Infectious Diseases and Immunology at UMass Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA. His research interests include nosocomial infections, HIV disease, infection control, and control and treatment of infections caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria. He has pursued basic investigations into innate host defenses against bacterial pathogens and into novel antimicrobial agents active against antibiotic-resistant bacteria. A hospital epidemiologist, Dr. Ellison has focused his investigations on treating hospital-acquired infections and HIV disease. He is a past president of the Massachusetts Infectious Diseases Society.