MICROBIAL TECHNOLOGY
in the UK. As IBMS President, her insights on the future directions and challenges we may face at this crucial time for laboratory services will prove a thought- provoking start to the conference.
Dr Marie Anne Chattaway Dr Marie Anne Chataway, a seasoned clinical scientist, is Head of the Salmonella reference service at the Gastrointestinal Bacteria Reference Unit (GBRU) within the UK Health Security Agency, boasting an extensive tenure of over two decades. Beyond her main role, she actively engages in surveillance initiatives, providing vital microbiological information and expertise for outbreak investigations, and conducts in-depth analysis of genomic data, particularly focusing on antimicrobial resistance and population structures. Currently, she holds the position of co-lead and career academic lead for the Genomic and Enabling Data Health Protection Research Unit (GED HPRU). Dr Chataway’s commitment to global
health is evident through her decade- long involvement in fortifying laboratory capabilities for enteric bacterial diseases across Africa, achieved through the development and implementation of comprehensive training programmes, all in support of the International Health Regulation Programme’s Global Health initiative. Additionally, she is currently undergoing training to become a consultant microbiologist via the HSST programme, further solidifying her expertise and impact in the field. Dr Chataway will be bringing her
experience on enteric pathogens and will speak about a recent unusual case of cholera infection.
Dr Mike Beeton Dr Mike Beeton is the lead scientist of the Mycoplasma and Ureaplasma Group at Cardiff Metropolitan University. He has 20 years’ experience researching human mycoplasmas, with a recent focus on Mycoplasma pneumoniae and its role in human health and disease. His work has centred on understanding the prevalence of infection and the molecular mechanisms underpinning antimicrobial resistance. From 2019 to 2023, Dr Beeton held
Delegates will enjoy a networking lunch while having the opportunity to engage with exhibitors in the tradeshow.
leadership roles within the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ESCMID) Study Group for Mycoplasma and Chlamydia Infections (ESGMAC), serving first as the Science Officer and subsequently as Chair (2021– 2023). During this time, he co-founded the Early Career Mycoplasma and Chlamydia Researcher (ECMCR) Conference, designed to provide a supportive, low-pressure platform for early-career researchers to develop their presentation skills and showcase their work. Recently, he co-led the first
prospective global surveillance study of M. pneumoniae and is currently leading an international research project to improve molecular surveillance of M. pneumoniae across Europe and beyond.
Dr Jolyon Medlock Dr Jolyon Medlock has worked on vector-borne diseases for more than 25 years and currently leads the UK’s Medical Entomology Group. His first roles were in Africa studying malaria control and lymphatic filariasis as a field
parasitologist with the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine but also worked for Oxfam in Mozambique as the malaria control programme officer following large- scale flooding. Since 2002 he has been working at Porton Down for the UK Health Security Agency. Dr Medlock has a varied role which
involves advising UK government on vector-borne disease risk and managing UK-wide vector surveillance systems. He also supports the UK Overseas Territories in their dengue prevention work and ECDC in European tick surveillance projects. Dr Medlock’s research interests focus
on mosquito- and tick-borne diseases, including impacts of environmental and climatic change. He is particularly interested in the ecology of tick-borne diseases and environmental and ecological drivers for risk, and has published over 185 peer-reviewed articles on the subject.
The conference provides the opportunity for biomedical and
clinical scientists, and other microbiologists to discuss and debate their experiences
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WWW.PATHOLOGYINPRACTICE.COM April 2026
Professor Michael Wren Professor Mike Wren remains a well- known name in the area of anaerobic microbiology and was a practising biomedical scientist for 43 years until his retirement. Throughout a long and distinguished career, Professor Wren published numerous papers, contributed to chapters in many textbooks, and co- authored Clinical Microbiology. Working in collaboration with colleagues in industry, he also wrote Introduction to Clinical Anaerobic Bacteriology, a bench guide that has become a fundamental introduction and resource to many microbiologists. In September 2004, Professor Wren
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