Equitable access to healthcare, and more specifically diagnostic testing, remains elusive globally, negatively impacting the health and wellbeing of all people. A not-so-distant illustration was access to testing during the COVID-19 pandemic, when testing sites globally, including here in the United States, underserved the very populations who bore a disproportionate burden of COVID-19 cases and deaths. There is a tremendous opportunity for research on diagnostic access, as well as the epidemiology and diseases that impact underrepresented groups, in clinical microbiology.

In 2026, JCM launched a new section, entitled "Diagnostic Access and Equity". In today's episode of Editors in Conversation, I'm joined by the Editor overseeing this section, Dr. Ellie Theel, and one of our editorial board members, Dr. Shawn Lockhart of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, to discuss diagnostic access, equity and what the clinical microbiology community is doing to move the needle on these issues.

• Elitza Theel, Ph.D., D(ABMM)
• Shawn Lockhart, Ph.D., D(ABMM)

• Remote regions, rapid recognition: performance and timeliness of BIOFIRE FilmArray BCID2 for diagnosing bloodstream infection in remote northern Australia

This episode is brought to you by the Journal of Clinical Microbiology.

Visit asm.org/jcm to browse issues and/or submit a manuscript.

If you plan to publish in JCM, ASM Members get up to 50% off publishing fees. Visit asm.org/joinasm to sign up.

Multidrug-resistant Gram-negative infections remain one of the most urgent public health challenges worldwide, with some infections approaching the limits of available treatment options. In this special edition of Editors in Conversation, we celebrate the remarkable 10-year tenure of Dr. Laurent Poirel, whose pioneering work has profoundly shaped our understanding of antimicrobial resistance. Through his unique perspective, we will explore the evolving landscape of resistance in Gram-negative organisms, reflect on the major advances and challenges of the past decade, and discuss what the future may hold for this rapidly changing field.

View this episode: https://youtu.be/3OuzU4HjZcY

• The most important events in Gram-negative resistance in the last 10 years
• How the antibiotic pipeline has responded to the challenge of Gram-negative resistance
• How the field would move in the next 10 years.

• Laurent Poirel, Ph.D. Senior Researcher, Medicine Section. University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland, Editor AAC 2016-2026.

This episode is brought to you by the Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy Journal.

Visit asm.org/aac to browse issues and/or submit a manuscript. If you plan to publish in AAC, ASM Members get up to 50% off publishing fees. Visit asm.org/joinasm to sign up.

New imaging and measurement approaches are revealing previously hidden aspects of microbial life, challenging long-held assumptions and creating opportunities to answer questions that were once out of reach. Marvin Whiteley, Heran Darwin and Jeffrey Moffitt talk about how technological innovation is transforming microbiology.

• Heran Darwin, Ph.D. - NYU Grossman School of Medicine
• Jeffrey Moffitt, Ph.D. - Boston Children's Research

This episode of Editors in Conversation is brought to you by mBio® and hosted by mBio Editor in Chief, Marvin Whiteley, Ph.D.

Visit journals.asm.org/journal/mbio to read articles and/or submit a manuscript.

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