FARMINGTON – Health care clinicians should register soon for the Infectious Disease Conference taking place on Thursday, May 8, at Franklin Memorial Hospital’s Ben Franklin Center.

The conference is targeted to all health care professionals, including doctors, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, nurses and students in the health care field.

The keynote speaker will be L. Clifford McDonald, MD, FACP, who will discuss Clostridium Difficile, a bacteria which is the most significant cause of pseudomembranous colitis, a severe infection of the colon.

McDonald is chief of the Prevention and Response Branch, Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion, U.S. Centers for Disease Control. McDonald graduated from Northwestern University Medical School and completed his internal medicine residency at Michigan State. He has completed fellowships in infectious diseases and medical microbiology.

Also featured will be speakers and a panel discussion, including “Antibiotic Stewardship,” Rob Owens, Maine Medical Center; “Vector Borne Diseases,” Geoff Beckett, Maine CDC; “Rhetoric or Results – Running a ‘Clean’ Campaign in Healthcare,” Sheri Dirrigl, Southern Maine Medical Center.

A tuition fee of $50 (free for Franklin Community Health Network employees) includes the program, continuing education credits, continental breakfast, refreshments and lunch. Registration deadline is April 24.

For more information, contact the Franklin Memorial Hospital education office at 779-2451 or visit www.fchn.org.