Office address

DMC University Laboratories
4201 St. Antoine
Detroit, MI 48201

Biography

I am a teacher, and I have been since I was 4 years old. However, as I progressed through my education, I knew that I didnt want to grow up to teach whatever it was that I was studying at the time. Microbiology was most interesting. When I finished my Ph.D. and Post Doc, I started teaching Microbiology at the college level, but I was disappointed because the majority of the students did not want to really learn anything: rather they wanted to put in minimal effort but still  get an A so they could get into medical school.  So I went to medical school myself. After a Pathology Residency in Denver and a Clinical Microbiology Fellowship in Seattle, I got my first job, in the Department of Pathology at Wayne State University School of Medicine in 1991. I am still teaching. I have taught Medical Students, Pathology residents, ID fellows, and Medical Technology Students. Members of these groups actually want to, or know they have to (which is almost as good) learn the material. Also, I like to publish papers and have come to specialize in mentoring others who need their papers polished. In my spare time, I like photography (come see my office) and "messing around in boats." (My husband and I spend the summer putting around on the Great Lakes.)  I was an ardent skier but sanity dictated that I quit at 80. I have 3 kids, all adopted, and all of whom have or are getting advanced degrees. I also have 5 grandchildren ranging in age from 28 to 3, and 1 great grandson. 

Education training

Ph.D. in Molecular and Cellular Biology (1971)
Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, USA

Postdoctoral Fellowship
1971-1973: Dartmouth Medical School, Hanover, NH, USA

M.D. (1985)
University of Texas Health Sciences Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, USA

Residency in Pathology
1985-1989: University of Colorado and Affiliated Hospitals, Denver, CO, USA

Fellowship in Clinical and Public Health Microbiology
1989-1991: University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
 

Medical education responsibilities

Undergraduate Program
Lecturer for PGY2: Microbiology and Pathology Laboratories

Residency/Fellows
Training Faculty in the Pathology Residency Program in the areas of microbiology, susceptibility testing, mycology, parasitology, virology, Serology, and molecular diagnostics
Training faculty in the Infectious Disease Fellowship (Adult and Pediatric) and Pharm D. Fellowship programs, in the areas of microbiology Laboratory. Training expertise includes: microbiology, mycobacteriology, susceptibility testing, mycology, parasitology, virology, serology, and molecular Microbiology.

Other
Lecturer of Microbiology, Virology, Mycology, Mycobacteriology, Serology to Residents, ID Fellows, and MLS students

Areas of interest

Clinical MIcrobiology with particular interest in new developments, including instrumentation. Teaching (see responsibilities), Boating, travel, kids and grandchildren

Research interests

Dr. Fairfax's research interests focus on problems with diagnostic modalities in use in the microbiology laboratory, on the identification of unusual organisms, and on usual organisms causing unusual problems.

Publications

1. McGrath EJ, Thomas R, Asmar B, Fairfax MR, Lephart P, Ameli J, Abdel-Haq N, Salimnia H. 2013. Detection of respiratory co-infections in pediatric patients using a small volume polymerase chain reaction array respiratory panel: more evidence for combined droplet and contact isolation. Am J Infect Cont. in press.

2. Salimnia H, Lephart PR, Asmar BI, Prebilich D, Paulson E, Fairfax, MR.. 2012. Aerosolized vaccine as an unexpected source of false positive Bordetella pertussis PCR Results. J Clin Microbiol. 50:472-4.

3. Bharadwaj R, Swaminathan S, Salimnia H, Fairfax M, Frey A, Chandrasekar PH. 2012 Clinical impact of the use of 16S rRNA sequencing method for the identification of "difficult-to-identify" bacteria in immunocompromised hosts.Transpl Infect Dis. 14: 206–212.

4. Salimnia H, Brown P, Lephart P, Fairfax MR. 2012. Hyphal and yeast forms of Histoplasma capsulatum growing within 5 days in an automated bacterial blood culture system. J Clin Microbiol 50:2833-4.

5.Cone RW, Hobson AC, M. L. W. Huang MLW, and Fairfax MR. 1990. Polymerase chain reaction decontamination: the wipe test. Lancet. 336: 685-687.

 

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