Many people think that Tuberculosis (TB) is a disease safely tucked away in human history, but that’s not the case. Not only does it still lurk in communities around the globe, but it also claims over a million lives each year. Join us as we discuss this preventable and treatable disease with our guest Maureen Murphy-Weiss, BSN, RN, as she walks us through TB’s lengthy history, common symptoms, and current treatments. Additionally, the episode tackles the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on TB from both the patient’s and the infection preventionist’s perspective.

Hosted by:

Silvia Quevedo, CAE

Tuberculosis, dare we say it, is the poster child for health inequity.

Maureen Murphy-Weiss, BSN, RN, Director, Ben Franklin TB Program, Columbus Public Health

Maureen is the Tuberculosis Program Director at Columbus Public Health in Columbus, Ohio. She is a registered nurse in the state of Ohio and received her Associate Degree in Nursing from Kettering College and Bachelor’s Degree in nursing from Capital University in 2006. In 1997, Maureen started in local public health and later moved to the state health department. While working at the Ohio Department of Health, from 2003 to 2016, she filled a variety of leadership positions, including state TB Controller, and manager for the viral hepatitis and healthcare-associated infection programs. She left the state in late 2016, after accepting a position at Columbus Public Health.

In March 2020, Maureen was named operations chief for Columbus Public Health’s pandemic incident command structure. Her experience with respiratory isolation, contact tracing, and health care service delivery in community settings informed many decisions in the agency’s COVID-19 response. Maureen is the immediate past president of the National TB Nurse Coalition, and currently serves on national workgroups for issues pertaining to tuberculosis prevention and COVID-19.