Microbiology

Stewart Siemantel

**** ******* ***** ****, ********, Texas 75032

Home phone 972-***-**** Cell phone 214-***-****

email:**********@*****.***

Experience Summary:

Mr. Siemantel has over 17 years of experience in microbiology, and 16 years of experience in

molecular biology. He brings a plethora of experience from academic course work, various

laboratory work experiences, epidemiology, and environmental health. Mr. Siemantel has

successfully designed an aerosolized vaccine for Adenovirus 12, developed and optimized

various assays for research and development, successfully sequenced resistant HIV Genotypes,

participated and assisted in the solving of outbreaks, started regional response teams for WMD,

designed and implemented Phase I/II extraction protocols for the Dallas Fort Worth BioWatch

Jurisdiction, and served as a Lead Biological Scientist for the Dallas Fort Worth of BioWatch for

the past six years. Over the course of his career, he has been asked to speak at numerous

local, state, and federal venues. He has served as an adjunct faculty member for the Dallas

County Community College District since 2003 and has taught freshmen level biology courses

for majors and non-majors. In this faculty position, he is responsible for curriculum design and

implementation, grading, student correspondence, and development of methodologies to

measure student success rates and improve retention rates. He assisted with the 2001

Presidential Inauguration Surveillance testing. He has been awarded a Registered Sanitarian

certificate by the Texas Department of State Health Services, received an Outbreak

Investigation Award for his work on Meningococcal Disease in 2002, and was the recipient of

the inaugural Employee of the Year Award from the City of Garland Health Department (2004).

During his career at the City of Garland Health Department, he inspected approximately 1000

restaurant establishments and was able to average 40 inspections per month in addition to his

other assigned duties. In 2000, he was awarded one of only twenty Emerging Infectious

Disease Training Fellowships from the CDC and APHL. In 2012, he was the recipient of the

BioWatch “Excellence Award in Laboratory Operations.” He has also assisted with testing

environmental samples for Super Bowls XLV, XLVI, and XLVII. Mr. Siemantel’s laboratory skills

include proficiency in PCR, RT-PCR, real-time PCR on most platforms, HIV sequencing, nucleic

acid extraction, primer and probe design, multiplex PCR, nested PCR, restriction enzyme

digests, immunology and virology techniques such as differential staining, CBC, agglutination,

immunoelectrophoresis, complement fixation, ELISA, viral inoculation, monolayer prep.,

DFA/IFA, hemagglutination, hemagglutination inhibition, tissue culture, vaccine design, and

electron microscopy. Other skills outside of the laboratory include WMD response, HazMat

response, ICS, outbreak investigation, and environmental health testing.

Education:

M.S in Biology (Microbiology emphasis), Stephen F. Austin State University, 2000, G.P.A. 4.0

B.S. in Biology (Microbiology emphasis), Stephen F. Austin State University, 1998, G.P.A. 3.5

Qualification Requirements, Certifications and Technical Skills

• Biotechniques/ molecular methodologies- PCR, RT-PCR, Real-time PCR using

LightCycler, SmartCycler, ABI, MJ, and Bio-Rad platforms, infectious disease assays

using real time platform, RNA/DNA extraction and isolation, H1N1 RNA extraction,

restriction enzyme digests, multiplex PCR, nested PCR, gel analysis, HIV resistance

genotype sequencing and WNV detection, Orthopox virus and Non-Orthopoxvirus

extraction, multi-agent extraction

• Supervisory roles- BioWatch Lead Biological Scientist, microbiology lab coordinator,

Lead Epidemiologist for Garland Health Department, Primary planner and responder for

WMD for Garland Health Department

• Trained in Incident Command System, biological, chemical, radiation detection and

decontamination procedures (Levels A,B,C) by Office of Domestic Preparedness,

Completed 40 hour HazMat course from TEEX, BSL-2 and BSL-3 lab safety procedures

and protocols, trained in use of PAPRs

• Environmental Health- inspection of restaurants including class I-XII, pool inspections,

environmental health complaints, mosquito larvaciding and adultaciding, detection of

WMD, outbreak investigation, infectious disease surveillance, collection of water-tower

samples for Legionella pneumophila testing

• Epidemiology of emerging pathogens- outbreak investigations of foodborne illness,

lead poisoning, and meningococcal disease, Biological Terrorism Surveillance Project for

2001 Presidential Inauguration, epidemiology coursework, data entry, reviewing of

hospital records, census and population training

• Identification of pathogenic microorganisms-media and reagent prep., staining

procedures, bacterial isolation and identification, specimen processing

• Immunologic analysis- differential staining, CBC, agglutination,

immunoelectrophoresis, complement fixation, ELISA

• Virologic techniques- viral inoculation, monolayer prep., DFA/IFA, hemagglutination,

hemagglutination inhibition, H1N1 RNA extraction and Real-time PCR

• Clinical pathology laboratory operations- QA/QC of instruments and reagents,

standard operating procedures, budget analysis, shipment of biological samples

• Animal handling and gross dissection- anesthetizing, cervical dislocation,

administration of antigens and vaccines, neuro-surgeries, dissection, irradiation of

tumors, tumor removal and digestion,

• Tissue culture- media/reagent prep., cell passage, viability count, viral infection, CPE

analysis, freeze-down procedures, clonigenic assay

• Vaccine design and production- production of antigen and heat-killed vaccine using

tissue culture procedures

• Special Events Testing/Planning- Biological Terrorism Surveillance Project for 2001

Presidential Inauguration, outbreak of Meningococcal Disease, quarantine planning for

smallpox, CIDRAP exercise for phase I/II testing, evaluator of CIDRAP drill for testing of

phase I/II samples, testing and coordinating environmental samples for Super Bowl XLV,

XLVI and XLVII

• Electron microscopy – operation of TEM and SEM, sample prep., and processing, block

and knife making,

grid staining, vacuum drying, sectioning

• Skilled in all Microsoft Office Applications to include Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access;

Outlook and GroupWise

• Software applications in GIS (introductory), Statistics for epidemiology (Epi Info 6),

Minitab and SPSS statistics programs

Work Experience

Lead Biological Scientist, A-TEK, INC., BioWatch Oct. 2008 -Present

Performs activities such as employee scheduling, QA/QC procedures and evaluation

methods, environmental testing, protocol implementation and design for phase I/II

testing, participate in proficiency testing, serve on focus groups for program

improvement, attend national and local meetings, give presentations, assists LRN Lab

with surge testing and provides cross-training, order supplies, maintain equipment

inventory, as well as oversee day-to-day operations with sample intake, processing,

nucleic acid extraction, reagent prep., confirmatory testing, weekly contamination

testing results analysis and reporting.

Microbiologist, A-TEK, INC., BioWatch Jan. 2008-Oct. 2008

Performed sample intake, processing, nucleic acid extraction, reagent prep., results

analysis and reporting, assisted with reports and presentations, assisted in cross-

training, confirmatory testing, assisted with QA/QC procedures

Microbiologist, Public Health Foundation Enterprises., BioWatch Jan. 2006-Jan. 2008

Performed sample intake, processing, nucleic acid extraction, reagent prep., results

analysis and reporting, assisted with reports and presentations, assisted in cross-

training, confirmatory testing

Adjunct Professor of Biology at Cedar Valley College., January 2003- Present

Teaches Introductory Biology to freshmen students, designs lectures and lab practicals,

grades all assignments, conducts tutorials, and serves on committees as needed

Environmental Health Specialist for The City of Garland Health Department., July 2003-

December 2005

Conducted Class I-VI restaurant inspections, conducted pool inspections, Lead Epi for

city, Lead responder of WMD drills, trained in HazMat and ICS, Legionella pneumophila

testing, mosquito larvaciding, infectious disease surveillance, recipient of 2004

Employee of the Year Award

Publications

Siemantel, S.T., Ericka Murray, Todd Parham, August 30, 2011. “Special Events Planning.”

National Annual BioWatch Workshop.

Siemantel, S.T., and Ericka Murray, et. al; August 30, 2011. “Super Bowl XLV in Arlington,

Texas.” National Annual BioWatch Workshop.

Siemantel, S.T., and Ericka Murray, August 31, 2011. “Translating Environmental Sampling

Results into English: What does it all mean? National Annual BioWatch Workshop.

Siemantel, S.T., Ericka Murray, et. al; 2010. “Everything is Bigger in Texas: Including Our

Drills-Results from Participation In A CIDRAP Drill to Test The Ability of DFW Branch of BioWatch

to test Phase I/II samples.” National Annual BioWatch Workshop, Milwaukee, WI. August 24,

2010.

Siemantel, S.T., Ericka Murray, et. al; 2007. “Detection and Response to a Confirmed

Brucella spp. Using Real-Time PCR.”

2007 National BioWatch Meeting, Chicago, Illinois (abstract/poster).

Siemantel, S.T., P.S. Coker, and N.D. Camper. “Applications of Real-time PCR. Thirtieth Annual

Meeting of Plant Growth Regulation Society of America, August 3-6, 2003. (abstract/poster).

Siemantel, S.T., T.L. Hadfield, M.P. Dempsey, and D.A. Dove Pettit. “Rapid, Sensitive, and

Specific Detection of West Nile Virus in Avian Tissue Using a LightCycler System.” 101st General

Meeting of the American Society for Microbiology, May 23, 2001 (abstract/poster).

Siemantel, S.T., and R.S. Stewart. 2000. “Device for Respiratory Immunizations in Small

Animals.” Second Annual Biotech Symposium: Nacogdoches, Texas (abstract/poster).

Siemantel, S.T., and R.S. Stewart. 2000. “Development of a New Device for Administration of

Aerosolized Vaccines.” Texas Branch American Society for Microbiology: Spring 2000 Meeting,

Junction, Texas (abstract/poster).

Siemantel, S.T., and R.S. Stewart. 2000. “A New Animal Model for Studying the Infectivity of

Aerosolized Adenovirus Type 12 in C3H/HeN mice.” Stephen F. Austin State University

Academic Press.

S.T. Siemantel and Denise A. Pettit, “Detection of West Nile Virus using a reverse-transcription

polymerase chain reaction assay.” Virginia Division of Consolidated Laboratory Services.

Annual Meeting of the Virginia Branch of American Society for Microbiology, November 4, 2000

(abstract).

Presentations

“The Ultrastructure and Characterization of T4 Bacteriophage, Tobacco Mosaic Virus, Herpes

Virus Simplex II, Influenza, and Adenovirus.” Spring Transmission Electron Microscopy Seminar

Series.” Stephen F. Austin State University. May 7, 1999.

“The Fungus Among Us.” Fall Scanning Electron Microscopy Seminar Series. Stephen F. Austin

State University.

December 12, 1999.

“ Respiratory Immunizations in Small Animals Using a Commercially Modified Humidifier.”

Second Annual Biotech Symposium: Nacogdoches, Texas. February 25, 2000.

“The Use of Standard Reverse Transcription- Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) for the

Detection of West Nile virus.”

Department of General Services, Richmond, Virginia. November 1, 2000.

“Rapid, Sensitive, and Specific Detection of West Nile Virus in Avian Tissue Using a LightCycler

System.” 101st General Meeting of the American Society for Microbiology, May 23, 2001

(poster).

“Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response.” Cedar Valley College. November 11, 2002.

“Bioterrorism.” North Lake College. March 31, 2003.

“Causes of Foodborne Illness.” Texas Environmental Health Association, General Meeting,

October 16, 2003.

“WMD Regional Response.” Co-presenter, Texas Environmental Health Association, General

Meeting, February 17, 2005.

“Detection and Response to a Confirmed Brucella spp. Using Real-Time PCR.” 2007 National

BioWatch Meeting, Chicago, Illinois (abstract/poster).

“The H1N1 Virus and Basic Virus Mechanisms”. Dallas County Health and Human Services

Symposium. August 11, 2009.

“ Even Our Drills Are Bigger in Texas: Results from Participation In A CIDRAP Drill to test the

Ability of DFW Branch of BioWatch to test Phase I/II samples.” National Annual BioWatch

Workshop, Milwaukee, WI. August 24, 2010.

“Public Health and Preparedness Panelist for BioWatch Exercise Panel ”: The DFW BioWatch

Lab’s Experience with Phase I/II samples During A CIDRAP Sponsored Drill. National Annual

BioWatch Workshop, Milwaukee, WI. August 25, 2010.

“ Hot Wash Summary of Super Bowl XLV.” BioWatch Advisory Committee Meeting. February 23,

2011.

“All You Need to Know About Burkholderia spp. BioWatch Agent Symposium. Dallas County

Health and Human Services. May 2, 2011.

“Translating Environmental Sampling Results into English: What does it all mean?” National

Annual BioWatch Workshop. August 31, 2011.

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