River Glen Hosting Talk On Insect-Borne Diseases

SOUTHBURY — Dr William Vincent will discuss infectious diseases spread by insects at a presentation at 5 pm Thursday, June 18, at River Glen Health Care Center, 162 South Britain Road.

Dr Vincent, a retired clinical microbiologist, will give an overview of insect-transmitted diseases in New England and will cover information regarding Lyme disease, ehrlichiosis, West Nile virus infection, babesiosis, and more. He retired several years ago as the director of Long Term Health Care Services for Quest Diagnostics in Southern New England. In “semiretirement,” he is a consultant for Quest Diagnostics and is senior editor of Infectious Disease Update, an international publication of Quest Diagnostics.

Dr Vincent also serves as a national speaker for the Roche Pharmaceuticals’ “Insights” Program, speaking to groups throughout the country on pandemic influenza. He received his undergraduate training in microbiology from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst and his doctorate from the University of Connecticut.

Following graduation, he served as a captain at the US Army Biological Warfare Laboratories at Fort Detrick, Md., and received the Army’s Commendation Medal for outstanding research on anthrax.

Before entering the independent laboratory field in 1974, he was the assistant director of the Bureau of Laboratories of the Connecticut State Department of Health. He has served on the faculty of the University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Capital Community College in Hartford, and Naugatuck Community-Technical College in Waterbury. He has published and lectured extensively in the areas of clinical microbiology, infectious diseases, infection control, and laboratory medicine in general across the nation and has written several hundred articles on these subjects.

He is a member of the American Association of Microbiology, the Northeastern Association of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, and the International Society of Infectious Diseases. Several years ago, he was elected to honorary, lifetime membership in the Infection Control Nurses of Connecticut in recognition of his contributions to the association and to infection control. Prior to his retirement, he served on the Advisory Committee on Clinical Laboratories for the Connecticut Department of Health.

River Glen Health Care Center offers physical, occupational and speech therapy seven days a week. To reserve a spot for the talk, call 264-9600.