We are pleased to announce that J. Ryan Bariola, MD, FIDSA, FACP, was recently promoted to the rank of Clinical Professor of Medicine, retroactive to July 1, 2024. Dr. Bariola joined UPMC as a Clinical Associate Professor to develop and oversee antimicrobial stewardship practices at the UPMC community hospitals in January 2018. Simultaneously, he was appointed as Co-Director of the UPMC Outreach Antimicrobial Stewardship Program. Dr. Bariola joined Infectious Disease Connect, Inc., in 2020 as Medical Director of Tele-Antimicrobial Stewardship, a position he continues to hold. Dr. Bariola was promoted to Medical Director of the UPMC Antimicrobial Stewardship Program in 2022.

Dr. Bariola is an outstanding clinician within the ID Division, staffing the inpatient consult services at Presbyterian Hospital as well as ID consultative services at Magee Womens Hospital. Dr. Bariola is instrumental to the Centralized Health System Antimicrobial Stewardship Efforts (CHASE) Program, which began in 2018 when he joined the ID Division. In the Medical Director’s role, he has worked to develop an integrated network of antimicrobial stewardship (AS) teams across all UPMC sites. The program works collaboratively to apply best practices in AS to all UPMC hospitals regardless of size or local ID resources. The program oversees efforts at standardization where applicable across UPMC in part by collecting, monitoring, and intervening on antimicrobial usage at all UPMC hospitals. Dr. Bariola and his team have visited every UPMC hospital to meet relevant stakeholders, hear about their issues, and develop local strategies to assist them.

Dr. Bariola piloted ILum Insight software, owned by ID Connect, a UPMC Enterprise company, to assist with stewardship programs’ day-to-day activities, and to improve patient care and providers’ efficiencies. His work has led to a decrease in the use of antibiotics at almost all UPMC hospitals. Dr. Bariola co-leads a council of stewardship clinical pharmacists and physicians from all UPMC hospitals that work to prioritize system-wide projects. His work as Medical Director of ID Connect’s Tele-Antibiotic Stewardship Program currently provides support to four healthcare systems outside of UPMC, including two sites that are multi-hospital facilities.

Dr. Bariola has a strong record of achievement as a dedicated clinician and educator. His accomplishments and experience as Medical Director of the UPMC Antimicrobial Stewardship Program and his devotion to educating the next generations of Infectious Diseases physicians are praiseworthy. Dr. Bariola’s record of accomplishments in clinical care, teaching, and leadership has enhanced the infectious diseases community and local and regional colleagues as well as academic institutions seeking his expertise in antimicrobial stewardship.

Please join us in congratulating Ryan!