Matthew Ziegler, MD, MSCE has two primary areas of research concentration. The first focuses on prevention of infectious complications related to the treatment of hematologic malignancy. Patients who are receiving inpatient care for hematologic malignancy are at greatly increased risk for healthcare associated infections (HAIs), particularly central line-associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI) and Clostridioides difficile infection. Dr. Ziegler’s work focuses on both assessing infection control interventions for the reduction of HAIs in this population and translational research focused on understanding the role of the host microbiome on complications of cancer care including neutropenic fever, host inflammation, and bloodstream infection. Complementing this work, Dr. Ziegler dedicates his clinical time to the inpatient Infectious Diseases Oncology service.   

Dr. Ziegler’s second area of research focus is the study of the surface transmission of pathogens within healthcare settings. This work includes study of how multidrug-resistant organisms contaminate hospital surfaces and the impact of resident patients on the microbiome of their care environment. His work is funded by the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) at the National Institutes for Health (NIH) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Prevention Epicenters Program.