Published March 10, 2021
By HELEN BREEN
LYNNFIELD — Dr. Todd Ellerin has served as the director of infectious diseases at South Shore Hospital in Weymouth for 17 years.
Todd, a sharp and fun loving young man, and my daughter Laura were both members of the Class of 1987 at Lynnfield High. So when Todd began appearing regularly on national media to discuss the pandemic, we were all excited.
Recently, I caught up with Todd to ask a few questions about our current plight from his perspective as a seasoned epidemiologist.
Todd, what do you remember most about Lynnfield High?
Truthfully, the best parts were laughing with close friends like Jimmy Alba, Pat Deleo, Laura, and her sidekicks Missy Lowey and Stacy Schussell. Looking back, I regret the way we boys tortured one new Latin teacher.
I fondly recall Dan Hall, my history teacher and tennis coach. He was passionate about everything he did. Decades later, I was called to the ER to evaluate an elderly male who had done exotic travel and humanitarian relief work in sub-Saharan Africa. I looked down and, lo and behold, it was Mr. Hall. He looked up at me and with that great smile and said, “Todd?” He was pretty ill and had a rare infection, but we saved him. Phew! You never know who will be looking up at you from the bed. It’s a small world.
When/why did you choose the field of infectious disease/epidemiology?
After my first year at Tufts Medical School, I met Dr. Mark Klemper while working on a Lyme vaccine study. It felt as if we were medical detectives. The experience got me hooked. In 1997, I did a rotation on the AIDS ward in the San Francisco General Hospital that solidified my desire to be an infectious disease physician. Later during my residency at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, I witnessed the cruel effects of injection drug use and the prevalence of Hepatitis C.
My further training at Brigham and Women’s/Mass General reinforced the importance of infection control and how epidemiologists must collect data in order to monitor for “hospital acquired infections” or “rates of resistant organisms.” My first job out of fellowship was to lead an Infectious Disease Department at South Shore Hospital, now South Shore Health, where I have worked for the past 17 years.
Todd, what are your present teaching commitments? I read that you are associated with Harvard Medical School.
I have a once weekly clinic at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Sometimes my clinic has residents or fellows who shadow me. I also teach Tufts’ medical students back at South Shore. Love teaching. With more clinical and non-clinical commitments, it does feel as if I am always running.
What was the main focus of your practice pre-COVID?
General hospital-based infectious diseases and outpatient ID. This included patients with severe pneumonia, skin and soft tissue infections, meningitis, sepsis, intaabdominal infections, hospital-acquired infections and C. diff.
Our goal is always to keep the hospital safe so that patients who come in with one problem don’t leave with an infection.
How has COVID changed your job description?COVID has changed everything. I’m currently in an all things COVID mode. But still we must recognize that all the other infections haven’t disappeared, so we just have to work harder and more efficiently. Also, we need to communicate better with colleagues to determine which ID consults need to be prioritized. Sometimes that means critically ill COVID patients, but sometimes it means critically ill non-COVID patients.
I recall that Bill Gates predicted this epidemic at least five years ago. Was that view widely held by you and your colleagues?
It was, but no one knew it would arrive in 2019. Most did not think that it would be a novel coronavirus. Unlike the U.S., rare medical systems throughout the world had done pandemic preparedness drills. However, COVID-19 is different from other pandemics in that it is highly transmissible, can infect others before onset of symptoms, has animal reservoirs and has evolved variants that are better at the contagious game. All of these things will make it harder to eradicate this virus from the world, even with the prospects that more and more of the world will be vaccinated. Bill, of course, is a visionary and we should have heeded his warning
The U.S. was not ready for this pandemic. Hopefully, we will be better prepared for the next one which looms on the horizon. We should have borrowed from China’s pandemic playbook. There was a lot to learn from countries who had experienced SARS 1 that mostly bypassed the U.S.
How concerned are you about the anti-vax movement in the U.S.?
Very concerned. I understand vaccine hesitancy, but we can’t group all people who aren’t sure about risks and benefits of the COVID-19 vaccine or any vaccine for that matter as anti-vaxxers. Those likely to be vaccine hesitant include women, young more than old, and Blacks rather than Asian and white. Luckily, most Americans are anxious to receive the COVID vaccine.
Immunizations have been one of the most important public health measures in the history of medicine. Without them, we would have been overrun by small pox, polio, measles, HPV induced sexually transmitted infections, liver cancer and cervical cancer just to name a few. COVID-19 is now the leading killer in the U.S. If you are uncertain, please speak with your health provider. Believe me, the benefits far outweigh the risks.
Todd, you look great on TV – do you have a commitment to one network? Any details about the logistics of appearing on air?
For most of my career, I have done interviews on local media about seasonal flus and such. When COVID hit, my friend Dr. Jennifer Ashton, a rock star on Good Morning America, asked me to come on board as part of her bullpen of medical contributors for ABC news. My present contract does not allow me to do local news except with ABC affiliates. Lately I have been doing interviews on Channel 5 with Ed Harding and Maria Stephanos at 4:45 p.m. each Tuesday and Thursday. Although we have not met in person due to COVID restrictions, Ed and Maria are fun and great to work with.
Most of my local interviews are via Skype or Zoom. National television is a bit more complicated, with some adrenaline moments. For me the hardest part is breaking away from my patient care responsibilities like caring for COVID patients to rush back to my office and set up for the interview. I’m supposed to dial in 10 minutes before I go live and sometimes it comes down to the wire as I rush to turn on the lights, activate the camera, dial into the show and powder my face. Most of the time the process goes smoothly, but let’s just say live television is a learning experience.
Todd, how is your family doing during the pandemic?
I am really proud of my two kids. Ruby is 15, a budding artist. As my foodie partner, she and I enjoy ramen together. Brett is 12 with an infectious smile. He is all boy – into sports and Xbox like others at his age. Of course, they miss their pre-pandemic lives with friends and school routines, but are making the best of it.
I must give a shout out to my wonderful parents who have supported me through life’s different phases. As seniors, they are pretty hunkered down these days. My mom is my biggest fan. Dad, a retired dermatologist and a pioneer in the cosmetic aspects of derm, is my research assistant. He keeps me up to date on newly released COVID data that I include in my live spots. My kids and I have not been able to hug them for a year, but hope we can soon when the vaccine becomes more widespread. Isn’t that the hope for all of us these days?
— Send comments to helenbreen@comcast.net.
Editor’s note: Dan Hall gave Dr. Ellerin permission to share their encounter.
