Email ritu.banerjee@vumc.org

Dr. Ritu Banerjee is Professor in the Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and the Executive Medical Director of the Antimicrobial Stewardship Program at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. She received her MD and Ph.D degrees from Washington University in St. Louis and then completed Pediatrics residency and Pediatric Infectious Disease fellowship at the University of California, San Francisco. In addition to being an active clinician, Dr. Banerjee conducts clinical research about antibiotic stewardship, implementation and outcomes of rapid blood culture diagnostics, and interventions to combat antibiotic-resistant organisms, often in international settings. She is a member of many U.S. national committees through the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Infectious Diseases Society of America, and the Antibacterial Resistance Leadership Group of NIH.

• NUS Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health
• Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA

• Antibiotic Stewardship
• Diagnostic Stewardship
• Implementation and outcomes of rapid diagnostics
• Interventions to combat antibiotic-resistant bacteria

• Antibiotic Stewardship
• Infection Prevention and Control
• Pediatric Infectious Diseases

• Professor, Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN
• Executive Medical Director of Antimicrobial Stewardship for Vanderbilt University Medical Center
• Editor, ASM Case Reports
• Associate Editor, American Academy of Pediatrics’ Red Book
• Chair of Pediatrics Working Group of Antibacterial Resistance Leadership Group (ARLG), National Institutes of Health

• 2015 Karolinska Institutet Travel Grant, Mayo Clinic and Karolinska Institutet
• 2016 Wong Hock Boon Visiting Associate Professorship, Department of Paediatrics, National University of Singapore
• 2019 Short Term Fellowship, National Center for Infectious Diseases, Singapore
• 2022 Infectious Diseases Society of America: Leadership Institute
• 2023 Catalyst Leadership Program, Vanderbilt University Medical Center
• 2023-present Endowed Directorship in Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Vanderbilt University Medical Center
• 2026 Visiting Professor, Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, National University of Singapore

• 2008-2009 Clinical Instructor, Pediatric Infectious Diseases, University of California, San Francisco
• 2009-2015 Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN
• 2009-2015 Director, Pediatric Antimicrobial Stewardship Program, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN
• 2016-2021 Associate Professor, Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN
• 2016-2025 Director, Pediatric Antimicrobial Stewardship Program, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN
• 2021-present Professor, Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN

• 2016-2025 Director, Pediatric Antimicrobial Stewardship Program, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN
• 2018-2023 Director of Clinical Services, Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN
• 2021-present Professor, Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN
• 2023-2024 Interim Division Director, Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN
• 2025-present Executive Medical Director of Antimicrobial Stewardship for Vanderbilt University Medical Center

• Gaston, D.C., R. M. Humphries, A. A. Lewis, C. L. Gatto, L. Wang, G.E. Nelson, J.L Stollings, B.J. Ereshefsky, M.A. Christensen, M. L. Dear, R. Banerjee, M. Rodgers, A. Benton, S. Glover, K.F. Miller, W. H. Self, M. W. Semler, E.T. Qian, Vanderbilt Center for Learning Healthcare (2026). Effect of Direct-from-blood bacterial testing on antibiotics administration in adults presenting with acute infection: A randomized trial, Clinical Infect. Dis, Jan 15.
• Humphries, R.M., R. Banerjee, W. D. Dupont, D. Gaston, N. McKenzie, M. Petit, W. D. Plummer, M. W. Semler, C. Taylor, T.R. Talbot (2025). Association between blood culture bottle shortage and ordering restrictions and clinical outcomes for patients with Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia. Open Forum Infect. Dis, in press.
• Banerjee, R., L. Komarow, Y. Li, Q. Wu, L. Sanchez-Gonzalez, D. Mau, E. Abbenante, N. Schwager, A. Dodd, M. Souli, H.S. Geres, S. Doernberg, K. Greenwood-Quaintance, S. R. Evans, H.F. Chambers, V.G. Fowler Jr, R. Patel (2025). Study protocol for a multicenter, multinational prospective randomized controlled trial comparing outcomes in subjects with Gram-negative bacteremia who have blood culture evaluation using Fast Antibiotic Susceptibility Testing vs. standard of care testing: The FAST trial. Trials, in press.
• Perez, R.L., H.C. The, K. Vignesvaran, W. C. Tan, M. CSH, E.Y. Tan, S. Y. Peng, L. Zhou, S. R. Singh, W. Yeung, I. Seah, J. Teo, K.T. Aung, C.Y. Tang, R. T-H Ong, B. S. Cooper, R. Banerjee, P. A. Tambyah, Y. Mo (2025). Transmission dynamics of Escherichia coli sequence type 131 amongst community dwelling households – a “One Health” perspective cohort study. Nature Comm, in press.
• Wright, M.R., J. Gillon, S.E. Katz, R. Banerjee (2025). Requiring durations of therapy at the time of antibiotic order entry reduces antibiotic use. Antimicrob. Steward. Healthcare Epid. 5: e45, 1-3
• Hendricks, H., S. Israel, J-H Weitkamp, S. Pakala, S. Rajagopala, R. Banerjee (2025). Associations between antibiotic exposure intensity, intestinal microbiome perturbations, and outcomes in premature neonates with bacteremia. J. Perinatology, in press.
• Kloek, K. R. Banerjee, M. Xu, S.E. Katz (2025). Patient demographics are associated with testing for Group A Streptococcal pharyngitis in children. J. Ped. Infect. Dis. Soc, in press.
• R. Banerjee, A. Giri, L. Komarow, M. Souli, S.B. Doernberg, R. Patel, on behalf of the Antibacterial Resistance Leadership Group (2024). Impact of rapid antibiotic susceptibility testing for Gram negative bacteremia varies by pathogen type and resistance: a secondary analysis of the RAPIDS GN trial. Microbiology Spectrum, 13: 30178924
• Lehrer, B.J., G. Mutamba, K.A. Thure, C.D. Evans, A. L. Hersh, R. Banerjee, S. E. Katz (2024). A statewide assessment of optimal pediatric outpatient antibiotic prescribing. JAMA Open Network, 7: e2437409.
• Plattner, A., C. R. Lockowitz, R. Dumm, R. Banerjee, J.G. Newland, R.G. Same (2024). Practice vs. Potential: The impact of the Biofire FilmArray pneumonia panel on antibiotic use in children. J. Ped Infect Dis.,13: 196-202.
• Fisher, M., L. Komarow, W. Dai, Y. Doi, G. Patel, S. Revolinski, W. C. Huskins, D. van Duin, R. Banerjee, B. C. Fries (2024). Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales infection in children at 18 U. S. Hospitals: Clinical and molecular epidemiology from a prospective multicenter cohort study, Open Forum Infect Dis, Jan 8, 11: ofad688.
• Katz, S.E., Spencer, P., Cates, J., Harnack, L., Xu, M., Banerjee, R. (2021). Improvements in appropriate ambulatory antibiotic prescribing using a bundled antibiotic stewardship intervention in general pediatrics practices. Infect Control Hosp Epi, Jan 31: 1-7.
• Ong, S.W. X., Hon, P. Y., Wee, S. S. H., Chia, J. W. Z., Mendis, S., Izharuddin, E., Lin, R. J., Chia, P. Y., Sim, R. C. S., Chen, M, I-C., Chow, A., Yoong, J. Lye, D. C., Teng, C. B., Tambyah, P. A., Banerjee, R., Patel, R., De, P. P., Vasoo, S. (2021). Accuracy of a rapid multiplex polymerase chain reaction plus a chromogenic phenotypic test algorithm for detection of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase and carbapenemase-producing Gram-negative bacilli in positive blood culture bottles. Clin Infect. Dis, 74: 1850-1854.
• Banerjee, R., L. Komarow, A. Virk, N. Rajapakse, A. Schuetz, B. Dylla, M. Earley, J. Lok, P. Kohner, S. Ihde, N. Cole, L. Hines, K. Reed, O. Garner, S. Chandrasekaran, A. de St. Maurice, M. Kanatani, J. Curello, R. Arias, W. Swearingen, S. B. Doernberg, R. Patel, for the Antibacterial Resistance Leadership Group (2020). Randomized clinical trial evaluating clinical impact of RAPid IDentification and Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing for gram-negative bacteremia (RAPIDS-GN). Clin Infect. Dis, 73: e39-e46.
• Banerjee, R., C. B.Teng, S. A. Cunningham, S. Ihde, J. Steckelberg, J. P. Moriarty, N. D. Shah, J. Mandrekar, and R. Patel (2015). Randomized trial of rapid multiplex PCR-based blood culture identification and susceptibility testing, Clin. Infect Dis, 61:1071-80.