Education
Ph.D. (2012) Virology, Griffith University
Dissertation: “Characterization of Human Herpesvirus 8 in Australia and Kenya”
M.Sc. (Hons) (2006) Clinical Microbiology, Griffith University, Queensland, Australia
B.Sc. (Hons) (2003) Biology, Redeemer University College
Courses
- Advanced Techniques in Biochemistry & Molecular Biology (CHE-463)
- Advanced Techniques in Biochemistry & Molecular Biology (BIO-463)
- Genetics (BIO-261)
- Microbiology (BIO-351)
About
Dr. David J. Speicher is a Redeemer alumnus (’03), graduating with a major in Biology, and he later earned an M.Sc. and a Ph.D. from Griffiths University in Australia in the fields of Clinical Microbiology and Virology. Dr. Speicher’s research is in the area of molecular virology, especially the use of salivary biomarkers for the detection of infectious diseases. He has conducted research on infectious diseases diagnostics and antimicrobial resistance in Australia, India, Kenya, Cambodia, and Canada, including locally at McMaster University, St. Joseph’s Healthcare, and the University of Guelph in Guelph. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Speicher examined the Government’s early pandemic response and served as director of a COVID testing facility. He has a passion for translational research and several international collaborations surrounding the accurate diagnostics and surveillance of a range of infectious diseases.
Research Interests
- Infectious diseases
- Virology
- Clinical and molecular diagnostics
- Coronaviruses
- Antimicrobial resistance
- Emerging and tropical diseases
Selected Publications
Speicher, D.J.; Fryk, J.J.; Kashchuk, V.; Faddy, H.M.; Johnson, N.W. (2022). Human Herpesvirus 8 in Australia: DNAemia and Cumulative Exposure in Blood Donors. Viruses 2022, 14, 2185.
Speicher, D. J., Nasir, J. A., Zhou, P., & Anderson, D. E. (2021). Whole-Genome Sequencing of Pathogens in Saliva: A Target-Enrichment Approach for Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). In G. R. Adami (Ed.), The Oral Microbiome: Methods and Protocols (pp. 119-137). New York, NY: Springer US.
Speicher, D. J., & Aziz, R. K. (2021). Profiling the Human Oral Mycobiome in Tissue and Saliva Using ITS2 DNA Metabarcoding Compared to a Fungal-Specific Database. In G. R. Adami (Ed.), The Oral Microbiome: Methods and Protocols (pp. 253-269). New York, NY: Springer US.
Shah, A., Jang, D., Martin, I., Speicher, D. J., Lidder, R., Clavio, A., . . . Chernesky, M. (2021). Workflow and Throughput of Commercial Assays to Detect Mycoplasma genitalium and Macrolide Resistance-Mediating Mutations. Sex Transm Dis, 48(9), e132-e134.
Jang, D., Ratnam, S., Smieja, M., Speicher, D. J., Arias, M., Clavio, A., . . . Chernesky, M. (2021). Comparison of Alinity m HPV and cobas HPV Assays on Cervical Specimens in Diverse Storage Media. Tumour Virus Res, 200224.
Speicher, D. J., Luinstra, K., Smith, E. J., Castriciano, S., & Smieja, M. (2020). Non-invasive detection of IgG antibodies from common pathogenic viruses using oral flocked swabs. Diagn Microbiol Infect Dis, 97(3), 115038. doi:10.1016/j.diagmicrobio.
Bielska IA, Manis DR, Schumacher C, Moore E, Lewis K, Agarwal G, Mondoux S, Jewett L, Speicher DJ, Liu RH, Leyenaar M, McLeod B, Upadhye S (2020) Health Sector responses to the COVID-19 pandemic in Ontario, Canada – January to May 2020. Zdrowie Publiczne i Zarządzanie [Public Health and Management] 18(1):106-120.
Bielska IA, Embrett M, Jewett L, Buote R, Manis DR, Parikh M, Speicher DJ, Agarwal G, Nartowski RO, Finnegan H, Bandara T, Hamilton CB, Moore E, Liu RH, Roher SIG, Lopatina E, Nguyen DTK, Lawrence L, Lukewich J (2020) Canada’s multi-jurisdictional COVID-19 Public Health response January to May 2020. Zdrowie Publiczne i Zarządzanie [Public Health and Management] 18(1):88-105.
