Michael D. Nailor has one of those professions that instinctively make you ask, “You do what for a living?” And after getting an explanation, you begin searching out the Purell after shaking his hand. Nailor, who has a doctorate in pharmaceuticals, is an infectious diseases clinical specialist at Hartford Hospital, as well as being a clinical assistant professor at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine in Farmington.
With his scientist’s mind, though, Dr. Nailor quickly negates the possibility you could catch something by shaking his hand. “Transmissions won’t come from hand-to-hand contact,” he said, before adding that it isn’t “rational” to be afraid of a person who works in infection control.
Dr. Nailor joins Hartford Hospital from Detroit Receiving Hospital, where he also served as an infectious diseases clinical specialist. He completed residency training at the University of Michigan Hospital in Ann Arbor, Mich. and UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento, Calif. Dr. Nailor received his doctorate of pharmacy from the University of California in San Francisco and a bachelor’s degree from California State University in Bakersfield, Calif.
Hartford Hospital was attractive to Dr. Nailor because it has a strong reputation for research in antimicrobials. Plus, his prior position was largely clinical so he embraced the opportunity to do more teaching and research.
A major part of Dr. Nailor’s role is making sure the rights drugs are used to treat infections so patients don’t become resistant to treatment. Doctors, like him, don’t search for the most potent drug; they determine the right drug for the patient’s long-term health. As a clinical assistant professor, he’s also charged with imparting his knowledge to med students.
Dr. Nailor, 32, enjoys his work because it is constantly evolving. “From my vantage, it is certainly always changing. Bacteria are always changing to become resistant to the new drugs,” he explained.
When not fighting unseen organisms, Dr. Nailor loves being outdoors. “There are hills here and in Michigan there aren’t,” he said. An active hiker and water sports enthusiast, he is looking forward to the day he can sell his Michigan home so he can buy one in Greater Hartford. In the meantime, his kayak continues to be stored in his living room.
Â
