Dr. Matthew M. Zahn, Pediatric Infectious Disease

Dr. Matthew Zahn as a vital member of the CHOC Specialists Infectious Diseases team. As a dedicated pediatric infectious diseases physician, Dr. Zahn combines his world-class expertise in epidemiology and public health with a compassionate, patient-centered approach. By joining our multidisciplinary team, he brings a deep commitment to protecting the health of children in Orange County, ensuring that every patient receives the most advanced care available for complex infections. Whether in the clinic or through his leadership in regional health safety, Dr. Zahn’s goal is to provide a safer, healthier future for our community’s children.

Dr. Matthew Zahn is a distinguished expert in pediatric infectious diseases with a profound focus on public health, epidemiology, and outbreak containment. His work spans critical areas of modern medicine, including the management of healthcare-associated infections, vaccine-preventable diseases, and the emergence of multidrug-resistant organisms like Candida auris. Dr. Zahn has held pivotal leadership roles during global health crises, notably serving on the ACIP COVID-19 and Influenza workgroups. His research emphasizes “systems thinking” in public health, utilizing advanced analytics to track enteric pathogens and developing regional decolonization strategies to protect vulnerable populations.

Locations

CHOC Specialists, Infectious Disease
1201 W La Veta Ave
Orange, CA 92868
phone: 714-509-8403
fax: 714-509-4014

CHOC Health Center – Mission Viejo
26691 Plaza, Suite 130
Mission Viejo, CA 92691

Education

• Medical School
  St Louis University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO
• Pediatric Infectious Disease Fellowship
  Children’s Hospital of Colorado, Aurora, CO
• Pediatrics Residency
  Cardinal Glennon Children’s Medical Center, St. Louis, MO

Academic Appointments

• Volunteer Faculty, Department of Pediatrics
  University of California, Irvine School of Medicine

Administrative Appointments

• Infectious Disease, CHOC Specialists

Professional Organizations/Editorial Boards

• American Academy of Pediatrics
• Infectious Diseases Society of America
• American Academy of Pediatrics’ Committee on Infectious Diseases
• National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, Board of Directors
• National Academies of Medicine Forum on Microbial Threats
• CDC Dental Unit Waterlines Guideline Workgroup
• NACCHO Liaison to ACIP
• ACIP COVID-19 Workgroup, member
• ACIP Influenza Workgroup member
• California Association of Communicable Disease Controllers
• CACDC Healthcare Associated Infections Workgroup
• Orange County Immunization Coalition Advisory Committee

Honors and Awards

• Director’s Award for Excellence, Louisville Metro Public Health and Wellness, April, 2009
• Kentucky State Department of Public Health Distinguished Service Award given to Louisville Metro Department of Public Health and Wellness for service at Hurricane Gustav special needs shelter, April, 2009
• Proclamation by Louisville Office of the Mayor Proclamation of Matthew Zahn Day, in recognition of service at the Louisville Metro Department of Public Health and Wellness, November 10, 2011
• Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) Champion by the National Association of County and City Health Officials for surveillance initiatives to prevent spread of antibiotic resistant infections in Orange County, April, 2021
• Special Achievement Award from the Orange County Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatricians-Orange County (AAP-OC) Chapter for work and leadership as a public health official during the COVID-19 pandemic, July, 2021

National Platform Publications

Media Communications for Infectious Disease Clinicians. Zahn, M.  Infectious Disease Society of America Annual Conference, San Diego, CA. October 5, 2017

Mycobacterial Infections: From Dentists to Cardiothoracic Surgeons. Zahn, M.  Infectious Disease Society of America Annual Conference, San Diego, CA. October 6, 2017

Measles Update. Zahn, M.  Colorado Annual Infectious Disease Society of America Conference, Denver, CO. April 5, 2019.

RSV: The Local public Health Perspective. Zahn, M. National Foundation for Infectious Disease Virtual Roundtable: RSV Prevention & Treatment: Renewed Efforts to Drive Progress across the Lifespan. November 9, 2021

Using Analytics to Investigate Epidemiologic Trends in Enteric Pathogens. Zahn, M, Crumpler, M. Association of Public Health Laboratories Annual Conference, Sacramento, CA.  May 23, 2023

Research Presentations

H1N1 School-Based Immunization Program: Experiences from a Large Metropolitan Area. Montgomery, P, Zahn, M. National Immunization Conference, Atlanta, GA. April, 2010

Investigation of Ongoing Transmission of Mycobacterium tuberculosis genotype cluster:PCR_02118_KY_0011 Louisville-Metro Department of Public Health and Wellness 2000-2009. Patterson, M, Dalbey, M, Goins, T, Langer, A, Miramontes, R, Petty, S, Hall, C, Zahn, M.  National TB Conference, Atlanta, GA. June, 2010

Instituting Public Health Laboratory Surveillance for Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Extended-Spectrum Beta Lactamase-Producing Enterobacteriaceae (ESBL), and Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) in a Large Metropolitan County.  O’Donnell, K, Handler, E, Zahn, M.  IDWeek; October 4-8, 2017; San Diego, CA

Early Detection of Candida auris is Essential to Control Spread: Four Effective Active Surveillance Strategies. Vallabhaneni, S, Zahn, M, Epson, E, ODonnell, K, Horwich-Scholefield, S, Brooks, R, Vaeth, E, Blood, T, Shannon, D, Feaster, C, Leung, V, Maloney, M, Forsberg, K, Kallen, A, Jackson, B, Walters, M. 2449. IDWeek; October 2-6, 2019; Washington, DC.

Regional Assessment and Containment of Candida auris Transmission in Post-Acute Care Settings—Orange County, California, 2019.  Karmarkar, E, O’Donnell, K, Prestel, C, Forsberg, K, Douglas, K Schan, D, Chow, N, McDermott D, Rossow, J, Toda, M, Mitsuru Toda, Glowicz J, Brooks, R, Bagheri, H, Nelson, T, Gualandi, N, Khwaja, Z, Horwich-Scholefield, S, Jacobs, J, Cheung, M, Mikhail,L, Walters, M, Jacobs-Slifka, K, Stone, N, Gade, L, Berkow, E, Jackson, B, Vallabhaneni, S, Zahn, M, Epson, E.  IDWeek; October 2-6, 2019; Washington, DC.

Publications

Karmarkar, E, O’Donnell, K, Jackson, B, Vallabhaneni, S, MPH, Zahn, M, Epson, E.  Rapid Assessment and Containment of Candida auris Transmission in Postacute Care Settings—Orange County, California, 2019.  Ann of Int Med.  2021 Nov; 174 (11) 1554-62.

Quan, KA, Sater, MRA, Uy C, Clifton-Koeppel, R, Dickey, LL, Wilson, W, Patton, P, Chang, W, Samuelson, P, Lagoudas, GK, Allen, T, Merchant, L, Gannotta, R, Bittencourt, CE, Soto, JC, Evans, KD, Blainey, PC, Murray, J, Shelton, D, Lee, HS, Zahn, M, Wolfe, J, Madey, K, Yim, J, Gohil, SK, Grad, YH, Huang, SS. Epidemiology And Genomics Of a Slow Outbreak Of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) In a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit: Successful Chronic Decolonization of MRSA-Positive Healthcare Personnel. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiology. 2022 Jun 16:1-8.

Edelson, PJ, Harold, R, Ackelsberg, J, Duchin, J, Lawrence, SJ, Manabe, YC, Zahn, M, Larocque, R. Climate Change and the Epidemiology of Infectious Diseases in the United States. Clin Infect Dis. 2023 Mar 4;76(5):950-956

Sansom, S, Gussin, G, Zahn, M, …Hayden, M. Multicenter evaluation of contamination of the healthcare environment near patients with Candida auris skin colonization. Antimicrob Stew And Healthcare Epi. 2022;2 Suppl 1: S78-79.

Lutgring J, Grass JE, Lonsway D, Yoo B, Epson E, Crumpler M, Galliher K, O’Donnell K, Zahn M, Evans E, Jacob J, Page A, Satola SW, Smith G, Kainer M, Muleta D, Wilson CD, Hayden MK, Reddy S, Elkins CA, Rasheed JK, Karlsson M, Magill SS, Guh AY. Development of a broth microdilution method to characterize chlorhexidine MICs among bacteria collected from 2005 to 2019 at three U.S. sites.  Microbiol Spectr. 2023 Jun 15;11(3):e0413422.

Ashby, E, Minicucci, M, Liao, J, Buonsenso, D, González-Dambrauskas, S, Obregón, R, Zahn, M, Hallman, W, John, C. Systems Thinking for Public Health: A Case Study Using U.S. Public Education. NAM Perspect. 2023; 2023: 10.31478/202311a.

Yomogida, K, Kjemtrup, A, Martínez-López, B, Ibrahim, M, Contreras, Z, Ngo, V, Halai, U, Balter, S, Feaster, M, Zahn, M, Shearer, E, Sorvillo, R, Balanji, N, Torres, C, Prado, B, Porse, C, Vicki Kramer. Surveillance of Flea-Borne Typhus in California, 2011–2019. Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2024 Jan; 110(1): 142–149.

Sansom, S, Gussin, G … Zahn, M, Huang, S, Hayden, MK.  Rapid Environmental Contamination With Candida auris and Multidrug-Resistant Bacterial Pathogens Near Colonized Patients. Clin Infect Dis. 2024 May 15; 78(5): 1276–1284

Gussin, GM, McKinnell, JA, Singh, RD, Miller, LG, Kleinman, K, Saavedra, R, Tja, T, Gohil, SK, Catuna, TD, Heim, LT, Chang, J, Estevez, M, He J, O’Donnell, K, Zahn, M, … Bittencourt, CE, Huang, SS. Reducing Hospitalizations and Multidrug-Resistant Organisms via Regional Decolonization in Hospitals and Nursing Homes. JAMA 2024 May 14;331(18):1544-1557

Jimenez, A, Rosa R, Ayoub,, S, Guran,, R, Arenas S, Valencia,, N, Stabile JC, Estepa,, AT, Parekh, DJ, Ferreira, T, Gershengorn, HB, Prabaker KK, Eckardt PA, Zahn, M, Abbo, LM, Shukla, BS.  Factors Associated with Poor Clinical and Microbiologic Outcomes in C. auris Bloodstream Infection: A Multicenter Retrospective Cohort Study.  Clin Infect Dis. 2024 Aug 13:ciae411. doi: 10.1093/cid/ciae4

Book Chapters

Bryant, KA, Zahn, M: Central venous-catheter-associated infections. In Shah, S.; Pediatric Practice: Infectious Disease. Columbus, OH, McGraw-Hill, 2007.

Zahn, M, Woods, CR: Vaccination of Infants, Children and Adolescents. In Lembo, R.M.; 2007. Educational Review Manual in Pediatrics. New York, NY, Castle Connolly Graduate Medical Publishing Ltd, 2007.

Zahn, M.: Rabies.  In Rudolph’s Pediatrics, to be published in 2024