Richard L. Oehler, MD, FACP

Biographical Sketch

Rejoining the USF Infectious Disease Faculty in 2002 was, for Dr. Oehler, in several ways, a homecoming. A Tampa native, he has long had an affiliation with the University of South Florida (USF) since taking math and science summer courses as a high school student in the early 1980's.

After receiving his MD at the USF College of Medicine in 1992, Dr. Oehler completed his Internship and Residency in Internal Medicine at Emory University in 1995. He then returned to USF to train in Infectious Diseases. In 1997, a private practice opportunity in Huntsville, AL, beckoned, and he relocated to northern Alabama. He practiced there as a sole practitioner for 5 years, honing his clinical skills, but still felt a longing to return to his hometown and its growing and ever more successful university.

The opportunity to join the clinical faculty at the James A. Haley Veterans Hospital (JAHVAH), the busiest VA in the country, came in 2002. An Associate Professor of Medicine at USF, he currently serves as an attending in Infectious Diseases at the James A. Haley VA Hospital as well as at the Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa General Hospital, Shriner's Hospital, and Kindred Hospital, all in Tampa. Dr. Oehler is also chairman of the Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee at the JAHVAH.

Since his return, Dr. Oehler has been instrumental in the development of educational programs for Infectious Diseases faculty and fellows. He has received national recognition for his research in infections found in returning soldiers, and international recognition for his 2009 Lancet ID co-authored publication on the association between MRSA infections in humans and companion animals. For this work, Dr. Oehler has appeared in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, New York Daily News, the UK’s Daily Mail, Fox 13 News and countless other media outlets. Dr. Oehler is a recognized authority in the use of informatics in the field of infectious diseases, especially with regard to smart phones.

Dr. Oehler is also an advisor to the Bella Moss Foundation(www.thebellamossfoundation.com), the leading worldwide charity devoted to promoting information awareness on MRSA infections in companion animals. In 2005, he was also the first clinician in the Tampa Bay area to document the presence of Community-acquired MRSA strains in a local hospital. Since 2007, Dr. Oehler is the co-founder and webmaster of IDPodcasts.net, the leading infectious diseases educational podcast site on the web, with over 100 hours of free medical lectures available for download, also available in the iTunes Store.

Dr. Oehler is married and has two children.

Areas of Expertise

Current Research

(State/Federal)

Pavan PR, Oehler RL (Site Co-I), et. al. Longitudinal Study of the Ocular Complications of AIDS/National Eye Institute-Johns Hopkins, USF College of Medicine, 2007-11 (0.01% USF Effort)

Gompf S, Oehler R (Site Co-I), et. al. Region IV South Ryan White Care Act Title III Program for Outpatient Early Intervention Services with Respect to HIV Disease, NIH/Hemophilia of Georgia, 1999-2006

Toney JR, Oehler RL (Site Co-I), et al. CSP 403C - Veterans Health Administration Cooperative Trial of Varicella Zoster Vaccine for the Prevention of Herpes Zoster and its Complications: The Persistence Sub Study (extension of CSP402) James A. Haley Veterans Hospital, Tampa, FL, 2004-2005

Toney JF, Oehler RL (Site Co-I), et al. CSP 403 - Veterans Health Administration Cooperative Trial of Varicella Zoster Vaccine for the Prevention of Herpes Zoster and its Complications, James A. Haley Veterans Hospital, Tampa, FL 1999-2004

(Pharmaceutical)

Oehler RL. (Site PI) Gompf SG, Toney JF.A Phase 2 Randomized Study Investigating the Safety, Efficacy, and Pharmacokinetics of Daptomycin, 6 mg/kilogram and 8 mg/kilogram versus Comparator (Vancomycin or Teicoplanin) in the Treatment of Subjects Undergoing Surgical Standard of Care for Osteomyelitis Associated with an Infected Prosthetic Hip or Knee Joint Caused by Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and/or Coagulase Negative Staphylococci. Cubist Pharmaceuticals. 2007-present. Awaiting IRB Approval

Gompf SG, Oehler RL (Site Co-I), Kam L. P02095. Open-label, Limited Access Protocol of Posaconazole (SCH56592) in Invasive Fungal Infections. Schering Plough, 2006.

Toney JF, Oehler RL (Site Co-I), et al. NCT00107952. A Phase III, Randomized, Double-blind, Multinational Trial of Intravenous Televancin versus Vancomycin for Treatment of Hospital-acquired Pneumonia with a Focus on Patients with Infections Due to Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Therevance. 2005-present.

Toney JF, Oehler RL (site Co-I) et. al., 16424-203a. A Phase II, Randomized, Double Blind, Multinational Trial of Intravenous Televancin for the Treatment of Therevance of Uncomplicated Staphylococcus aureas Bacteremia (The Assure Study), Therevance, 2005.

Greene JN, Oehler RL (Co-I), et. al. 045-00 A Multicenter, Open, Non-comparative Study to Estimate the Safety, Tolerability, and Efficacy of Caspofungin Acetate in the Treatment of Adults with Invasive Candid Infections, Merck, 2005, enrollment in progress.

Gompf SG, Oehler, RL (Co-I), Toney JF, Nadler JP. A Randomized, Multicenter, Open Label, Phase IV Study Evaluating the Efficacy and Safety of 16-Week Versus 24-Week Treatment with PEGASYS ® in Combination with Copegus® in Interferon-naïve Patients with Chronic Hepatitis C Genotype 2 or 3 Virus Infection. Roche. Protocol NV17317. Dates: 2003-present

Grants:

Hemophilia of Georgia. Grant# 6123-412-L0
Duties: Patient Care. Staff weekly Clinic. Administrative duties
Dates: 2002-present

Publications