Matthew Sattler, MD
Medical Director, SLCH Antimicrobial Stewardship Program
Dr. Matthew Sattler is a pediatric infectious diseases physician and the medical director of the SLCH Antimicrobial Stewardship Program.
Dr. Sattler earned his BA in anthropology at Dartmouth College, and stayed in New Hampshire to earn his medical degree from the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth. He completed his residency training in general pediatrics and subsequently served as Chief Resident at the Baylor College of Medicine/Children's Hospital of San Antonio (now CHRISTUS Children's Hospital), during which he developed his interests in pediatric infectious diseases, the judicious use of both diagnostics and therapeutics, and medical education.
Dr. Sattler completed his fellowship training in pediatric infectious diseases at WashU/ St. Louis Children's Hospital, where his primary scholarly project was the development and implementation of an antimicrobial stewardship curriculum for pediatric residents. During his training he completed the WashU Teaching Physician Pathway and was honored with the Outstanding Teaching Fellow award by the pediatric residency program.
Dr. Sattler is thrilled to co-lead the antimicrobial stewardship program with his pharmacy counterpart, Dr. Lockowitz. He brings passions for evidence-based medicine, interdisciplinary collaboration, and thoughtfully designed education to the SLCH ASP to ensure that each child receives the most appropriate antibiotic therapy and that the lifesaving potential of antibiotics is preserved for future generations.
Christine Lockowitz, PharmD, BCIDP
Pharmacy Director, SLCH Antimicrobial Stewardship Program
Dr. Christine Lockowitz is an infectious diseases and antimicrobial stewardship clinical pharmacist at St. Louis Children’s Hospital. She grew up in the St. Louis area and received her Doctor of Pharmacy from St. Louis College of Pharmacy in 2016. Subsequently, Dr. Lockowitz completed a first-year pharmacy practice residency and second-year pharmacy residency specialized in infectious diseases at West Virginia University Ruby Memorial Hospital in Morgantown, WV.
Following the completion of her residency, Dr. Lockowitz served as an infectious diseases clinical pharmacist at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and The James Cancer Hospital where she participated in patient care and research while developing antimicrobial stewardship initiatives primarily for the hematology/oncology population.
Making the transition from adult to pediatric infectious diseases, Dr. Lockowitz joined the team at St. Louis Children's Hospital in late 2020, and imparts the importance of education and application of evidence-based medicine. She enjoys being involved in pharmacy and infectious diseases organizations, and just a few of her interests include the use of rapid diagnostic testing paired with real-time ASP interventions, antifungal and antiviral pharmacology, and immunocompromised infectious diseases.
Valerie Yuenger, PharmD, BCIDP
Pediatric Infectious Diseases Clinical Pharmacy Specialist
Dr. Valerie Yuenger is an infectious diseases and antimicrobial stewardship clinical pharmacist at St. Louis Children’s Hospital. She is from Columbus, OH and received her undergraduate degree from The Ohio State University before moving to Austin, TX to pursue her PharmD from The University of Texas at Austin College of Pharmacy. Her interests in clinical pharmacy practice and infectious diseases led her to complete two years of post-graduate residency training at Barnes-Jewish Hospital, specializing in infectious diseases.
Prior to joining the St. Louis Children’s Hospital team, Dr. Yuenger served as a regional antimicrobial stewardship coordinator for SSM Health, where she supported daily stewardship activities at Saint Louis University Hospital and Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital. She also led several stewardship initiatives at the health-system level, including implementation of rapid diagnostic testing with pharmacist-driven protocols, processes for restricted antimicrobials, and cascade susceptibility reporting.
Dr. Yuenger brings experience and interest in rapid diagnostic tests, pharmacist-driven stewardship interventions, and resistant gram-negative infections. She enjoys teaching, precepting students and residents, and participating in research, with particular interest in diagnostic stewardship.
Alex Plattner, MD, MBA
Associate Medical Director, SLCH Antimicrobial Stewardship Program
Dr. Alex Plattner is a pediatric infectious diseases physician and clinical informaticist. He completed his undergraduate education at the University of Florida, where he obtained a B.S. in Biochemistry and a B.A. in Mathematics. His desire to pursue a career in medicine was solidified through volunteer work at UF Health Shands Children's Hospital.
Dr. Plattner earned his medical degree from the University of North Carolina School of Medicine and simultaneously completed a Master's in Business Administration from the UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School. Following medical school, he moved to St. Louis in 2018 to complete a residency in pediatrics at St. Louis Children's Hospital, followed by a combined fellowship in pediatric infectious diseases and clinical informatics at Washington University in St. Louis and St. Louis Children's Hospital.
Dr. Plattner's research focuses on advancing antimicrobial and diagnostic stewardship through clinical decision support and data-driven, system-level interventions. He also has a particular interest in immunocompromised hosts and is a member of the immunocompromised ID program. In addition to his involvement in the antimicrobial stewardship program, he serves as the associate program director of the clinical informatics fellowship.
