Just three people at the University of Mississippi Medical Center can say they've bested Donna Norris' 20-year anniversary with AirCare.

Bo Sullivan, Cathy Delaney and Todd Perry are the only original flight nurses still on the staff of AirCare since it made its maiden flight in February 1996. The state's most advanced medical helicopter transport over time has cared for more than 18,000 patients and flown more than 2 million miles.

“Their experience cannot be duplicated, personally or professionally,” said Norris, 53, a registered nurse who flew on AirCare for almost two decades before becoming clinical director of Mississippi Med-Com. “They are the cornerstones of the team.”

Like Norris, Sullivan is experiencing a milestone: He's retiring as a lieutenant colonel with the Mississippi Air National Guard after 33 years as a flight nurse. But, he's not leaving his job at UMMC. He and Perry are 52.

The World Health Organization has signaled for help in defeating a group of notorious villains. 

They are the superbugs - bacteria with the ability to overcome our best defenses. The WHO published a list Feb. 27 prioritizing 12 bacterial strains in need of new antibiotics. The list is designed to encourage research and development into such drugs - the new superheroes.

The world needs these treatments: In the United States, antibiotic-resistant bacteria infect two million people and kill 23,000 each year, primarily those who are hospitalized or have weakened immunity. But these species are usually harmless, living among and within us.

Dr. Ashley Robinson, professor of microbiology and immunology at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, studies methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, one of WHO's “high” priority pathogens. One in five people carry benign S. aureus strains in their nose, while one in 50 people have a MRSA.

“What causes the switch from susceptible to resistant is a huge area of research,” he said.

The Medical Center is proud to acknowledge those employees who will celebrate service anniversaries this week.

Several interesting events are scheduled for the upcoming week at the Medical Center.