Lynne V. McFarland (https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9881-3453) is a world expert on C. difficile disease and the clinical uses of probiotics, with over 35 years of research experience in these fields. She received her Master’s degree in Microbiology from Portland State University, Portland, Oregon, in 1980 and her Ph.D. in Epidemiology from the University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, in 1988. Her doctoral thesis was on the Epidemiology and transmission of C. difficile in hospitals. Since then, she has published over 180 peer-reviewed scientific articles, authored two books on probiotics, written 15 book chapters, served on 14 editorial or advisory boards, served as a reviewer for over 116 journals, and is an international speaker on probiotics and C. difficile infections and has presented lectures in over 95 international and national scientific meetings. She was an affiliate associate professor at the U. of Washington and was a health science research specialist for 14 years at the Veteran Affairs Medical Center in Seattle, Washington. She currently serves with the Public Health Reserves Corps in Seattle, Washington, and conducts private consulting on medical writing and analysis.