There really are no excuses not to engage in advocacy. Associations like APIC make it easy for members to write their state and federal lawmakers by creating all sorts of scripted letters, and other tools. Sarah Smathers of Children's Hospital of Philadelphia explains why telling your story to your elected officials helps them understand the problems you face and allows them to make a difference for you. Advocacy, like infection prevention is everyone's business.

Hosted by:

Silvia Quevedo

About our guest:

Sarah Smathers, is the System Director of Infection Prevention and Control at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). She is Immediate Past President of the Delaware Valley/Philadelphia Chapter of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC), Chair of the APIC Public Policy Committee and Adjunct Professor at Drexel University’s Dornsife School of Public Health. Sarah is serving as part of the Infection Prevention Advisory Group for the Solutions for Patient Safety (SPS) network and is on the steering committee to create the first Delaware County Health Department. Sarah has worked at CHOP since 2006, has been certified in Infection Control since 2010 and became an APIC Fellow in 2016. She has presented at national conferences including Children’s Hospital Association (CHA), APIC, SHEA and IDWeek and has published on the epidemiology and prevention of infectious diseases. Sarah has master in public health degree from the University of Michigan in Hospital and Molecular Epidemiology.

You go out with friends or family, and you’re not feeling so great soon after. What’s your go-to culprit? Probably food poisoning. This episode sheds light on how an American dietary staple became a deadly nightmare. Kären Bally, RN, BSN, CIC has been with Ascension Via Christi for more than 20 years, serving as the Director of Infection Prevention for the past five years, including various interim roles as needed. Kären is active in both local and national APIC and is currently the president of the Wichita APIC Chapter. Kären has been recognized within the medical committee with several awards, for example Health Care Hero Award and CBIC Champion Award. Kären is married to Craig and has 2 children, Grace and Grant, whom she enjoys hanging out with at Grand Lake in Oklahoma each summer.

Hosted by:

Hannah Andrews and Silvia Quevedo

It's true, "getting old ain't for wimps (especially during a global pandemic!)" Nursing home residents and healthcare workers who care for them in these facilities are the "biggest losers" in the fight against COVID-19. The elderly and those living with chronic illness are at most risk for severe illness and death. Learn about the challenges facing this care setting and the opportunities for better infection prevention and control for the future.

Hosted by:

Silvia Quevedo

The questionable concept of the “5 Second Rule” is one we have all grown up with. You drop a food item on the floor that you really-really wanted and as a grade-schooler, you were very likely to get ready to pick it up and put it in your mouth. Meanwhile, your Mom is shouting “noooooo” from across the room. In this episode, we dive into the history behind this “rule” and if it really holds up. Co-Host: Marie H. Wilson, MSN, RN, CIC, is the Manager of Infection Prevention & Control at Methodist Dallas Medical Center in Texas. She draws upon her experience as a critical care nurse and public health nurse specialist in her daily work to help improve the safety of care and the environment for all within her facility. Her special interests in her daily work include IP professional development, outbreak investigations and data analytics. On the local level, she’s currently serving at the Chapter President for APIC-DFW (Chapter Number 005). She’s also been a member of the Communications Committee for headquarters since 2018. Connect with Marie on Twitter @mhwilsonrn Guest: Nicole Nomides, MT(ASCP), MS, CIC, FAPIC is currently Manager of Infection Prevention & Epidemiology at Michigan Medicine in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Nicole has been working as an infection preventionist for over 15 years, with experience covering all levels of patient care. Nicole has served as a board member for the APIC-Great Lakes Chapter as Chapter President, Secretary, Bylaws Chair, Program Co-Chair, and Nominating Committee member. She received the APIC Chapter Leadership Award in 2013. Ms. Nomides has served on the APIC Membership Services Committee and was recently elected to the APIC Nominating and Awards Committee. She has also been a speaker and poster presenter at multiple national and local professional conferences. Infection Prevention is Nicole’s passion and Germs Rule!

We hear so much about how hand washing is one of the most important steps we can take to avoid getting sick, but is that all hype? Listen to “5 Second Rule” to get all your questions answered about the one healthy habit everyone can and should do. Dr. Elaine Larson is an international expert in infection prevention, antimicrobial resistance, and hand hygiene, and is the only infection preventionist to receive the designation Living Legend from the American Academy of Nursing. Her contributions have changed the way healthcare is delivered by emphasizing the importance of infection prevention and hand hygiene for all health professionals. The interdisciplinary nature of her work is evident in the breadth and wide dissemination of her 500 scholarly publications. She has served on prestigious national advisory groups and grant review panels, and generously mentored countless clinical research nurses. Currently Professor Emerita Epidemiology and Anna C. Maxwell Professor Emerita of Nursing Research at Columbia University, Dr. Larson was also the editor of the American Journal of Infection Control from 1995 - 2019.

Hosted by:

Hannah Andrews and Silvia Quevedo

When you enter a hotel room, the bed is made, the toiletries are unopened, and fresh towels are ready for you. We know housekeeping cleans each room after every guest, but what does that include? And how does this compare to the job of Environmental Services in healthcare settings? In this episode, we want to use the concept of “hotel clean vs. hospital clean” to remind members of the public and healthcare workers why we focus in on certain types of cleanliness, particularly in healthcare. Frank Myers, MA, CIC, FAPIC is the Interim Director Infection Prevention & Clinical Epidemiology at UC San Diego Health. He has worked in the field of infectious disease epidemiology and control for over 30 years. He has been published over 40 times on the subject and done countless press, radio and television interviews. Frank is a well known lecturer on the subject both in the US and internationally.

Hosted by:

Hannah Andrews and Silvia Quevedo

When you think of an extreme outbreak, Ebola, Zika, measles, come to mind, diseases that plague the news (no pun intended). Novel Coronavirus, or COVID-19, is our newest concern, and as conditions evolve, each day brings new information. In this episode, we will review the current state of COVID-19, the supply of personal protective equipment (PPE) and important preventative measures to be taken by both healthcare workers and the public. Jessica Silvaggio Rosende, MPH, CIC, CSSGB is an infection preventionist at Huntington Hospital in Pasadena, CA after having worked as an infection preventionist at University of California Los Angeles and Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. Before becoming an IP, Jessica worked as an applied epidemiology fellow with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists (CSTE) focusing on infectious diseases and healthcare associated infections in Los Angeles County. Professionally, Jessica is interested in multidrug-resistant organisms in healthcare settings, emerging infectious diseases, antimicrobial stewardship and emergency preparedness. She is President of the Greater Los Angeles Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology chapter and President-Elect of California APIC. Sharon Vanairsdale, DNP, APRN, ACNS-BC, NP-C, CEN, FAEN, FAAN is the Program Director for the Serious Communicable Diseases Unit at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta, GA. As the Program Director, she manages unit readiness and hospital preparedness for patients with Ebola and other special pathogens. In her role, she helps coordinate clinical operations, staff safety, and patient outcomes. She has been involved in the care of patients with Ebola virus disease and Lassa Fever. Dr. Vanairsdale is also the Director of Education within the National Ebola Training and Education Center, a federally funded collaborative between Emory, Nebraska Medicine, and New York Health and Hospital-Bellevue. Prior to the 2014 Ebola outbreak, she was the Clinical Nurse Specialist in the Emergency Department at Emory University Hospital.

Hosted by:

Hannah Andrews and Silvia Quevedo

Think all bugs are scary? Just like Dorothy’s journey through Oz, you will learn how bad (or good!) these bugs really are and better understand how to fight them when necessary. Lynn Slonim Fine PhD, MPH, CIC, FAPIC is an Infection Preventionist at the University of Rochester Medical School in Rochester, NY. Lynn has worked in Infection Prevention for over 15 years and has been certified in Infection Control since 2001 and was elected a Fellow of APIC in 2016. She has served as a section editor on the APIC Text Online and was a contributing author in APIC’s “The Infection Preventionists Guide to the Laboratory.” In addition to serving on the Board of Directors of her local APIC Chapter, she served on National APIC’s Education Committee and is currently a faculty member for APIC’s Epi Intensive, Epi 101, and CIC Prep courses. She is currently serving on APIC’s Research Committee, and teaches Infectious Disease Epidemiology and Clinical Microbiology at several local colleges in Rochester.

Hosted by:

Hannah Andrews and Silvia Quevedo

If there’s something strange in your neighborhood, like an outbreak of norovirus, do you know how it gets investigated? Listen in to hear how public health officials serve as disease detectives to keep communities and populations safe. Lisa Guli, MPH, is a Program Epidemiologist for the Arlington County Public Health Division. She has over 15 years of experience working in domestic and international public health programs, primarily focusing on Communicable Disease Epidemiology and Program Monitoring and Evaluation. She also served as a Peace Corps volunteer in rural Honduras for two years. Lisa loves using data and numbers to craft the “human story”. Evelyn Poppell, RN, MPA, is a Bureau Chief for Environmental Health and Communicable Diseases for Arlington County Public Health Division. She has been an APIC member since 2001 and previously Infection Preventionist at local hospital. Evelyn has 26 years of public health work in Virginia, and the only things infectious in her life that she appreciates are kindness and tolerance A special thank you to Lisa and Evelyn's colleague Tea Hess, RN, MPH, Clinical Program Manager Communicable Disease Program, for her work on the content of this podcast episode.

Hosted by:

Hannah Andrews and Silvia Quevedo

No one likes being in the hospital, but it’s even scarier when it feels like a second home. Listen to this personal account of how one mother navigated the health system to protect her child from infections following a tragic accident that required repeated lengthy hospital stays.

Hosted by:

Hannah Andrews and Silvia Quevedo