ICT Blog

Kelly M. Pyrek has served as editor in chief of Infection Control Today magazine for the past seven years, and manages a number of ICT-affiliated print and online offerings, including the Infection Control Education Institute, the ICT Conference on Professional Development, the ICT Series of Webinars, and GermStop. Recognized by the Society of Professional Journalists as an award-winning practitioner, she has served as an editorial manager, editor, and writer for newspapers, magazines, wire services, and public information bureaus for 25 years. She is a graduate of the Universityof Southern California.

IPs Share Thoughts for 2011 IIPW

October 17, 2011 Comments

Posted in Blog, International Infection Prevention And Control Week (IIPW)

ICT asked members of the infection prevention community to share their thoughts for International Infection Prevention Week:

Over three decades ago I entered the field of infection control … that is what we called it back them because much of what we did was reactive. Our focus was more on the prevention of the spread of infection rather than preventing the infection in the first place. If someone had told me then how the field would evolve I probably wouldn’t have believed it. After all, how many people get up every day and have the opportunity to really make a difference? Besides impacting the quality of healthcare and saving lives, rarely a day goes by where I don’t learn something new. It might be information about a new disease or it might be news about an evolving public health threat. Simply stated, infection prevention is a field that is finally in the limelight and is receiving the attention it deserves. I am proud to practice in the rewarding, challenging, and exciting field of infection prevention.

Barbara DeBaun, RN, MSN, CIC

Improvement Advisor, San Francisco

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My role in infection prevention has evolved over the past 22 years. I’ve had the opportunity to work in a variety of settings and contribute to improving outcomes for both patients and employees. I facilitated the implementation of a needleless IV system contributing to a 50 percent reduction of sharps exposures within a year in an inpatient rehabilitation facility. In the long-term care setting, I implemented a comprehensive facility-wide infection prevention education program and a tuberculosis screening program and established an infection control committee. In the acute-care setting, I led multidisciplinary teams that focused on reducing ventilator-associated pneumonia and central line-associated bloodstream infections resulting in improved outcomes for our patients. Currently, within 3M Healthcare’s Infection Prevention Division, I participate in projects that ultimately bring infection prevention solutions to the market, along with collaborating on educational initiatives. I remain passionate about what I do and I’m proud to be amongst my infection prevention colleagues serving in this vital role.

Mary E. Kundus, RN, BSN, MPH, CIC

Technical Service Specialist, 3M Infection Prevention Division