Tori Whitacre Martonicz, MA, is the lead editor of Infection Control Today. She has been a writer and editor for over 30 years and has an MA and BA in English Composition/Literature from the University of Akron in Akron, OH. She lives in Ohio with her husband, Eric; son, Drake; 2 tiny dogs, Selena Brigid Sophia and Doctor Danger Dog; and a big black cat, Freya. She loves reading, writing, gardening, and spending time with her loved ones.
Contact her through her email: tmartonicz@mjhlifesciences.com.
A meta-analysis found alcohol-based antiseptics significantly reduce Staphylococcus aureus-related surgical site infections (SSIs), demonstrating efficacy comparable to mupirocin and iodophor, supporting their expanded use in infection prevention strategies.
The US withdrawal from WHO jeopardizes infection prevention, research funding, and global collaboration, disproportionately impacting low-income nations reliant on WHO support for equitable health care advancements.
Read about the CDC’s Health Advisory. The advisory emphasizes the significance of early detection, infection control measures, and interdisciplinary collaboration to reduce risks, guarantee timely treatment, and prevent further spread.
Discover how innovative strategies in scheduling, staff engagement, and continuous learning transformed a hospital’s environmental services, enhancing efficiency, employee satisfaction, and patient care standards.
"I was hoping we had learned from COVID-19 that a lot of transmission happens between people who don't believe that they have an illness and others," Deborah Birx, MD, told Infection Control Today.
Read the latest on the rise of H5N1 avian flu. What happens if it combines with COVID-19? Experts answer the most pressing questions.
Drinking raw milk poses risks of disease transmission, especially with H5N1 outbreaks. Expert Richard J. Webby, PhD, advises against raw cow or goat milk consumption due to its unpredictable and significant risks.
Veterinarians, technicians, and veterinarian infection preventionists face risks from H5N1 avian flu when handling farm animals or exposed wildlife. Learn key prevention strategies, PPE recommendations, and emerging challenges.
Richard Webby, PhD, the director of the World Health Organization (WHO) Collaborating Centre or Studies on the Ecology of Influenza in Animals and Birds, discusses the evolving dynamics of H5N1 avian flu, its variants, and the low risk to humans while emphasizing vigilance among health care professionals.
Learn how Cameron Memorial Community Hospital saved $38,000 by outsourcing laundry services to a local vendor, maintaining quality, creating space, and strengthening community ties—all while enhancing patient experience.
Thank you for an amazing 2024! Welcome to 2025 with Infection Control Today!
Learn how Cameron Memorial Community Hospital revamped waste management protocols through collaboration, signage, and team training, achieving efficiency, cost savings, and enhanced compliance in high-risk areas like ORs and EDs.
Cameron Memorial Community Hospital streamlined pharmaceutical waste management through signage, training, and collaboration, cutting waste nearly in half and saving costs while boosting staff competencies and accountability.
Cameron Memorial Community Hospital streamlined cleaning practices by consolidating products, saving costs, empowering staff, and ensuring infection control. Collaborative efforts fostered efficiency, safety, and improved staff engagement.
In the first of a series, Darren Goff, executive director of hospitality services at Cameron Memorial Community Hospital in Angola, Indiana, speaks on how the environmental services team uses OhmniClean UV-C robots as an adjunct to their already excellent services.
Did you meet Tori Whitacre Martonicz, senior editor for Infection Control Today, at the APIC, AORN, HSPA, or Ohio State APIC conferences in 2024? Check out these pictures and see if you're here.
Discover how reducing hand hygiene observations from 200 to 50 per unit monthly can optimize infection preventionists' time, enhance safety culture, and improve patient outcomes.
Explore APIC’s groundbreaking framework for defining and documenting infection preventionist competency. Christine Zirges, DNP, ACNS-BC, CIC, FAPIC, shares insights on advancing professional growth, improving patient safety, and navigating regulatory challenges.
Shahbaz Salehi, MD, MPH, MSHIA, is the Infection Control Today 2024 Educator of the Year. He is celebrated for his leadership, mentorship, and transformative contributions to infection prevention education and patient safety.
Discover SHEA's visionary 10-year plan to reduce HAIs by advancing infection prevention strategies, understanding transmission, and improving diagnostic practices for better patient outcomes.
A new study finds nearly 80% of hospitals lack sufficient infection prevention staffing, linking understaffing to increased health care-associated infections and highlighting a need for reform.
Mount Sinai Brooklyn’s expanded Candida auris screening protocols identified more cases, enabling timely isolation and disinfection measures to prevent outbreaks and enhance patient safety in hospital settings.
According to new research, genomic surveillance is transforming health care-associated infection detection by identifying outbreaks earlier, enabling faster interventions, improving patient outcomes, and reducing costs.
Shyld AI's autonomous UV sanitization system leverages AI to target high-risk surfaces, enhancing infection prevention, improving patient safety, and optimizing hospital workflows without disrupting operations.
The CDC’s US Antibiotic Awareness Week emphasizes a One Health approach, uniting humans, animals, and environmental health to fight antimicrobial resistance and promote responsible antibiotic use.
Longhorn Vaccines and Diagnostics revealed promising data on universal influenza vaccine LHNVD-110 and AMR sepsis vaccine LHNVD-303 at IDWeek 2024, addressing critical global health challenges.
Virax Biolabs collaborates with the University of Manchester to enhance T-cell diagnostics for long COVID, aiming to improve early detection and treatment of post-viral syndromes. Listen to this interview to learn more.
Andrea Thomas, PhD, DVM, MSc, BSc, director of epidemiology at BlueDot, discusses the resurgence of respiratory viruses, like COVID-19, influenza, pneumonia, and risks from avian influenza, and the importance of proactive infection control to safeguard health care systems this winter.
Andrea Thomas, PhD, DVM, MSc, BSc, director of epidemiology, and Mariana Torres Portillo, MD, infectious disease surveillance manager, both at BlueDot Global, speak to ICT about the latest on mpox.
Veterinary medicine's growing focus on infection prevention aims to address zoonotic disease risks, emphasizing specialized training, proactive guidelines, and collaboration between human and veterinary health teams.