Part 1 of 4: How emerging sterile processing leaders are redefining leadership through trust, accountability, psychological safety, and professional development.

For International Infection Prevention Week, Infection Control Today explores how prevention connects hospital departments with everyday community life and why infection preventionists (IPs), sterile processing department (SPD), professionals, and environmental services (EVS) teams deserve lasting support.

This week in infection prevention: Kenya's imported Ebola case showed how fever screening can miss an ill traveler, Florida's dengue outbreak reached 296 local cases, and new guidance underscores that missed surfaces and shared equipment fuel AMR risk. Our weekly roundup covers these stories and more.

During Sterile Processing Week, Infection Control Today honors the professionals behind safe instrument reprocessing and calls for year-round investment in education, staffing, resources, and meaningful collaboration across health care teams.

Understanding current water quality is a starting point for ST108 implementation. John Kimsey, vice president of processing optimization and customer success for STERIS, spoke about his HSPA presentation on assessing readiness, distinguishing system qualification from routine testing, and understanding where water samples should be collected.

Missing instruments and processing delays can strain OR–SPD relationships. At AORN 2026, John Kimsey, vice president of processing optimization and customer success for STERIS, discusses understanding root causes, exploring off-site reprocessing for ambulatory surgical centers, and using hands-on simulation to help surgical teams see sterile processing from a different perspective.

This week's coverage in Infection Control Today centered on a common thread: the systems, partnerships, and data that let infection prevention teams catch problems before patients are harmed.

Knowing the protocol is only the beginning. In The Clean Bite, Sherrie Busby explores how explaining the why, addressing staff concerns, and creating clear procedures can help dental teams make infection control part of everyday practice.