At APIC2026, Monica Pogorzelska-Maziarz, PhD, MPH, CIC, FAPIC, FSHEA, FACE, of Villanova University, received the Elaine Larson Distinguished Scientist Award and reflected on mentorship, collaboration, and research that support infection preventionists across the continuum of care.
Monica Pogorzelska-Maziarz, PhD, MPH, CIC, FAPIC, FSHEA, FACE, professor at Villanova University, was recognized at APIC 2026 with the prestigious Elaine Larson Distinguished Scientist Award, an honor that carried both professional and personal significance.
The award is named after Elaine Larson, PhD, RN, FAAN, CIC, one of the pioneers of infection prevention and control research and a longtime mentor to Pogorzelska-Maziarz.
"I am this year's APIC Distinguished Scientist Award recipient," Pogorzelska-Maziarz said during an interview with Infection Control Today® at the conference. "The award is named after Elaine Larson, one of our pioneers in the field of infection control, who happened to be my mentor in grad school."
Larson served as chair of her dissertation committee and remained an influential mentor throughout her career.
"I am so proud to receive this award, not only because of what it means from the organization, but because it's named after her and who she represents," Pogorzelska-Maziarz said.
Throughout her career, Pogorzelska-Maziarz has focused on research designed to strengthen infection prevention programs and improve patient safety across multiple healthcare settings. Her work examines how organizational structure, staffing, and resources influence the success of infection prevention efforts.
"I do mostly infection prevention research, and actually, I do it across the continuum of care," she explained. "Looking at organizational structure, resources, [and] staffing in acute care hospitals, in nursing homes, and in home health care."
The goal, she said, is to generate evidence to help infection preventionists succeed in their roles and improve patient outcomes.
"We want to identify ways to help infection preventionists be successful in their job, have adequate resources, and provide evidence that they can use to make patient care safer," she said.
While her research has contributed significantly to the infection prevention field, Pogorzelska-Maziarz credits much of her success to the people she has worked alongside throughout her career.
"The best part of my job is really the people that I get to work with," she said. "The mentors I got to learn from, the collaborators who become friends, and the IPs that I get to learn from every day."
APIC has also played a major role in her professional journey. Having been involved with the organization for nearly 2 decades, she has served on committees, participated in leadership roles, and served on the APIC Board of Directors.
For Pogorzelska-Maziarz, attending the annual conference remains one of the highlights of the year.
"Coming to the conference is like coming home," she said. "I get to see friends, I get to learn about what's going on in infection control, meet new people, and see the next generation of researchers and IPs coming up."
Reflecting on her long relationship with the organization, she added, "I always say that I get more out of APIC than APIC gets out of me."
As APIC recognized her contributions to infection prevention science, Pogorzelska-Maziarz's comments underscored the importance of mentorship, collaboration, and evidence-based research in advancing the profession and improving patient safety.
