Education, Advocacy, and Recognition: Malinda Elammari on the Future of Sterile Processing

At the 2026 Healthcare Sterile Processing Association (HSPA) Annual Conference in Baltimore, Maryland, held from April 25 to 28, Tori Whitacre Martonicz, lead editor of Infection Control Today^® (ICT^®), sat down with Malinda Elammari, CST, CRCST, CER, CHL, CIS, HASP-IP, CSPDT, CEO and founder of Crown Point Consulting in Cary, North Carolina, to discuss education, certification, and the evolving challenges facing sterile processing professionals.

Elammari, a familiar voice in the sterile processing community, described the conference as both energizing and necessary. “It’s a great opportunity for networking, meeting up with people, old friends, making new ones, and just being around people who are facing the same issues in the industry that you are and finding some solutions together,” she said.

Her session focused on sterilization monitoring and the importance of understanding data, not just completing tasks. She emphasized that sterile processing professionals must go beyond surface-level checks and develop a deeper understanding of monitoring systems. “The truth lies within those numbers,” Elammari explained, referring to sterilization printouts. “You can’t just say it didn’t fail, so everything’s fine. You have to know how to read it and teach your staff how to read it.”

One surprising historical detail she shared during her presentation highlighted just how far the field has come. Before modern biological indicators, early sterilization testing methods were far less precise. “They were using eggs to test sterilization,” she said with a laugh. “It makes sense from a denaturing standpoint, but it’s so far from the complexity of killing a spore. It’s crazy how far we’ve come.”

Drawing on her diverse experience across clinical practice, management, and consulting, Elammari pointed to a persistent, deeply rooted challenge in the field: a lack of recognition. “We need people in hospital systems to recognize how important sterile processing is,” she said. “We just don’t get enough recognition.”

While she strongly supports certification and continuing education, Elammari stressed that professional growth alone is not enough if the field itself is undervalued. “Yes, we want people to get certified. But we also need to bring to the forefront the great things sterile processing does, not just the mistakes when something goes wrong.”

She also addressed the ongoing debate around mandatory certification, acknowledging resistance while advocating for its long-term benefits. “Until that happens, the way we are perceived in the medical industry is always going to stay at an entry-level concept,” she said. “This is a career. It’s not just a job.”

Elammari’s perspective is shaped by years of experience navigating the realities of health care systems. She described how sterile processing departments often struggle for resources because they are not seen as revenue-generating. “Hospitals tend to not focus on things like that,” she said. “But if we show and prove how much we are needed, they have to understand.”

Looking ahead, she expressed concern about the next generation entering the field and the importance of mentorship. “We need to help build and raise people up,” she said. “I worry about how the next generation perceives sterile processing.”

Her message to the ICT audience was clear and direct. “Keep fighting. Certification matters. Get your certification, but also build your knowledge. Continuing education is key.”

Throughout the conversation, Elammari returned to a central theme: Progress requires both individual commitment and collective advocacy. As she put it, “You’ve got to push the industry forward.”

Her insights reflect a profession at a turning point, where education, recognition, and leadership will determine its future trajectory.