In this exclusive article, Devin Jopp, the CEO of APIC, discusses the upcoming day-long virtual conference entitled “APIC AI Summit: The Impact of AI on IPC.”
Devin Jopp, EdD, MS, is the chief executive officer of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control & Epidemiology (APIC)
As artificial intelligence (AI) continues to quickly evolve, the question of determining if AI will play a role in infection control and prevention (IPC) is replaced with when and how. AI, by the day, is accelerating immensely in its ability to outperform humans on a number of tasks, from reading to language comprehension.
In health care, we see a myriad of potential use cases for how AI may be deployed as it relates to IPC. In some cases, hospitals are already using these tools. For example, AI can be leveraged to evaluate large data sets, like electronic health records (EHRs), for surveillance. These early versions of AI are known as large language models, but the future will add generative models that can leverage images and videos.
In response to the growth of AI, Association of Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) is hosting a day-long virtual conference entitled “APIC AI Summit: The Impact of AI on IPC” on October 15, 2024, so that infection preventionists can learn more about improving patient safety and quality.
The federal government is pursuing cutting-edge research in AI, and we will hear from Susan Monarez, PhD, deputy director of the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H), one of the federal government’s foremost thinkers on AI and health care. ( https://arpa-h.gov/about/people/susan-monarez )
Monarez will discuss what is on the horizon in AI and machine learning and explain the nexus of biomedical innovation, health security, and preparedness.
The private sector is a beehive of activity, just like the birth of the Internet a few decades ago.
Like ARPA-H in the government sector, some top minds thinking about AI are at Google’s Silicon Valley R&D hub X, the moonshot factory. We are fortunate to have X’s director with us at the AI Summit.
X’s Fabien Beckers, PhD, and 2 other IP leaders will forecast how radical new technologies will shape IPC and where AI-powered innovation will solve some of today’s leading IPC challenges. IPs will walk away from the Summit knowing how private sector technology and health care can partner to develop real-world solutions that benefit patients and health care facilities.
Another important partner as we evaluate the impact of AI is the chief information and health informatics officers (CHIOs) in facilities. As tech and data experts, they will be critical as we evaluate how AI will be deployed to bend the curve on infection prevention and control. One session will feature a mashup of IPs and their CIOs/CHIOs from Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and Alameda Health System on how CIOs/CHIOs and IPs can work in tandem to plot a course for AI in IPC Programs.
In addition to evaluating future use cases, the AI Summit will focus on AI technology today and how it can be used in areas like advancing National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) surveillance definitions and reporting.
Kelly Holmes, MS, CIC, senior associate, infection prevention and management associates, will join our program to help attendees learn the strengths and limitations of Chat-GPT-4o in applying 2024 NHSN surveillance definitions and how to utilize AI to train IPs to code infections.
Holmes will walk us through how her team created a validated test bank of 42 surveillance scenarios to help improve how Chat-GPT-4o can be used to correctly code CAUTI, CLABSI, and Secondary BSI but also the date of the infection, the Repeat Infection Timeframe, location mapping, and so much more.
We’re also honored to be partnering with our colleagues from the World Health Organization, who will be presenting on leveraging AI for the global advancement of IPC, which will explore the ethics of AI and how AI can be used to advance IPC.
In addition to these sessions, APIC is offering a number of other prerecorded webinars that can be accessed by attendees submitted by IPs around AI use cases.
We’re very excited to bring together this immense set of experts to help unpack what AI means for the field of IPC.
We hope the AI Summit will shed light on AI’s advantages and help prepare our profession as technology evolves.
Stay prepared and protected with Infection Control Today's newsletter, delivering essential updates, best practices, and expert insights for infection preventionists.
Reducing Hidden Risks: Why Sharps Injuries Still Go Unreported
July 18th 2025Despite being a well-known occupational hazard, sharps injuries continue to occur in health care facilities and are often underreported, underestimated, and inadequately addressed. A recent interview with sharps safety advocate Amanda Heitman, BSN, RN, CNOR, a perioperative educational consultant, reveals why change is overdue and what new tools and guidance can help.
New Study Explores Oral Vancomycin to Prevent C difficile Recurrence, But Questions Remain
July 17th 2025A new clinical trial explores the use of low-dose oral vancomycin to prevent Clostridioides difficile recurrence in high-risk patients taking antibiotics. While the data suggest a possible benefit, the findings stop short of statistical significance and raise red flags about vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus (VRE), underscoring the delicate balance between prevention and antimicrobial stewardship.
What Lies Beneath: Why Borescopes Are Essential for Verifying Surgical Instrument Cleanliness
July 16th 2025Despite their smooth, polished exteriors, surgical instruments often harbor dangerous contaminants deep inside their lumens. At the HSPA25 and APIC25 conferences, Cori L. Ofstead, MSPH, and her colleagues revealed why borescopes are an indispensable tool for sterile processing teams, offering the only reliable way to verify internal cleanliness and improve sterile processing effectiveness to prevent patient harm.
The Next Frontier in Infection Control: AI-Driven Operating Rooms
Published: July 15th 2025 | Updated: July 15th 2025Discover how AI-powered sensors, smart surveillance, and advanced analytics are revolutionizing infection prevention in the OR. Herman DeBoard, PhD, discusses how these technologies safeguard sterile fields, reduce SSIs, and help hospitals balance operational efficiency with patient safety.
Targeting Uncertainty: Why Pregnancy May Be the Best Time to Build Vaccine Confidence
July 15th 2025New national survey data reveal high uncertainty among pregnant individuals—especially first-time parents—about vaccinating their future children, underscoring the value of proactive engagement to strengthen infection prevention.