Meet Infection Control Today's Editorial Advisory Board Member: Jenny Hayes, MSN, RN, CIC, CAIP, CASSPT

Introducing the Infection Control Today^®'s (ICT^®'s) Editorial Board members—a diverse group of professionals dedicated to advancing infection prevention and control practices. This series highlights each member's unique expertise and contributions to the field.

From groundbreaking research to innovative strategies, these experts are at the forefront of enhancing health care safety. Join us as we learn their insights, experiences, and visions for the future, providing valuable knowledge and inspiration to elevate infection control protocols. Meet Jenny Hayes, MSN, RN, CIC, CAIP, CASSPT, the director of infection prevention for Jefferson Health—East Region, in Stratford, New Jersey.

Jenny Hayes, MSN, RN, CIC, CAIP, CASSPT, the director of infection prevention at Jefferson Health East Region in New Jersey, has built an impressive career dedicated to infection control. Her journey began early in nursing when she noticed critical gaps in basic hygiene practices. Starting as an LPN and eventually advancing to a master's degree, Hayes observed firsthand the severe consequences of infection in different healthcare settings, including dialysis and critical care, where patients faced high risks of bloodstream infections. Her experiences shaped her commitment to infection prevention and led her to specialize in this field.

“I always knew that I think I would like to be the infection control nurse because they would come to our orientations at hospitals, or come and, do you know, certain educational seminars, and I always highly valued everything they had to say, and thought that's what I would like to do someday,” Hayes said.

In 2005, Hayes officially entered the infection prevention field, working in large academic health care facilities and outpatient settings. Her roles have included overseeing infection control protocols across more than 200 facilities and collaborating on facility design and construction projects to ensure proper infection prevention measures, such as hand hygiene accessibility and airflow in surgery centers.

Today, at Jefferson Health, Hayes monitors emerging infectious threats like Candida auris, a highly resistant fungus increasingly common in health care. She emphasizes the importance of vigilant surveillance and isolation protocols, particularly for patients from high-risk environments like long-term care facilities. Another focus is the growing threat of antibiotic resistance, both in health care and agriculture, which she warns could lead to a return to pre-antibiotic days if unchecked.

Hayes also sees potential in artificial intelligence (AI) for infection prevention. She hopes AI can streamline infection surveillance, allowing infection preventionists to focus more on hands-on prevention measures. As infection control continues to evolve, Hayes calls for greater emphasis on antibiotic stewardship and AI's role in infection prevention.

“How's [AI] going to play out for the role of the infection preventionist?” Hayes said, “Hopefully, it's going to allow the opportunity to get the infection preventionist closer to the bedside, closer to the procedural areas, really being able to engage in the hand hygiene observations, [personal protective equipment] usage, all the things that we preach about, and maybe perhaps you do some audits on, but it's difficult to be there in the moment. So, it may change the role of how you carry out your infection preventionist activities.”