From Riyadh to Research Networks: Carol McLay, DrPH, APIC’s President, Speaks With ICT

A desert safari at sunset is not where most people expect to hear deep reflections about the future of infection prevention. Yet that is where the current president of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) found herself recently. Carol McLay, DrPH, MPH, RN, CIC, FAPIC, FSHEA, brought her sister along on a rare adventure before heading back into a packed global schedule of conferences, committee meetings, and policy work.

“It was wonderful to see it through her eyes,” McLay told Infection Control Today^® (ICT^®) of their recent trip to the United Arab Emirates (UAE). “We went on the desert safari; they take you up and down these huge hills. We visited a camel farm, had this amazing buffet of Middle Eastern food, and [watched] the sun go down in the desert. It is just beautiful.”

From that oasis, the conversation quickly shifted to why the region has become such a vibrant hub for infection prevention and control (IPC). The established International Conference on Infection Prevention and Control in Abu Dhabi now draws infection preventionists (IP) from across the Middle East and beyond. “It is always wonderful,” she said. “It pulls in every IP in the UAE, but it also pulls a lot of IPs from surrounding countries…India, Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia. It is a pretty established infection prevention conference, and it is very well done.”

At the upcoming Fifth International Infection Prevention and Control Conference in Riyadh, she will deliver CIC prep sessions, speak on the APIC Competency Model, and tie it to a broader global IPC agenda. “I am combining the Competency Model with the IPC agenda and sharing that with this particular audience,” she explained. “They have a jam-packed schedule, and I love to see younger IPs have the opportunity to speak and present their research.”

Research capacity is a recurring theme. In the UAE, she helped lead a short but lively workshop that introduced novice and experienced IPs to research methods and linked them to APIC’s new Research Network. “They all had great ideas for research projects,” she said. “They just need to collect the data, have a structured format for it, and then write it up and present it. It is exciting to see the passion.”

The APIC president is equally enthusiastic about APIC’s new IP Academic Pathway, a free curriculum designed for undergraduate and graduate programs. “We have created all of this content, and it is available for free,” she said. “You do not have to be an APIC member. You do not have to have a chapter in your country. We will give you the curriculum, and you just implement it into your programs and start graduating more IPs.” For her, standardized, evidence-based education is essential. “It really does lead to better, stronger IPs,” she said.

Standardization is also at the heart of one of the most closely watched initiatives in the field: the new joint APIC and The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA) effort informally known as the Healthcare Infection Prevention Advisory Group (HIPAG). With the traditional federal guideline infrastructure under strain, she believes the profession must step forward. “I think it is the most exciting initiative that we have ever taken,” she said. “It is a shame that we have to fill in this gap, but it has to be done. I am really proud of APIC and SHEA for stepping in and working on this.”

The transition committee already includes experts who previously worked with Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee or CDC. They are building the framework for a larger body and planning how to collaborate with emerging regional public health alliances in the US. “We are looking for a really diverse group,” she explained, “all areas of the country represented, different occupations, very experienced people.” The vision is to partner with specialty societies, such as pediatric infectious disease groups, to craft topic-specific guidance. “This is a committee of 12. We do not know everything,” she said. “We need partners who have that specialized knowledge.”

For the APIC president, the erosion of trust in national public health agencies has been the most challenging part of her term. She recalled moving to the US from Canada specifically to study epidemiology at Emory University and to work at the CDC, which once stood as “this bastion of evidence-based practice and knowledge.” Watching Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices and CDC decisions now, she said, “It is absolutely ludicrous that we are in this situation.” Yet she believes that professional societies, research networks, and academic partners can rebuild some of what has been lost.

As her presidency winds down, McLay is candid about the emotional mix. “It has not been what I expected,” she admitted. “There is always good with the bad. The bad has been around the political landscape.” The highlight, she said, has been watching APIC find its voice. She is particularly proud that the board unanimously called for Robert F. Kennedy, Jr, to resign as Secretary of Health and Human Services due to his impact on vaccine confidence. “This person is very damaging to our profession, to our communities, to our country,” she said. “We need to take a stance, and this is the time to speak up.”

McLay’s message to the next APIC president, Katherine Ward, BSN, RN, MPH, FAPIC, CIC, is simple and universal. “Be bold, be brave, be strong,” she said. “Do not let anybody bully you.”

For IPs watching the ground shift under public health, those words may be as crucial as any guideline.