UPMC’s genomic surveillance initiative earned national recognition for patient safety. Alexander Sundermann, DrPH, CIC, FAPIC, AL-CIP, explains how the award could help infection preventionists secure leadership support and sustainable funding for earlier outbreak detection.
For infection prevention professionals, the value of identifying an outbreak before more patients become infected can be clear. Securing sustainable funding for the technology that makes earlier detection possible is often more difficult. A national patient safety award recognizing UPMC’s (University of Pittsburgh Medical Center) genomic surveillance initiative could help move those conversations forward, according to Alexander Sundermann, DrPH, CIC, FAPIC, AL-CIP, assistant professor at the University of Pittsburgh, Division of Infectious Diseases, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, who leads the team and serves on Infection Control Today®’s Executive Advisory Board.
On October 1, 2026,
“But the hardest thing we've faced to date is obviously finding sustainable funding mechanisms to pay for genomics in infection control,” Sundermann said. “In doing that, you have to talk to health care executives about what it is and the value.”
UPMC introduced EDS-HAT at UPMC Presbyterian in November 2021. The real-time surveillance system analyzes samples from patient infections to identify genetically related pathogens that may indicate transmission. Infection prevention teams investigate those connections, identify transmission routes, and implement interventions to prevent additional spread.
The approach makes infection prevention expertise central to the response. Sequencing identifies potential connections, while investigation helps determine what happened and what needs to change.
According to UPMC, during a 2-year period,
UPMC reported that the initiative prevented 62 infections and 5 deaths, with net savings of nearly $700,000 in treatment costs and a 3.2-fold return on investment. Those reported outcomes provide infection prevention teams with specific patient safety and financial results to bring to discussions with leadership.
Sundermann explained that presenting genomic surveillance to executives can require considerable background before reaching the discussion of institutional value. Explaining the technology, its applications, and its role in infection prevention takes time. He sees the award to help close that education gap.
“And what I'm really excited about with this award is that The Joint Commission is recognizing genomics for infection control as an innovative tool,” Sundermann said.
He hopes that recognition will help infection preventionists gain leadership attention and better access to genomic surveillance. As he put it: “I'm most excited to now be able to say it's a Joint Commission recognized tool.”
Lee Harrison, MD, professor of infectious diseases and epidemiology at the University of Pittsburgh, an infectious diseases physician at UPMC, and inventor of EDS-HAT, also emphasized the opportunity to advance adoption.
“I hope that this recognition from [The] Joint Commission and National Quality Forum contributes to ongoing conversations among US health care leadership, payors, and policymakers about the benefits of genomic surveillance as standard practice in health care,” Harrison said.
Launched in 2002, the Eisenberg Awards recognize innovative, measurable achievements in patient safety and health care quality. They honor the late John M. Eisenberg, MD, MBA, a former administrator of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
For Sundermann, the significance extends from recognition of the team’s work to the conversations that come next. Sustainable funding remains a challenge, but the award gives infection preventionists another way to explain why genomic surveillance deserves leadership’s attention.
