What 2026 May Hold for Infection Prevention and Control Policy, Technology, and Public Trust

As infection prevention and control (IPC) professionals look toward 2026, 1 theme dominates the outlook from a few members of the Infection Control Today^®’s Editorial Advisory Board and some winners of the Infection Control Today Educator of the Year^TM award: uncertainty paired with urgency. Across policy, funding, workforce stability, vaccination, and technology, infection preventionists (IPs) and other IPC professionals are preparing for a year that may fundamentally reshape the field.

Alexander Sundermann, DrPH, CIC, FAPIC, AL-CIP, an assistant professor at the University of Pittsburgh's Division of Infectious Diseases, raised one of the most immediate concerns. “I’m concerned about the elimination or reduction of AHRQ [Agency of Healthcare Research and Quality] and its impact upon HAI [health care-associated infections] research funding as well as translational tools for IPC,” he said. For many IPs, federal research infrastructure provides not only funding but also the evidence base that informs daily practice. Any contraction in this space threatens progress made in reducing HAIs.

Brenna Doran, PhD, MA, ACC, CIC, AL-CIP, consultant/coach for Innovative Partners Institute, described 2026 as a pivotal moment, shaped by external forces beyond IPs' control that they must navigate. She noted that unpredictable changes in US health care policy and continued financial pressure on hospitals could directly affect staffing and program stability. “Health care organizations may continue to implement hiring freezes or even further layoffs for IPs and other nonrevenue-generating support programs, regardless of the critical patient safety value they provide,” she said.

At the same time, Doran sees opportunity in the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence (AI). She predicts that AI-driven surveillance, including natural language processing and predictive analytics, will increasingly automate manual chart review and case detection. “This promises to reduce the current IP burden of manual reporting, improve data accuracy, and allow IPs to shift their focus from data collection to data analysis and intervention,” she said, pointing to the National Healthcare Safety Network’s ongoing move toward LabID reporting as a signal of what lies ahead.

Yet technology alone will not solve systemic challenges. Several board members expressed deep concern about declining vaccination rates and the consequences already emerging. With them, Patty Montgomery, MPH, RN, CIC, FAPIC, the 2025 Infection Control Today Educator of the Year^TM award winner, and an IP for Overlake Medical Center and Clinics in Bellevue, Washington, predicted “an uptick in vaccine-preventable diseases, due to confusing guidance and loss of ACA [Affordable Care Act “Obamacare”] subsidies that will make it more difficult to get care.” While she is encouraged by states forming alliances to support fact-based approaches, she cautioned that access barriers and misinformation continue to erode protection.

Shannon Simmons, DHSc, MPH, CIC, MLS(ASCP), AL-CIP, the program manager for ambulatory infection prevention for CHRISTUS Health in Dallas, Texas, echoed that concern, calling vaccination “one of the greatest public health achievements” now undermined by sociopolitical complexity. She cited misinformation, pandemic disruption, and inadequate funding as key drivers of hesitancy. “Cuts to public health programs and aid for global vaccination initiatives have weakened surveillance and delivery systems,” she said. Looking ahead, Simmons hopes for broader teamwork. “I would like to see favorable collaboration between health care providers, political leaders, and public health agencies to reinvigorate the public’s trust in immunization and evidence-based recommendations.”

Matthew Pullen, MD, an assistant professor of medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases and International Medicine at the University of Minnesota Medical School, offered a stark prediction. “We’re going to see a continued decline in childhood vaccination rates, with specific communities having drastically lower rates, followed by a steady rise in vaccine-preventable illnesses like measles and mumps,” he said.

His assessment was reinforced by Jenny Hayes, MSN, RN, CIC, CAIP, director of infection prevention for Jefferson Health—New Jersey, Stratford, who added concerns about Medicaid eligibility and insurance loss. “With loss of federal funding to subsidize insurance premiums under the [ACA], there will be more uninsured persons. All of this will significantly strain the fiscal resources of acute care hospitals, especially in rural areas.”

Workforce sustainability emerged as another major pressure point. Shahbaz Salehi, MD, MPH, MSHIA, director of infection prevention and control and employee health at Foothill Regional Medical Center in Tustin, California, and the 2024 Winner of the Infection Control Today Educator of the Year award, predicted a significant decline in Master of Public Health enrollment, noting that the degree is increasingly viewed as less professionally viable. “Unless there are policy changes, we may face a shortage of MPH professionals across all areas of public health very soon,” he said. Hayes expanded this concern to include MSN and DNP professionals who often lead infection prevention departments, creating a convergence of leadership and staffing shortages.

Despite these headwinds, several board members emphasized a shift toward realism and practicality. Fibi Attia, MD, MPH, CIC, infection control coordinator for Penn State Health, Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, in Hershey, Pennsylvania, described infection prevention entering “a more realistic phase,” with less emphasis on perfect compliance and more focus on what works in real life. She highlighted ongoing challenges from resistant organisms such as Candida auris, staffing shortages, and burnout, while stressing that technology should support, not replace, human judgment. “What I’d like to see is infection prevention being brought into decisions earlier and valued as a core patient safety function year-round,” she said.

Eddie Jay LeCastillo, MSN, RN, CNL, CRRN, CIC, LTC-CIP, infection control nurse, for the O’Connor Hospital County of Santa Clara health System and the nursing manager for the Regional Medical Center of San Jose in San Jose, California, echoed this sentiment, predicting that IPs will increasingly lean into technology, particularly AI embedded within electronic health records, as budgets tighten. He also anticipates progress in addressing manufacturers’ instructions for use (IFUs), through greater collaboration and shared learning across facilities. He hopes that IPs will “band together and support one another” as changes in vaccination policy create additional strain.

Specialty areas face their own turning points. Sherrie Busby, EDDA, CDSO, CDIPC, a dental hygiene consultant and former dental assistant, noted that 2026 will be pivotal for dental infection control following the transfer of oversight from CDC to the Association for Dental Safety. She hopes for clearer guidance on point-of-use cleaning, “as this remains a confusing area for many teams during operatory turnover,” and dental unit waterline maintenance; changes she believes would simplify adherence and strengthen patient safety nationwide.

Finally, Rebecca Leach, MPH, BSN, RN, CIC, infection prevention coordinator for HonorHealth in Scottsdale, Arizona, offered a sobering outlook, predicting decreased biopreparedness efforts and “decimation of vaccine programs and development.” Her warning underscores a shared fear among board members that lessons learned from recent crises may fade just as new threats emerge.

Taken together, these perspectives paint a complex picture of infection prevention in 2026. The field stands between innovation and retrenchment, between data-driven possibility and shrinking resources. Success will depend on whether health care leaders view IPC programs as expendable overhead or as strategic assets essential to resilience, safety, and trust.

As Doran summarized, “The ultimate success will depend on whether health care leadership views IPC programs as liabilities to be cut or as strategic assets essential for future resilience and patient safety.” For IPs and other IPC personnel, adaptation is inevitable. Whether that adaptation leads to progress or regression remains the defining question of the year ahead.