APIC AI Summit : The Impact of AI on IPC

Dr. Susan Coller Monarez is a globally recognized leader with more than 20 years of experience in health innovation. Throughout her career, Monarez has focused on understanding the critical challenges within the health ecosystem and the greatest opportunities for innovation to meet these challenges. Prior to serving as ARPA-H deputy director, Monarez led innovation at the Health Resources and Services Administration, focused on ethical use of AI/ML to support improved health outcomes, novel approaches to addressing social determinants of health, expanding access to behavioral health, ending the opioid epidemic, addressing health equity gaps in maternal and infant mortality, and improving the country’s organ donation and transplantation programs.

Monarez has also served at the White House as the assistant director for National Health Security and International Affairs in the Office of Science and Technology Policy and as the director of Medical Preparedness Policy on the National Security Council. In both White House roles, she led efforts to enhance the nation’s biomedical innovation capabilities including combating antibiotic resistant bacteria and MDR/XDR TB, expanding telehealth and remote patient monitoring, establishing safeguards to ensure personal health data privacy, and improving pandemic preparedness. Monarez led the development of several Presidential-level national strategies, action plans, and policy directives related to domestic and global health.

Monarez also served in leadership positions at the Homeland Security Advanced Research Projects Agency within the Department of Homeland Security and the Biomedical Advanced Research Projects Agency within HHS. In addition to leadership roles within the federal government, Monarez has served on numerous advisory panels, including for the National Academies of Science, the National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity, and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. Monarez has also served as the U.S. representative on several international cooperative initiatives including with the European Union, Canada, France, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom in bilateral and multilateral engagements.

Monarez was a Science and Technology Policy fellow with the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Prior to government service, Monarez was a postdoctoral fellow and graduate student, respectively, at Stanford University and the University of Wisconsin, where she focused on technology development to prevent, diagnose, and treat infectious diseases with a focus on people living in low- and middle-income countries.

Dr. Shada Alsalamah is an academic, public speaker, entrepreneur, IBK-Fellow, and patient-centricity advocate. Dr. Alsalamah is a contributor to the healthcare sector modernization movement and policymaking for better disease detection, prevention, and treatment. She has many years of experience in building secure, mobile, and intelligent solutions using emerging digital technologies that solve local problems with the potential to have a global impact. Currently, Dr. Alsalamah is a full-time Consultant at the Department of Digital Health and Innovation, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland; An Assistant Professor of Healthcare Information Systems Security at King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; and a Research Fellow, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA, United States. In addition, Dr. Alsalamah serves on a number of national and international blockchain, artificial intelligence, and information security boards including, but not limited to, The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Blockchain Expert Policy Advisory Board, Paris, France; The International Association for Trusted Blockchain Applications, Brussels, Belgium; TheDevMaster AI company, Los Angeles, CA, United States; and The Saudi Association for Information Security, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Prior to this, Dr. Alsalamah consulted for the Saudi National Command Center, Saudi Ministry of Health, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia to support with COVID-19 response. She also served as a Vice President of the mHealth Solutions Division at AnmarIT, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia for 3 years. Between 2017-2019 she joined the Media Lab, MIT as a Visiting Scholar working on the applications of the blockchain and open algorithms in the digital healthcare arena. Early 2019, she co-founded the Global Co-Creation Laboratory, MIT Institute for Medical Engineering and Science, MIT. Furthermore, Dr. Alsalamah holds a Ph.D. degree in Computer Science since 2015, as well as, an MSc degree in Strategic Information Systems with Information Assurance since 2010 both from Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK. Finally, Dr. Alsalamah is a member of the editorial review board of a number of international journals and has been an invited speaker and a panelist at a number of regional and international events organized by Misk Talk, MIT, World Bank, United Nations, OECD, University of Oxford, ASPEN, HIMSS, and the British Science Collaboration Symposium on Cyber Security.

Alison Holmes is a Professor of Infectious Diseases and the Director of both the NIHR Health Protection Research Unit in Healthcare Associated Infections and AMR and the Centre for Antimicrobial Optimisation (CAMO), at Imperial College London. She leads a large multidisciplinary infectious disease research programme focusing on antimicrobial resistance, epidemiology, public health, precision medicine and the development of emerging, innovative technologies to address infection prevention and management, antibiotic optimisation and AMR nationally and globally. She leads an ESRC international programme with collaborators in India and South Africa, as well as Wellcome Trust-funded projects led by colleagues in the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering and collaborators in Vietnam and Thailand. Professor Holmes is a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences, an NIHR Senior Investigator and an Infectious Disease consultant within Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust. Until June 2021, she was also the Associate Medical Director, Director of Infection Prevention and Control at the Trust. Throughout her longstanding clinical and research career Professor Holmes has conducted clinically applied research that influences local, national and international practice. She served as an expert member of the Governmental Advisory Committee on AMR and Healthcare Associated Infection for nine years and as a national expert witness for Parliamentary Health and Science and Technology Committees. Professor Holmes is the current President of the International Society for Infectious Diseases, and serves on a variety of WHO Expert groups related to antimicrobial use, AMR, infection prevention and sepsis. In addition to her role as chair or advisor for numerous international scientific advisory boards, funding panels and editorial boards she is the outgoing Chair of the Fleming Fund’s Technical Advisory Group (Department of Health and Social Care), a former Board Member of the Wellcome Trust’s Surveillance & Epidemiology of Drug-resistant Infections Consortium (SEDRIC) and has recently joined the Scientific Advisory Board of the Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic Professor Holmes has contributed to national COVID-19 responses through the UK Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) Hospital Onset COVID-19 working group and her research group’s work in this field. She has also been active in the international responses through her roles with WHO on WHO COVID panels including the WHO R&D Expert Advisory Group for COVID-19 and the WHO Health Emergencies Program (WHE) Ad-Hoc Advisory Panel of Infection Prevention and Control Experts for Preparedness, Readiness and Response to COVID-19 (WHE-IPC-AP).

Anna Odone (MD MSc MPH PhD) is President of EUPHA Digital Health section and Full Professor and Director of the School of Public Health at the University of Pavia, Italy. She is member of the Italian Supreme Health Council (CSS). Medical doctor by training, Prof. Odone received an MSc in Epidemiology from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, United Kingdom, and an MPH in Health Policy and Management as a Fulbright Scholar from the Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, United States. She holds a PhD in Medical Sciences from the University of Parma, Italy. Passionate about the value of public health, she is mentor to public health researchers, residents and PhD students; her research is in the field of infectious diseases control, with a focus on vaccines and immunization programmes and policies, digital public health and Health Technology Assessment. 

Benedetta Allegranzi is an infectious diseases specialist, with Diplomas in Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (University of Liverpool, UK) and Clinical Research (University of Geneva, Switzerland). From 1994 to 2006, she worked as infectious diseases and infection prevention and control (IPC) specialist and assistant professor at the University of Verona, Italy, as well as in Burundi, Malaysia and some other countries.

She now works at the World Health Organization (WHO) HQ since 2006, as the technical lead of the IPC Hub and the IPC Taskforce and co-lead of the IPC pillar of the WHO response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Benedetta Allegranzi is also Adjoint Professor at the Global Health Institute and at the Infection Control Programme, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva.

With her team, she has provided technical support to many countries in all continents and has led research in the field of health care associated infections, antimicrobial resistance, and IPC; she has been responsible for the development of many new global IPC guidelines and implementation strategies and tools, and two global campaigns on injection safety and hand hygiene (in 182 countries).

She is leading or senior author of 65 WHO official publications, and author or co-author of over 200 scientific publications, and more than 20 book chapters.

Kelly Holmes began working for IP&MA, Inc in 2004, and has been certified in the field since 2006. Ms. Holmes has experience in mentoring novice Infection Preventionists and program management in a wide range of healthcare settings including acute care, long-term acute care, and rehabilitation facilities. Kelly developed a comprehensive internal training process for the company that includes focused support for Infection Preventionists who are studying for certification. Kelly currently performs remote surveillance for several clients and manages a team of infection preventionists providing services to acute care facilities. Ms. Holmes obtained her FAPIC designation in 2024 and is a contributing author to the APIC text, has published abstracts and papers on training infection preventionists, inter-rater reliability for surveillance, and is currently the co-host for APIC’s 5 Second Rule podcast.

Beth Wallace is currently Director of Infection Prevention and Epidemiology at Corewell Health Southfield, Michigan.

She has been an infection preventionist for 16 years in hospitals of varying sizes and settings, including both community and academic care sites.

As an APIC member since 2006, Wallace has served at the local chapter and national level. Local chapter engagement includes president-elect and president of the Dallas-Fort Worth and Great Lakes chapters of APIC. Nationally, she was a member of the steering committee for APIC’s 2018 consensus conference “The Role of the Infection Preventionist in a Transformed Healthcare System: Meeting Healthcare Needs in the 21st Century” and contributed to APIC’s COVID-19 white paper published in 2022 “Between a Rock and a Hard Place: Recommendations for Balancing Patient Safety and Pandemic Response.” She also served as Chair of APIC’s national Communications Committee. She has been a speaker at local APIC chapter events and at the national conference.

Wallace received her Bachelor of Science Degree in Biology from Valparaiso University and her Master of Public Health degree with a focus on hospital and molecular epidemiology from the University of Michigan. She has been certified in infection control (CIC) since 2008.

Alex has a passion for researching and investigating healthcare outbreaks. Whole genome sequencing (WGS) enables us to genetically ‘fingerprint’ pathogens and link infections together to a common source or transmission. By using WGS surveillance, sequencing all infections regardless of the suspicion of an outbreak, we can better detect outbreaks earlier allowing for quicker intervention.

As an Assistant Professor the University of Pittsburgh, Alex's motivation is to enhance patient safety and save lives. In his work and research, his lab uses this technology at his hospitals to better detect outbreaks. At his lab and hospital, he performs routine, real-time genomic surveillance on all healthcare-associated bacterial infections each week. His approach has found multiple outbreaks that would otherwise go undetected, our data show we can prevent infections, save lives, and reduce costs.

Alex has previously worked as a Senior Infection Preventionist at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center where he led investigations into multiple outbreaks and directed patient safety and quality improvement initiatives. He is a Fellow of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology and board certified in infection control by the Certification Board of Infection Control and Epidemiology.

Pat Jackson is the 2023 President of the Association of Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology.  She is the Director of Infection Prevention at White Rock Medical Center in Dallas, TX.   She has been an infection preventionist for the past 29 years. She has worked in both adult and pediatric healthcare facilities but considers pediatrics to be her area of expertise.

She most recently served APIC in elected roles as Treasurer and member of the Board of Directors. Pat’s passion is mentoring new IPs.   She served as an original author on APICs Roadmap for the Novice Infection Preventionist and spent many years as a faculty member to APICs epidemiology training courses.  Pat believes we need to attract and retain the next generations of IPs in order to APIC to reach its potential.   

Pat spent the majority of her career in large academic teaching hospitals. In 2022 she transitioned to a small community hospital where she became a “one-er”.  She has enjoyed the small town feel of knowing everyone and has a new appreciation for the lone IP.  The lone IP by their very nature becomes a master of everything and often with less than IPs at larger facilities.  Pat earned her Bachelor of Science degree from Baylor University and has been certified in infection control since 1996. In 2016 she was a member of the inaugural class of APIC Fellows.

Jackie joined the HCA family in September, 2017, as the Assistant Vice President, Infection Prevention, and reports directly to the Chief Epidemiologist and Patient Safety Officer in the Clinical Services Group. Jackie is responsible for assuring that standards of care in infection prevention are met throughout HCA facilities, and leads the HAI reduction initiatives in partnership with key stakeholders.

Before assuming leadership positions focusing on quality and infection prevention over a decade ago, Jackie held increasingly responsible nursing positions in both community and hospital settings. She has served as a med surg and oncology nurse, a school nurse, nursing supervisor, and as patient care manager of a children’s crisis intervention center. 

Jackie received her Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing from The College of New Jersey, and her Master of Science degree in Nursing from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. She is board certified in infection prevention and control, is a clinical nurse specialist in child adolescent psychiatry, and holds a Six Sigma greenbelt in process improvement methodology. Jackie is a member of APIC and SHEA and has served as a director to the APIC NJ chapter board for many years.

Roy Boukidjian, is System Vice President, Infection Prevention, at CommonSpirit Health in San Francisco, California.  Roy recently served on the Certification Board of Infection Control where he played a significant role in helping to change the recertification process to allow continued education credits, creating an entry level certification (a-IPC), and initiating a study between CBIC and Johns Hopkins University to ascertain certification impact on patient outcomes. He has served as a committee member of the Partnership for Quality Care (PQC) as well as an advisory member for the California Department of Public Health HAI-Advisory Committee. He has also served as co-chair CAUTI/C-diff Affinity Group, Hospital Engagement Network for the Centers for Medicate and Medicaid Serves (CMS), PIP. Roy received the 2017 APIC Heroes of Infection Prevention Award and has presented nationally and internationally on matters related to infection prevention and control.  Roy received a Master of Science Nursing Leadership degree from California State University in Fullerton, California.  He earned his Bachelor of Science in Nursing from California State University in Dominguez Hills, California.  He has been certified in infection control (CIC) since 2011 and has earned the Fellow of APIC designation.

Dr. Devin Jopp joined APIC as CEO on December 7, 2020. He brings to APIC more than two decades of association leadership with a wide array of experience and accomplishments from across the healthcare and nonprofit sectors. He has been recognized as one of the top 100 most influential healthcare leaders by Healthcare Management International Magazine and one of the top 50 healthcare IT experts by Health Data Management Magazine. Prior to APIC, he served as CEO for the American College Health Association, the principal leadership organization for advancing the health and well-being of the nation’s 20 million college students and their campus communities through advocacy, education, and research.  He has also previously served as president and CEO for the Workgroup for Electronic Data Interchange (WEDI), a national nonprofit advisor to the Secretary of Health and Human Services focused on enhancing the exchange of healthcare information.  Before joining WEDI, he served as chief operating officer for the Service Corp of Retired Executives, a national nonprofit organization that provides business mentoring and training to American entrepreneurs.   

Dr. Tania Bubb is the Senior Director of Infection Prevention & Control at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York, NY. She has worked as an Infection Preventionist since 2006 at major academic medical centers with responsibilities spanning the continuum of care. She’s served her local and national APIC board of directors. Prior to serving at the national level, Dr. Bubb chaired the APIC Professional Development Committee, was a member of the American Journal of Infection Control Editorial Review Board, and a member of APIC’s Practice Resources Editorial Panel.  Most recently, Dr. Bubb co-chaired APIC’s Health Inequities and Disparities Taskforce and is the 2024 APIC President. She is an experienced speaker and author, having presented at local and national APIC events as well as other conferences, and authored publications related to the field of infection prevention and control.

Dr. Bubb received Bachelor and Master of Science Degrees in Nursing from City University of New York Herbert H. Lehman College and earned her Doctor of Philosophy Degree in Nursing from New York University.

Sarah Smathers, MPH, CIC, FAPIC is the System Director of Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) for the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). Sarah serves on the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) Board of Directors. She has recently served as Chair of the Public Policy Committee for APIC and previously served as President of the Delaware Valley/Philadelphia APIC Chapter. Sarah is a member of the APIC Infection Prevention Academic Pathway and has a passion for growing the next generation of infection preventionists. She is an Affiliate Faculty and co-founder of the Infectious Disease Prevention and Control Certificate and Infection Prevention Master of Science at Drexel University’s Dornsife School of Public Health. In 2020, she joined the Public Health Steering Committee to establish the first county health department for Delaware County, PA, where she resides. She also recently served as the APIC liaison to the Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee (HICPAC). Sarah is certified in Infection Control and an APIC fellow with a special interest in infection prevention program development.

Bimal R. Desai, MD, MBI, FAAP, FAMIA, is the Chief Health Informatics Officer at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and leads the programs in Digital Health and Clinical Informatics. Dr. Desai holds a faculty appointment as Clinical Associate Professor of Pediatrics in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. During the COVID-19 pandemic, his team oversaw the explosive growth of telehealth, a program that has served nearly 100,000 children across 200,000 video visits. Dr. Desai’s team is exploring novel ways to use telehealth in pediatric populations, such as remote monitoring and digital therapeutics, while simultaneously measuring the impact of digital health on healthcare quality, including health equity, safety, patient experience, and clinical outcomes. In 2017, Dr. Desai was awarded the PACT Enterprise Healthcare Innovator award and has been recognized three times as one of the country’s “CMIO’s to Know” by Becker’s Healthcare. He is an active member of the American Medical Informatics Association and co-founder of Haystack Informatics, a 2014 graduate of the DreamIt Health startup accelerator.

Mark Amey is the Chief Information Officer for Alameda Health System.

In this role, Mark oversees all Information Services including technology infrastructure, cyber security, application implementation and support, informatics, business intelligence, and digital transformation.  He is also responsible for clinical engineering, the enterprise project management office (ePMO), and project governance for AHS.

Mark has more than 25 years of experience in the field of healthcare IT including a strong track-record of aspirational vision setting and strong operational leadership to execute the needed digital transformation. Prior to working at Alameda Health System Mark has worked for a variety of academic, faith-based, and community-based healthcare systems.  Most recently he was the Associate CIO for the University of California San Diego and Irvine Health campuses.

Mark has an undergraduate degree in management with an emphasis in finance from Andrews University and a master’s in business administration with a focus in healthcare from La Sierra University.  

Dr. McLay is the CEO of Infection Control International and is a consultant in the fields of healthcare epidemiology, infection prevention and control, and public health. Carol received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Ottawa in Canada, an MPH from Emory University, and a DrPH in epidemiology at the University of Kentucky.

Dr. McLay is an instructor at Spalding University where she shares her passion and expertise about epidemiology. She enjoys frequent overseas travel to advance knowledge and understanding of key concepts and principles in infection prevention and control practice with international healthcare professionals. In the fall of 2014, she spent 6 weeks in Sierra Leone working with the WHO Ebola Response Team as an Infection Prevention and Control Specialist.

Carol serves as the Lead Nurse Planner with the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC), where she has responsibility for the management of their continuing education programs. 

She currently serves as a member of the External Affairs Committee of the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA). She is the author of The Infection Prevention Competency Review Guide, 4th edition, and APIC’s Certification Study Guide, 5th and 6th edition.