APIC & NETEC | Discussion on Special Pathogen Preparedness: Revised IC Joint Commission Standards

Angela Vasa is the Director of Biopreparedness and Special Pathogen Programs at Nebraska Medicine. She serves as the Director of Consulting Services and Metrics Development at NETEC and is the Program Director for the Region VII (7) Regional Emerging Special Pathogen Treatment Center. Angela is also a scholar in the Global Center for Health Security at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. She joined the Nebraska Biocontainment Unit team in 2009 and continues to be an active clinical member while serving as the program director.

Carrie Billman is the Director of Education and Infection Prevention for the Johns Hopkins Special Pathogen Center, Bio-Containment Unit, and a senior infection control epidemiologist for the Department of Hospital Epidemiology and Infection Control at The Johns Hopkins Health System (JHHS). In her role at JHHS, Carrie leads infection prevention and external education activities for the JHH Biocontainment Unit (BCU), including training and education for trained observers and BCU clinical staff, policy and protocol development, and serves as a lead infection preventionist during BCU activations. 

Kari has worked in healthcare for over 30 years as a Registered Nurse and discovered her passion for infection prevention and epidemiology 20 years ago. She joined Emory Healthcare in April 2019 as Corporate Director of Infection Prevention. She is certified in infection prevention and control (CIC), has been recognized as a Fellow of APIC (FAPIC), and is currently completing her dissertation as a Ph.D. candidate in Translational Health Sciences at George Washington University.

Pamela completed a Bachelor of Science degree in Medical Technology at the University of Maryland at Baltimore. She is a certified American Society of Clinical Pathologist (ASCP) and Infection Control (CIC). She worked as a microbiology lead technologist in a 900-bed hospital for ten years and then served in a leadership role for a private laboratory for seven years. She returned to the hospital setting in 2007 and trained as an infection control practitioner. She currently serves as Director of Infection Control and Prevention and lead infection preventionist consultant for the biocontainment unit at Medstar Washington Hospital Center in Washington, D.C.