CIRI at APIC
Larson and Ferng Poster
Elaine Larson, RN, PhD, CIC, FAAN (right) and Yu-hui Ferng, MPA with their poster, "Multicenter Study of Hand Carriage of Potential Pathogens by Neonatal ICU Providers," at the 39th Annual Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) Educational Conference and International Meeting.
"CIRI was proudly represented at the 39th Annual Educational Conference and International Meeting of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC), which took place June 3-6, 2012. During the four day conference, held in San Antonio, TX, students and faculty affiliated with the Center for Health Policy (CHP) and the Center for Interdisciplinary Research to Prevent Infections (CIRI) presented six posters, two oral abstracts, and three concurrent sessions. The posters, presented by Amanda Buet, Bevin Cohen, Yu-hui Ferng, Katie Haxall, and Ben Miko, covered a variety of important infection prevention topics across diverse settings and included studies on hand hygiene in pediatric long-term care settings, personal and household hygiene in college dormitories, microbial colonization on the hands of healthcare workers and antimicrobial stewardship in neonatal intensive care units, and gender, racial, and ethnic differences in infection rates among patients at New York City hospitals. Carolyn Herzig, a doctoral student in the Department of Epidemiology working with Professor Elaine Larson on two research grants, Risk Factors for Spread of Staphylococcus aureus in Prisons (R01 AI082563) and Impact of Automated Surveillance on MRSA Isolation (5 U50 CD3000-860-21), presented data on the overuse of topical antibiotics among inmates entering maximum-security correctional facilities in New York State and healthcare workers’ responses to direct monitoring of adherence to isolation precautions in New York City hospitals. Ms. Herzig’s work regarding antibiotic use among inmates generated a flurry of media attention, and the work was profiled by news organizations including Crain’s New York, MSNBC and the San Antonio Express.
Interdisciplinary Research
Interdisciplinary research was a theme for CIRI presenters. From left to right: Carolyn Herzig, MS, epidemiology student, Katie Haxall, RN, MPH pediatric nurse practitioner student, Ben Miko, MD, MS, infectious disease physician, and Elaine Larson, RN, PhD, CIC, FAAN, professor of nursing and epidemiology.
Elaine Larson, Professor of Pharmaceutical and Therapeutic Research, Associate Dean for Research and CIRI Director, presented the “state of the science” of hand hygiene compliance research along with Laurie Conway, a doctoral student in the School of Nursing and a pre-doctoral fellow at CIRI. Dr. Larson also presented on sterilization and disinfection techniques with other leading experts in this field. Patricia Stone, Centennial Professor in Health Policy and CHP Director, presented about the role of Infection Preventionists in disseminating and implementing evidence-based practices for infection prevention and control. This talk, also presented by Laurie Conway, Monika Pogorzelska, Associate Research Scientist and Project Director, and May Uchida, School of Nursing doctoral student and CIRI pre-doctoral fellow, incorporated data from two of Dr. Stone’s grants, Prevention of Nosocomial Infections and Cost Effectiveness Refined (R01 NR010107) and The Changing Role of Infection Preventionists (funded by the Blue Shield of California Foundation). Congratulations to all who attended, and to their research collaborators!"
Contact CIRI:
Elaine Larson, RN, PhD, FAAN, CIC
Director, CIRAR
Columbia University School of Nursing
630 West 168th Street, Box 6
New York, NY 10032
Phone: 212-305-0723
Fax: 212-305-0722
E-mail: ell23@mail.cumc.columbia.edu