APIC and SHEA Appoint Subject Matter Experts to Healthcare Infection Prevention Advisory Group (HIPAG) to Advance National Infection Prevention Leadership

Arlington, VA – The Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) and the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA) announced the official launch of the Healthcare Infection Prevention Advisory Group (HIPAG), a new national expert advisory initiative established to help ensure continuity, coordination, and leadership in infection prevention and control (IPC) expert input and collaboration across the healthcare continuum.

HIPAG was formed to help identify and address gaps in infection prevention and control expertise, and to support the implementation of clinical standards wherever healthcare is delivered. HIPAG will serve as a national resource for expertise in infection prevention and the spread of antimicrobial resistance in healthcare, helping to review and contextualize evolving evidence, identify areas requiring clarification, and support rapid-response approaches during emerging infectious disease threats and infection-related public health challenges. The group will also support alignment around evidence-based practices that enhance patient and healthcare personnel safety in acute care, ambulatory, and long-term care settings.

HIPAG Representatives

• Rebecca Alvino: System Director, Hospital Epidemiology and Infection Prevention, UC Davis Health
• Tania Bubb (APIC Chair): Senior Director, Infection Prevention & Control, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
• Rashida Conway: Director Infection Prevention and Control, Kaiser Permanente
• Brooke Decker, MD: VA Deputy Chief of Staff/VISN4 Hospital Epidemiologist, VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System
• Erin Epson, MD: Medical Director & Chief, Healthcare-Associated Infections Program, California Department of Public Health
• Jennifer Hanrahan, DO, MSc: Chair, Department of Medicine, Marshall University       
• Claire Jai: Assistant Vice President Infection Prevention, Methodist Healthcare System & HCA Healthcare
• Lela Luper: Manager – Infection Prevention and Control, Chickasaw Nation Department of Health
• Tara Millson: Regional Director of Infection Prevention, Medstar Health,
• Russ Olmstead: Director, Infection Prevention & Control, Trinity Health
• Cindy Prins (Vice-Chair): Associate Professor of Medicine, University of Central Florida
• Amy Spallone, MD: Chief Infection Control Officer, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center      
• Mike Sebert, MD: Medical Director, Infection Prevention, Children’s Medical Center Dallas UT Southwestern Medical Center             
• Mike Stevens, MD, MPH, FACP, FIDSA, FSHEA: System Chief Quality Officer/ Professor of Internal Medicine/ Infectious Diseases, West Virginia University Health System/ School of Medicine
• Gabriela Andujar Vazquez, MD: Infectious Diseases Physician & Medical Director Infection Prevention, Dartmouth Health
• Sharon Wright, MD, MPH, FIDSA, FSHEA (SHEA Chair): Chief Infection Prevention Officer, Beth Israel Lahey Health      

“HIPAG brings together nationally recognized experts with deep experience across infection prevention, healthcare epidemiology, antimicrobial stewardship, public health, and frontline healthcare operations,” said Kathy Ward, RN, BSN, MPH, FAPIC, CIC President of APIC. “APIC is proud to help convene a multidisciplinary group of leaders whose expertise reflects the complexity of today’s healthcare environment and the urgent need for practical, evidence-based infection prevention guidance.”

“The selection of HIPAG members reflects a deliberate effort to ensure broad scientific expertise, frontline experience, and diverse perspectives from across the healthcare continuum,” said Lisa Maragakis, MD, MPH, FIDSA, FSHEA, President of SHEA. “SHEA is excited to partner with APIC in building a trusted expert advisory group that can provide timely expert input on emerging infectious threats and public health challenges and support alignment around evidence-informed practices that protect patients and healthcare personnel nationwide.”

Additional information about HIPAG will be announced in the coming months.

About APIC
The Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) is the leading professional association for infection preventionists with a mission to create a safer world through the prevention of infection.

About SHEA
The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA) is a professional society representing physicians and other healthcare professionals in the fields of healthcare epidemiology, infection prevention, and antimicrobial stewardship.