Libby Chinnes, RN, BSN, CIC, is an independent infection control consultant with IC Solutions, LLC, based in Mt. Pleasant, S.C. She has more than 25 years of experience in infection prevention and control. She provides consultation to infection control programs in assessment, problem solving, and training in acute-care, long-term care, ambulatory care, home care, and long-term acute care. She also serves as a consultant to healthcare industries. Chinnes has served in many capacities for APIC, and is a frequent speaker at APIC’s ICE I course for new practitioners and APIC’s annual national conference. She is published in the field and has lectured extensively on infection prevention and control topics throughout the United States. For the third consecutive year, Chinnes is a speaker at the ICT Conference on Professional Development.
Barbara DeBaun, RN, MSN, CIC has over 30 years of experience in the field of infection prevention and control. She is currently an Improvement Advisor for Beacon, the Bay Area Patient Safety Collaborative. In this role, she provides vision and leadership in the development, implementation and facilitation of performance improvement initiatives for the 40 participating medical centers in the Francisco Bay Area. Prior to joining Beacon, Barbara was the Director of Patient Safety and Infection Control at California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco. Before that she directed the Infection Control Programs at St. Mary’s Medical Center in San Francisco and the VA Hospital in the Bronx, NY. Barbara is a certified Infection Control Practitioner and holds a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Pace University in New York and a Master of Science Degree in Nursing from San Francisco State University. She is an active member of APIC, the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology. Barbara currently serves as a member of the APIC Annual Conference Committee, the APIC Education Committee and the APIC Abstract Task Force. She has lectured nationally and internationally on a variety of patient safety and infection control topics and has published over a dozen articles and several book chapters. In 2008, she was selected as Infection Control Today’s Educator of the Year.
Linda R. Greene, RN, MPS, CIC,
is the Director of Infection Prevention for Rochester General Health System in Rochester, N.Y., and has 20 years of experience in infection prevention and quality improvement. In 2005, she received the Healthcare Association of New York State Pinnacle Award for Quality for a project to reduce central line bloodstream infections outside the ICU setting. She received a 2006 Hero of Infection Prevention Award from the Association for Professionals in Infection Control Professionals (APIC) for initiating several programs with far-reaching impacts on patient safety.
She sits on several advisory panels including the New York State technical advisory panel for Public Reporting of Hospital-acquired infections and the Hospital Association of New York State's technical advisory panel for prevention of Ventilator associated pneumonia. Linda served as 2008 co-chairperson of National APIC'S Nominating and Awards committee. She is also a member of APIC’S Public Policy Committee and was lead author for APIC’S 2008 Position paper on Influenza Immunization of Health Care Workers.
She is former president of the New York State APIC Coordinating council and has served in various leadership roles at the chapter level including president, legislative representative and strategic planning chairperson.
She received her master’s degree in administration from Alfred University, and her bachelor’s degree from State University of New York.
Frank Myers III, is the director of clinical epidemiology and safety systems at Scripps Mercy Hospital and also directs infection control and safety and disaster management efforts on Scripps’ San Diego and Chula Vista campuses. Prior to coming to Scripps in 1994, Myers served as the AIDS surveillance officer for the state of Delaware. He is an accomplished speaker, making presentations at dozens of professional conferences throughout the country, as well as a prolific author of articles for professional medical and trade publications. He holds a master of arts in political science from the University of Delaware and a bachelor of arts in political science from the University of Pittsburgh. Certified in infection control, Myers is a champion of infection prevention and has sat for numerous interviews on the topic of infectious diseases with members of the media. He is a member of a number of organizations including the California Department of Health Services’ Healthcare-Associated Infections Advisory Committee, the San Diego County Medical Society Group to Eradicate Resistant Microbes (GERM Commission), and many more. In 2005 he was awarded National APIC’s Outstanding Chapter Leader, and in 2004, served as president of the California APIC Coordinating Council. He serves on the editorial advisory board of Nursing magazine, and is a reviewer for the American Journal of Infection Control and Nursing 2008. He was a speaker at the 2008 ICT Conference on Professional Development and has written articles for ICT magazine.
Shannon Oriola, RN, CIC, COHN is the department lead for Infection Prevention and Clinical Epidemiology at the Sharp Metropolitan Medical Campus in San Diego, California. She currently serves as APIC Board of Director and liaison to the APIC Public Policy Committee. She also serves on the California APIC Coordinating Council’s (CACC) Public Policy Committee, on the GERM Commission of the San Diego County Medical Society and has been appointed to serve on the California Department of Health Services SB 739 Healthcare-acquired infection Advisory Committee. She has practiced Infection Prevention and Control for thirteen years, has experience in Occupational Health Nursing and as a Safety Officer and is certified in Infection Control and Occupational Health Nursing. Shannon has lectured at the local, state, and national/international levels and has published several articles in infection prevention. She is recognized by the media as a resource for infection prevention having appeared locally on television and quoted nationally in magazine/ journals.
Suzanne M. Pear, RN, Ph.D,CIC is associate director for infection prevention practices within the Scientific Affairs and Clinical Education Department of Kimberly-Clark Health Care. Dr. Pear is a healthcare epidemiologist with extensive experience in clinical infection control practice and outbreak investigations. Her general area of expertise is healthcare- acquired infections and her special interests include surgical site infection, Clostridium difficile infection and device-associated infections. Dr. Pear is a registered nurse and obtained her bachelor's degree in Nursing from Long Island University in New York. She also holds a master's degree in medical-surgical nursing with an education concentration from the University of Arizona. Her thesis work investigated nurses' self-perception of hand-hygiene behavior. She subsequently obtained a doctorate degree in epidemiology from the College of Public Health at the same institution. Her dissertation work focused on the role of hyperglycemia in post-cardiac surgery infections. She has been certified in infection control and epidemiology (CIC) for more than 15 years.
Ann Marie Pettis has been an Infection Preventionist for almost 30 years. Presently she is the Director of Infection Prevention for the University of Rochester Medical Center. She has published in the American Journal of Infection Control and Infection Control Today and Outpatient Surgery. She has lectured both locally and nationally, most recently as a guest speaker in Tokyo, Japan. She served as past president of Western New York Infection Control Organization and Finger Lakes Chapter of APIC. She is also on the New York State Advisory Committee in Infection Control. In 2006 she received a national Chapter Leadership Award. Presently she is the Legislative Representative for her local APIC chapter, co-chair of the National Communication Committee, a member of the National APIC Nominating and Awards Committee and a an editor for Infection Control Today and Outpatient Surgery. Professionally she is most proud of assisting with the SARS outbreak at the “ground zero” hospital, Scarborough Grace in Toronto. Her proudest personal accomplishment has been raising four children aged 10-23.
Kathleen Roye-Horn, RN, CIC is the Director of Infection Control Services for Hunterdon Healthcare System in Flemington, N.J., with 20 years experience in infection control and epidemiology. She has been certified in infection control since 1990.Ms. Horn is a past-president of the National Certification Board of Infection Control and Epidemiology (CBIC) and currently co-chairs the National APIC Practice Guidance Internal Documents Committee. She has twice served as NNJ APIC President and is a founding member and faculty for the Northeastern Infection Control Course. She is a liaison to the NJ Department of Health and Senior Services and has served on many of their committees including healthcare licensure, emergency preparedness, mandatory reporting and latex allergy. She is also a member of her local United Way Board and, in her free time, is an avid birder.
Kathleen B. Stoessel, RN, BSN, MS is the Senior Manager, Clinical Education and Accreditation for Kimberly-Clark Health Care. Ms. Stoessel is responsible for the development and presentation of accredited education programs for healthcare professionals. As a member of Kimberly-Clark’s Scientific Affairs and Clinical Education Department, she serves as an internal consultant and is a professional speaker who presents nationally and internationally on clinically related topics. Ms. Stoessel received her Registered Nurse Diploma from St. Mary’s School of Nursing in Huntington, West Virginia; BS in Nursing from Salve Regina University in Newport, Rhode Island; and MS in Education from Memphis State University in Memphis, Tennessee.
