CDC Director Dr. Julie Louise Gerberding Will Be Keynote Speaker at APIC National Conference in Phoenix, June 6-10, 2004

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) announces that Julie Louise Gerberding, MD, MPH, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), will be the keynote speaker at APIC's June national convention in Phoenix. Gerberding is also administrator of the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) and associate clinical professor of medicine (infectious diseases) both at Emory University and the University of California in San Francisco.

Prior to becoming CDC's director, Gerberding was acting deputy director of the National Center for Infectious Diseases (NCID), at CDC, where she played a major role in leading the agency's response to the anthrax bioterrorism events of 2001. She also addressed the myriad challenges at the onset of the AIDS epidemic in San Francisco, by providing compassionate care to infected patients and helped facilitate HIV transmission prevention research. Gerberding initiated the model for an HIV post-exposure hotline to provide immediate assessment and treatment for health care workers exposed to HIV via needle stick injuries.

According to Jeanne Pfeiffer, APIC's president, "Dr. Gerberding is recognized as one of the world's leading authorities in the field of infection control and epidemiology. Healthcare professionals and patients around the globe have benefited from her tireless dedication." Gerberding will address the issues of patient safety and the role of infection control in her keynote address.

Gerberding is a member of the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA) and is currently serving her second year as academic counselor on the board of SHEA. In the past she has served as both chair and co-chair of the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA); a member of NCID/CDC Board of Scientific Counselors; and a member of the CDC Advisory Committee on HIV Prevention, National Conference on Human Retroviruses. She has also been a consultant to NIH, AMA, CDC, OSHA, National AIDS Commission, US Congress OTA and WHO.

Gerberding has authored and co-authored more than 120 peer-reviewed publications and textbooks chapters. She also has contributed to the creation of numerous guidelines and policies on HIV prevention, post-exposure prophylaxis, management of infected personnel, and hospital infection control.

The Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) is a nonprofit professional association comprised of more than 10,000 members whose responsibility is the prevention and control of infections and related adverse outcomes in patients and health care workers. APIC promotes wellness and prevents illness and infection worldwide by advancing health care epidemiology through education, research, collaboration, practice and credentialing. APIC's vision is to improve the health of people worldwide by serving as the preeminent voice for excellence in the prevention and control of infections and related disease outcomes.

Source: APIC