Loyola Honored for Study on Infection Prevention Initiative

Jorge Parada, MD, hospital epidemiologist and medical director of the Infection Prevention and Control Program at Loyola University Health System, will receive the Implementation Science Award at the annual meeting of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC), to be held June 27-29 in Nashville, Tenn.

The award, given annually, recognizes studies that represent a potentially significant contribution to the principles and practices of infection prevention. It will be given at the annual meeting of national practitioners of infection control. Parada was part of a team of infection prevention and control practitioners who led the project.

The study used techniques including just-in-time coaching and targeted solutions to improve protocols for preventing hospital-acquired infections. This is the third consecutive year that Loyola has won a major award at APIC.

“We admire Dr. Parada and Loyola’s dedication to the profession and to APIC,” says Tom Wieken, PhD, chair of the APIC 2015 Abstracts Sub-Committee.

Loyola University Health System is recognized internationally as a leader in infection control and prevention. Loyola is one of a few select hospitals who invest in universal screening of all inpatients for MRSA. Loyola was one of the first institutions to require all staff  to have mandatory flu shots as a condition of employment. Loyola was the only academic hospital to participate in a national C. difficile study and performs the most accurate testing for bacteria. Loyola also actively screens emergency department patients for HIV/AIDS as part of an ongoing research study.

Source: Loyola University Health System (LUHS)