Meet Infection Control Today's Editorial Board Member: Isis Lamphier, MPH, CIC

Introducing the Infection Control Today's (ICT's) Editorial Board members—a diverse group of professionals dedicated to advancing infection prevention and control practices. This series highlights each member's unique expertise and contributions to the field.

From groundbreaking research to innovative strategies, these experts are at the forefront of enhancing health care safety. Join us as we learn their insights, experiences, and visions for the future, providing valuable knowledge and inspiration to elevate infection control protocols.

In this installment, we hear from Isis Lamphier, MPH, CIC, the manager of infection prevention and control for Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Florida.

Isis Lamphier, MPH, CIC: Hello, everyone. My name is Isis Lamphier, and currently, I am the manager of infection prevention and control at Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Florida. I'm also a member of the editorial advisory board for Infection Control Today^® (ICT^®). I started writing for ICT about 2 years ago, and I've been on the editorial advisory board now for a little bit over a year. I also serve as a contributing editor.

I heard about ICT while I needed help with some infection control-related topics. I remember reading several helpful articles. I've been subscribed to the magazine for several years now, and it has helped me in my journey as an infection preventionist.

I began my journey as an infection preventionist after graduating with a master of public health and epidemiology from the University of Florida. I first started working at the Department of Health, where I was an epidemiologist for a little under a year during the COVID-19 pandemic. Then I transitioned to a long-term care facility where I was a sole infection prevention control officer and managed a long-term care facility with 117 beds. After that, I transitioned to working at a comprehensive cancer center, which has several different buildings in the Tampa Bay area where we provide cancer care to our patients.

ICT: What emerging trends do you see currently in infection control?

IL: The emerging trend that I see for infection control is artificial intelligence. We've seen a lot of new technology emerging that will be useful for infection preventionists to incorporate into their day-to-day work, and will help, hopefully, help with disease management, as well as identifying important infections by reviewing culture results. We also are seeing different infections that are becoming more prevalent, such as measles, and I see a lot of these vaccine-preventable illnesses emerging in the United States. So, there has been a greater emphasis on these infections in the infection preventionist workday.

There are also newer technologies that are very helpful for infection preventionists that continue to emerge, such as UV technology to disinfect rooms after they have been cleaned by an [environmental service] technician.

New hand hygiene products have also entered the market, and these products help track hand hygiene compliance in facilities. They can be incorporated into the infection preventionist workflow and into different shifts that an infection preventionist may not be on-site to cover, such as the night and weekend shifts. Other hand hygiene products, such as electronic reminders that go outside patient doors and are being incorporated into hospitals to remind staff, lights, or different sounds that will play after a health care worker performs hand hygiene.

ICT: What topics would you like to see covered in ICT in the remainder of the year?

IL: My favorite topics are always related to emerging infections. So, I would like to continue to see those, especially newer ones such as mpox, and a lot of our vector-borne illnesses, which are also very interesting to me. I would also continue to like to see cleaning and disinfection ones that cover instructions for use because that is a big part of an infection preventionist workday, ensuring that the instructions for use are followed closely by staff.

I would also like to read more articles about infection preventionists who do not work in the traditional hospital setting, such as those working in long-term care facilities, the government and public health agencies, and the tourism industry. Those are always very interesting, especially because I work at a hospital. So, I would like to see what it's like to be an infection preventionist in a different setting.

If you're not already subscribed to ICT, make sure that you are subscribed. You can either read ICT online or get a print edition sent to your home. The print edition is available every 2 months, and here are some copies I have that have recently come out [Lamphier shows her copies]. I love reading the edition online and having a physical edition because I love seeing the pictures up close and reading all the articles written by different authors from ICT and our editorial advisory board. So, make sure that you subscribe to ICT.

(Quotes have been lightly edited for clarity.)