Patti Koncur Named IAHCSMM Educational Specialist

The International Association of Healthcare Central Service Materiel Management has hired Patti Koncur, CRCST, CHMMC, ACE, a central sterile supply veteran and long-standing active IAHCSMM member, to serve as the associations educational specialist.

Under the direction of IAHCSMMs educational director, Natalie Lind, Koncur will assist in the development and implementation of professional educational programs, presentations, publications, and documents to advance IAHCSMMs mission and education-focused goals. In addition, she will be responsible for addressing education-related questions from membership, vendors and others, as appropriate; assisting with annual conference planning; supporting educational offerings through attendance at the IAHCSMM annual conference; reviewing continuing education programs; authoring educational materials; facilitating work groups and committees on various educational projects; and serving as an educational speaker, among other duties.

IAHCSMM has experienced tremendous growth, which has greatly increased our educational needs, notes Lind. We are very pleased to welcome Patti in this new position. She brings a wealth of experience and a very unique skill set, and I am confident that her expertise will enhance our current programs and enable us to better meet future educational needs."

Indeed, Koncurs qualifications make her a good fit for the new role. She has more than 30 years experience in healthcare central sterile supply, materials management and related fields, and most recently served as corporate director of central sterile processing for a large health system, performing technical responsibilities for CSSDs within a multiple hospital complex. Additionally, she facilitated LEAN Six Sigma projects that spurred widespread departmental improvements, and provided ongoing technical support to all clinical areas within the health system. In addition to numerous other CSSD-related and clinical roles, Koncur also has 20 years consulting experience in the field of CSSD, materials management and operating room systems, and 15 years consulting for healthcare industry product development, pre- and post-release product validation.

Her experience with IAHCSMM is equally extensive. She is a former IAHCSMM executive board member and past-president of IAHCSMMs Southern California Chapter, and currently co-chairs IAHCSMMs Professional Development Resource Committee. She assisted in the development of the Purdue/IAHCSMM Materials Management Certification Exam; was a contributing author and editor for the IAHCSMM Central Service Technical Manual, Seventh Edition, and the IAHCSMM Certified Healthcare Leadership Manual, second edition workbook and certification exam; and served as contributing author of IAHCSMMs Self-Study Series. She is also a widely published author in trade and technical publications, and is a well-respected and -recognized speaker at IAHCSMM annual conferences and other meetings geared toward CSSD, infection prevention and materials management.

The CSSD has become increasingly technical and challenging, and ongoing education is the cornerstone of success, says Koncur. I am so pleased to join IAHCSMMs Educational Department and play a part in getting pertinent information and educational resources out to CSSD professionals."