"Enterprise Director, Infection Prevention and Epidemiology"

A cover letter is required for consideration for this position and should be attached as the first page of your resume. The cover letter should address your specific interest in the position and outline skills and experience that directly relate to this position.

The Infection Prevention and Epidemiology (IP&E) Director is responsible for designing, leading and maintaining the UMH infection prevention program that is consistent with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's recommendations, Joint Commission Standards, OSHA, MIOSHA and DOH regulations and current published literature in the field of Hospital Epidemiology. The IP&E Director will provide consultative services to all areas, both clinical and non-clinical (e.g., facilities, maintenance, laundry, environmental services, architectural and engineering services), for any designated healthcare facility, clinic, and healthcare service throughout the continuum of care, as well as to Executive Leadership. The IP&E Director is responsible for the strategic & operational direction, development and implementation of Infection Prevention programs and processes across the full continuum of care throughout UMH and provides leadership and direction for all projects targeting zero healthcare-associated infections with the goal of improving clinical outcomes, providing a safe workplace environment and reducing cost. This role will require travel across the state of Michigan. 

25% UMH-Enterprise IP&E Functions

• Develops and maintains an enterprise level IP&E subcommittee, responsible for coordinating IP&E functions across the enterprise; sharing data, policies, and procedures; and reporting to the Enterprise Quality & Patient Safety Committee.
• Centrally develops, implements, and assures a program for surveillance activities and documentation to reduce or eliminate the risk of infection.
• Develops and maintains a central program for water and air quality standards and resources across the enterprise.
• Collaborates with leadership at UMH sites to create alignment and efficiency across the enterprise on metrics, tactics, improvement activities, coaching, mentoring, and other development efforts.
• Develops and maintains a central system for data collection, aggregation, and reporting on infections and communicable diseases. Oversees the reporting of metrics and consistent benchmarking.
• Updates annual enterprise infection control plans which reflect state and regulatory requirements as changes are released, utilizing evidence-based guidelines and expert consensus.
• Identifies and prioritizes goals to minimize infection transmission. Conducts an annual review and routine interim progress report on annual goals, objectives, and performance towards established targets as documented in the system Infection Control Plan.
• Collaborate with IT leadership to ensure appropriate systems are implemented and optimized across the enterprise.
• Develop and maintain additional central functions as appropriate, including an enterprise NHSN group and a standardized IPSCP framework.

75% UMH-AMC Functions

• Responsible for the oversight of IP&E departmental operations, coordination and supervision of the Infection Prevention Specialists, Analysts and Coordinators
• Coordinates the work of the Infection Prevention Specialists (IPS) across the Academic Medical Center which includes surveillance, reporting of hospital-acquired infections (HAI), auditing of IPC practices, and educating employees about IPC
• Responsible for planning, directing, and administering the AMC-wide infection prevention and control program.
• Coordinates and directs programs designed to assess and review the prevention and control of healthcare-associated infections.
• Ensures compliance with applicable institution, state and federal regulations and policies related to infection prevention.
• Oversees the creation, implementation and timely revision of all UMH infection prevention policies at least every 3 years.
• Oversees the process whereby IP&E staff covers a 24/7 emergency IP&E pager: 30032
• Develops infection prevention strategies that address the risk of infection transmission between patients and healthcare workers, including policies and procedures for screening of healthcare workers for specific communicable diseases, investigation and follow-up of healthcare workers exposed to communicable diseases, and occupational exposures in collaboration with Occupational Health.
• Expert knowledge of current disease outbreaks and public health incidents (e.g., Zika virus, Ebola) including current, associated CDC practice guidelines and the UMH preparation and response to these events
• Demonstrates a high level of understanding of infection data reporting requirements mandated by CMS, TJC, NHSN, and other agencies
• Directs the analysis of data from the UMH electronic health record (Michart), Theradoc, reportable disease alerts for public health reporting, the Pathology system (Soft), Denominators for procedures (Michart), NHSN
• Directs departmental meetings (workgroup, staff, and leadership) and bi-annual departmental retreats
• Supervises employees and performs performance feedback and annual review
• Works with multiple Hospital Epidemiologists across the health system to plan the Infection Control Committee (ICC) Agenda, work product and annual report to the Executive Committee on Clinical Affairs (ECCA)
• Ensures IP&E expertise at various UMH Committees, including but not limited to: ICC; Emergency Management; Environment of Care; ARRC, OR Committee, Critical Care Committee, NHSC, Nursing Facilities Committee, Patient Safety Committee.

Required Qualifications

• Masters Degree in Public Health, Epidemiology, Nursing or other Healthcare-related field
• 5+ of experience of progressive infection control, infectious disease or epidemiology experience in clinical practice
• 5+ years supervisory, teaching and/or administrative experience, required
• At least 7 years of experience and leadership in Infection Control and Prevention
• Ability to travel across the state of Michigan
• Excellent Communication skills
• Supervisory experience in infection prevention and control
• Masters Degree in Public Health, Epidemiology, Nursing or other Healthcare-related field
• Certification in Infection Control (CIC) from the Certification Board of Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc
• Skilled with data analysis to inform care improvement and in developing robust measurement systems, with a proven track record in improving outcomes and leading interdisciplinary teams
• Collaborative leader who is able to use influence to engage diverse perspectives to better understand issues and develop practical, vigorous and impactful solutions
• Working knowledge of regulatory and accreditation requirements to assure program compliance across a large corporation with multiple sites
• Working knowledge of NHSN, CDRSS, EPIC "Bugsy" program

Preferred Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience of progressive infection control, infectious disease, or epidemiology experience in clinical practice
• 10+ years supervisory, teaching and/or administrative experience, required
• 10+ years of experience and leadership in Infection Control and Prevention