Adherence to infection prevention and control practices is essential to providing safe and highquality patient care across all settings where healthcare is delivered.”
The Path Forward
It’ s time to stop treating infection prevention as a tactical role and start recognizing it as a strategic imperative. Health systems must create formal leadership pathways for IPs— from director roles with cross-departmental influence to system-level VP and C-suite positions. Executive search firms, board governance committees, and healthcare administrators must reconsider the competencies they prioritize— and broaden their lens beyond the traditional RN or operations track.
To be clear, this is not a call for symbolic inclusion. It’ s a call for strategic realignment.
Importantly, accrediting agencies are already speaking loudly to this shift. The Joint Commission’ s updated infection prevention and control( IPC) standards emphasize that:“ Adherence to infection prevention and control practices is essential to providing safe and high-quality patient care across all settings where healthcare is delivered.”( Source: Centers for Disease Prevention and Control’ s Core Infection Prevention and Control Practices for Safe Healthcare Delivery in All Settings)
This language makes it unambiguous: IPC is not a siloed, clinical afterthought, it is a core operational function that underpins organizational safety, quality, and patient outcomes. By reframing IPC as enterprise-level, accrediting bodies are
signaling that IPs have not only a seat at the table, but a voice in every operational decision.
Additionally, provisions such as IC. 05.01.01 EP-1 and EP-2 explicitly assign responsibility for infection prevention programs to the governing body, requiring structures, resources, and support commensurate with other major operational priorities.( Source: Joint Commission R3 Report.) These are not suggestions, they are mandates. It’ s incumbent on healthcare systems to mirror this in their leadership architecture.
Infection preventionists bring a rare blend of clinical insight, public health perspective, and systems thinking. We are accustomed to leading through complexity, negotiating across silos, and delivering measurable outcomes. We are not only ready for the C-suite, we’ re overdue for it.
Deborah Ellis, PhD, MS, MT( ASCP), CIC, LTC-CIP, CPHQ, FACHE, is the system director of infection prevention and control at Alameda Health System in California. With extensive experience in infection prevention, she brings a microbiology-based lens to healthcare epidemiology and system-level risk management. A fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives and a graduate of UCLA’ s Executive Education program, Ellis is passionate about advancing IP leadership in health system governance. She is also a national consultant and advocate for equity in infection prevention leadership pathways.
Launch Control. Prevent Infection.
In an era of evolving pathogens, complex systems, and heightened accountability, infection prevention demands precision and foresight. Whether you’ re advancing IPC-clinical operations, launching IPC-centric devices, or refining stewardship goals— IPC Launch bridges evidence-based practice with strategic execution.
With 20 + years of experience in hospital epidemiology, outbreak response, and IPC education, IPC Launch, founded by Dr. Ericka Kalp, PhD, MPH, CIC, FAPIC, provides expert guidance to:
• Design and optimize IPC programs
• SMART goal alignment, ICAR assessments, and regulatory readiness for hospitals, clinics, and LTCFs
• Support medical device development and launch
• Risk assessments, compliance consulting, and go-to-market strategy for IPC-related technologies
• Deliver tailored education and training
• On-site and remote programs for healthcare workers and industry teams
• Partner in strategic alliances
• Lead outbreak response and containment, rapid consultation, epidemiological trend analysis, and operational recovery planning
• Speaking engagements, product promotion, and stakeholder networking for IPC innovators
Learn more at ipclaunch. com
Schedule a consultation: contact @ ipclaunch. com( 717) 462-7909
Why IPC Launch? ✔️ All consultants are CIC-certified with advanced degrees ✔️ Proven experience across acute care, ambulatory, dental, and public health settings ✔️ Flexible support: project-based, hourly, or fixed-fee models ✔️ 24 / 7 rapid response availability for urgent IPC needs