perspectives
perspectives
By Carole W. Kamangu, MPH, RN, CIC
The Future of Infection Prevention Is Leadership in Action
When infection preventionists( IPs) embrace systems thinking, they evolve from managing risk to strengthening organizations and the communities they serve. That’ s exactly what has happened in my professional journey.
I was born in the Democratic Republic of Congo( DRC), a country where outbreaks were part of everyday life. Infectious diseases were everywhere and even the most dedicated and educated healthcare professionals struggled to save lives because the system itself was broken. Resources were scarce and even effective care could not overcome the fragility of the health infrastructure. Watching that shaped everything about how I see healthcare today. From an early age, I knew I wanted to help improve health systems, even before I fully understood what that meant.
When I came to the U. S., I initially dreamed of becoming a surgeon. But my love and eagerness for healing and caring for people led me to switch to nursing to accomplish that dream much faster. In my early days as a nurse, I learned the true meaning of impact and how limited that impact could be as I was focusing on one setting and one person at a time.
Even though I was helping people with joy and care, I could not shake the feeling that the system around me determined so much of what I could or could not do for them. That realization quickly brought me back to my first love: public health.
Earning a master’ s degree in public health opened the door to a broader kind of influence. Working as a nurse epidemiologist and disease investigator, I could help health systems fight infections at the population level. Around the same time, I co-founded a nonprofit and started serving on its board, where I gained firsthand experience in strategic thinking, problem-solving and systems-level leadership. I started to see how my work as a healthcare professional fits into a much larger ecosystem and how every role, every policy, every decision and process influenced outcomes.
That system-level awareness followed me as I initially started practicing infection prevention. Whether I was leading outbreak investigations, facilitating workshops or guiding quality improvement projects, I noticed my mindset had shifted. I was no longer just focused on compliance or surveillance; I was looking at the organization and the communities around it as an interconnected system.
One colleague once told me,“ You think like a leader and your focus as an infection preventionist is not so much in the day-today anymore, it’ s high level at this point. You can easily make the connection between different parts of the system and how they work well together. You can tell where public health should get involved, or when to call vendor partners, talk to the CEO, or bring them all together to help us address the problem at the source to improve how things work.”
That feedback surprised me. I had not yet realized that my skills and perspective had shifted. It made me reflect and I realized that I was experiencing a real change in how I approached infection prevention work. I was no longer focusing on individual compliance-based tasks but on understanding how systems influence outcomes beyond infection prevention.
The COVID-19 pandemic fast-tracked this evolution and made it more apparent globally. Infection control professionals became
central to decision-making, working alongside organizational leaders, advising on crisis and risk management and helping organizations adapt. It made it clear that infection prevention is not just an operational role; it is a leadership function that requires strategic insight. Infection preventionists sit at a unique intersection between clinical teams, administration, public health, and, in my case, also business.
As I continued to grow in my career, pursuing an MBA strengthened that systems-thinking mindset even further. It was not about changing professions but more about deepening my perspective. Business principles like strategic planning, resource optimization, and systems alignment turned out to be just as valuable in healthcare as they are in other corporate settings. Diverse skillsets, whether in leadership, business or communication, equip IPs to achieve lasting change. When IPs broaden their understanding of how systems function, they are better positioned to protect both people and organizations.
Today, I see infection prevention as leadership in action and not just a checklist of regulatory compliance tasks to fulfill. IPs are connectors, problem-solvers and strategists. And to truly protect their organizations in the long term, healthcare leaders must empower them to:
1. See the system, not just the checklist. Every infection metric is a signal of how the system performs.
2. Lead through collaboration. IPs have the ability to influence multiple departments and entire health systems. That is a strategic advantage for any organization that leverages it.
3. Think like strategists and act like leaders. The IP’ s daily work influences culture, policy and, when implemented effectively, leads to system resilience.
The future of healthcare depends on leaders who invite infection preventionists to work alongside them to think systemically, collaborate across silos and approach their work as part of a larger mission to strengthen their organizations. By strengthening systems, they not only help prevent infections but also help build respected organizations that stand out and build stronger communities.
For Infection control professionals interested in strengthening their ability to engage leadership and align infection prevention with organizational priorities, I’ ve developed an executive brief that explores practical strategies for building those conversations. Learn more at https:// www. dumontelhealthcareconsult. com / executive-brief
Carole W. Kamangu is a nurse epidemiologist, health system & infection prevention strategist, and CEO of Dumontel Healthcare Consulting. With more than 15 years of experience across healthcare, public health, and the nonprofit sector, she helps healthcare executives and public health leaders design cost-effective, resilient systems that strengthen workforce sustainability, reduce harm, and align infection prevention with enterprise strategy. Her work has supported more than 33 percent in infection reduction, more than $ 1.1 million in cost savings, and helped achieve Magnet recognition for healthcare organizations. She leads the CBIC‐approved Powerful IP™ Coaching Program that supports organizations through the leadership training of their early-career infection preventionists.
8 • www. healthcarehygienemagazine. com • march-april 2026