6/15/2026 | 6:00 AM-7:30 AM
Hand Hygiene Under Pressure: Keeping the Cornerstone in Focus
Sustaining focus, resources, and momentum around the foundational practice of hand hygiene has become increasingly challenging in healthcare today where priorities compete for attention. This year, we’re turning the microphone over to those living in this reality every day: a panel of infection preventionists (IP) who are navigating limited resources and the operational pressures that shape day-to-day decision making and yet, are still prioritizing hand hygiene. Join this candid, peer-led conversation where our panelists explore: • What remains nonnegotiable and where flexibility and adaptation are possible and appropriate in hand hygiene practice • What is truly working in their hospitals--and what isn’t • How organizations respond when hand hygiene becomes less visible • How to address perceptions that hand hygiene is less critical due to low infection rates or competing priorities • The real implications when hand hygiene momentum slows Expect honest insights, practical strategies, and stories straight from hospital halls and IP offices. This session isn’t about theory. It’s about the lived experience of today’s IP workforce, and what it will take to keep hand hygiene at the forefront of today’s reality.
Jaimee Rosenthal
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Timothy Bowers
Vice President, Clinical Effectiveness, ChristianaCare
Tim Bowers is the VP of Clinical Effectiveness at ChristianaCare, where he is responsible for programs including infection prevention, patient safety and accreditation. He has worked in Infection for 14 years, a CIC for 12 years, and an inaugural Fellow in the Association for Professionals in Infection Prevention. Tim previously worked at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center as an IP, Inspira Health Network as a Director and Richmond University Medical Center in Staten Island as Vice President PI. Outside of his career in healthcare Tim has worked in a number of restaurants both as a server and in roles in the kitchen for nearly 15 years. Tim earned a BS in Medical Technology and an MS from USciences. In addition to advancing Infection Prevention he has worked to advance his leadership and leadership development for his team members the last 13 years and has served on local and national APIC committees.
Kimberly Atrubin
Director, Infection Prevention, Tampa General Hospital
Kimberly Atrubin MPH, CIC, CPHQ, FAPIC is the Director for Infection Prevention at Tampa General Hospital and has been in the department for more than 14 years. Prior to Infection Prevention, Kim worked at the Florida Department of Health in both Epidemiology and Environmental Health for nearly 5 years. In total, she has more than 19 years of experience in reviewing processes and providing recommendations for reducing infections. She has received her MPH in Epidemiology at the University of South Florida. She has been certified in Infection Prevention and Control since 2013 and certified in healthcare quality since 2017. She has reached Fellow status by APIC. She was a member of APIC’s Education Committee and was selected as an APIC policy writer. She enjoys collaborating with her local APIC chapter 55 colleagues. In 2021, Kim and her team received the APIC Heroes Award for their response to the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Megan DiGiorgio
Senior Clinical Manager, GOJO Industries, Inc.
Megan DiGiorgio has worked in infection prevention for 15 years. She received her bachelors of science and masters of science in nursing from Case Western Reserve University of Cleveland, Ohio and worked in pediatric nursing until she transitioned to infection prevention. She has served as president and multiple other offices at her local Association of Professionals in Infection Control (APIC) chapter, has presented posters and oral abstracts at national APIC conferences, and has been published in several infection prevention journals. Megan began working at GOJO in 2013. In her role at GOJO she helps counsel healthcare workers and healthcare facilities experiencing hand hygiene and skin health difficulties. She became a fellow of APIC (FAPIC) in 2016.