Staff news

Carla Alvarado, a research scientist at the Center for Quality and Productivity Improvement, received the 2003 Carole DeMille Achievement Award from the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology. Alvarado, who earned her PhD in industrial engineering this May, has been involved in infection control and patient safety throughout her professional career. Her accomplishments include an investigation of contaminated endoscopes that prompted the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to issue a nationwide recall of endoscope reprocessors; in addition, she has advised infection-control professionals worldwide, and more recently, she conducted studies on the ability of human-factors engineering to improve patient safety. Established in 1980, the award is named after Carole DeMille, a pioneer in developing the role of the infection-control professional and an international authority in hospital infection control.