There is a reason we like to open windows or get outside for some “fresh air.” Air quality and ventilation are a big deal when we try to stop the spread of viruses that can travel in the air. It can be daunting and scary, but fear not, because Dr. Hilary Babcock and Kate Gase, infection preventionist, break down the science of airborne and droplet disease transmission. In this episode, they inform us on the factors that determine how infectious a virus or bacteria may be given various environmental factors. They emphasize the importance of following what science tells us about preventing the spread of diseases.
Hosted by:
Silvia Quevedo
“There is not one single thing when we talk about how infectious or how contagious or how easily spread a pathogen may be.”
Dr. Hilary Babcock, MD, MPH
Dr Hilary Babcock is a Professor of Medicine in the Infectious Diseases division at Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis and Medical Director of the Infection Prevention and Epidemiology Consortium and Occupational Infection Prevention for BJC HealthCare, a multi-hospital system in St Louis. She is also an associate hospital epidemiologist at Barnes Jewish Hospital.
She is a fellow of the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) and the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA). She is the immediate past-President of SHEA. She has been a member of HICPAC (CDC’s Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee) since 2013 and is currently co-chair of the committee. She is a CDC funded investigator studying healthcare associated infections and respiratory viral infections in healthcare settings.
Kathleen Gase, MBA, MPH, FAPIC, CIC
Kathleen (Kate) Gase is the Director of Patient Safety, Quality and Care Coordination at Barnes-Jewish St. Peters and Progress West Hospitals in the St. Louis, MO area. She has previous work experience with BJC HealthCare, the New York State Department of Health and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. Kate earned her undergraduate degree at Washington University in St. Louis, her Master’s in Public Health at Hunter College in New York City, and returned to Wash U to complete her MBA. She is certified in Infection Prevention and Epidemiology, a Fellow of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) and is currently serving on the APIC Board of Directors.
