The HAI/AR Team
- Sarah Lineberger, MPH - HAI Program Manager
- Shaina Bernard, PharmD, BCPS - AR Coordinator
- Rehab Abdelfattah, MD, MPH, CIC - Clinical Investigations Consultant
- Mounika Bazar, MPH - COVID-19 Infection Control Consultant
- Debra Bennett - HAI/AR Contract Manager
- Jessica Caggiano, MA, MPH - LTC Coordinator
- Andrea Chapman, MPH, CHOP, CIC - Regional Infection Prevention Coordinator
- Smrithi Chikkala, MBBS, MPH - HAI Training & Communications Assistant
- Kamel Frozanfar, MD, MPH, Epidemiologist - Multidrug-Resistant Organism (MDRO) Prevention Epidemiologist
- Victoria Geissinger, MPH - Antimicrobial Stewardship Data Analyst
- Carolyn Kiefer, RN, BSN, CIC - Regional Infection Prevention Coordinator
- Lindsey Lambert - HAI/AR Administrator
- Ryan Lohr, MPH - HAI Data Analyst
- Victoria Watson Nichols, MPH - Assistant HAI Data Analyst
- Taye Osunlalu, MPH - Antimicrobial Stewardship Epidemiologist
- Allison O'Rourke, MPH - MDRO Prevention Epidemiologist
- Laura Robertson - Administrative Assistant
- Angela Spleen, PhD - Infection Prevention Training & Communications Coordinator
- Emily Valencia, MPH - AR Epidemiologist
- Ginger Vanhoozer, BSN, RN, CIC, CCHM - Infection Prevention & Control Educator
- Emily Varvil, MPH - IPC Policy Research Specialist
Regional Infection Prevention
Northern Regional Infection Preventionist
- Scott Baumgartner, RN, BSN
- Alex Minero, BS
Northwest Regional Infection Preventionist
- Kayleigh Rehkopf, MS, CIC
- Holly Spindle, RN, BSN
Central Regional Infection Preventionist
- Wendy Fariss, RN, BSN, CIC
- Marsha Kemp, BS, RN, CIC, COHN
- Ann Seidel, BSN, RN
Eastern Regional Infection Preventionist
- Brandon Sutton, BS, LPN, LTC-CIP
- Dee Winston, MPH, CIC
Southwest Regional Infection Preventionist
- Cindy Chaos, MPH
- Melissa Hobbs, RN, BSN, CIC
- Sheri Ives, RN, BSN, MBA
Virginia Department of Health Contacts & Resources for Infection Prevention
Local Health Districts
Contact your local health department and ask to speak to someone in communicable disease control (such as the epidemiologist or communicable disease nurse) to report cases of disease, outbreaks, or ask infection prevention-related questions.
Office of Epidemiology
The VDH HAI/AR Program is housed in the Division of Clinical Epidemiology, within the Office of Epidemiology. These programs are responsible for monitoring the occurrence of reportable and emerging diseases or suspected outbreaks of illness, providing recommendations and guidance to prevent the spread of communicable diseases, and investigating outbreaks of disease and other public health emergencies.
- Epidemiology Fact Sheets
- Division of Disease Prevention
- Maintains a variety of programs to eliminate, prevent, and control disease, disability, and death caused by HIV/AIDS, viral hepatitis, other sexually transmitted diseases, and tuberculosis.
- Tuberculosis (TB) Control and Prevention Program
- For more information on TB in healthcare settings, click here to go to the Other Infections and Conditions page of the VDH HAI website.
- Division of Immunization
- Tracks trends in vaccine-preventable diseases; maintains the Virginia Immunization Information System (VIIS), the statewide immunization registry for the public and private sectors; manages the Virginia Vaccines for Children program; coordinates the Virginia Perinatal Hepatitis B Prevention Program; and runs the Virginia Adult Hepatitis B Initiative
- Also includes the Division of Environmental Epidemiology, Division of Pharmacy Services, and Division of Radiological Health.
Office of Emergency Preparedness & Response
The Office of Emergency Preparedness provides information on personal preparedness and facility preparedness for natural and man-made emergencies.
Office of Environmental Health
The Office of Environmental Health protects the public’s health by preventing the transmission of disease through food, milk, shellfish, water, and sewage in partnership with other agencies to protect the environment.
- Food safety – provides information on food regulations as well as foodborne disease data and food recalls.
- For questions about bed bugs, contact the Bedding and Upholstered Furniture Inspection Program.
Office of Licensure and Certification
The Office of Licensure
- Administers state licensing programs for hospitals, outpatient surgical hospitals, nursing facilities, home care organizations, and hospice programs;
- Conducts inspections to satisfy state licensure requirements;
- Investigates consumer complaints regarding the quality of health care services received.
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