Meet the Experts

The Clean Hospitals International Expert Network was created in order to bring together the some of the most prestigious people in the world specialized in healthcare environmental hygiene. They support the Clean Hospitals vision, and collaborate with us on various projects and events.

Prof. Ojan Assadian

Prof. Assadian MD, MSc, DTMH is a professor of skin integrity and infection prevention at the University of Huddersfield, England
A medical director of the 840-beds Regional Hospital Wiener Neustadt , Austria and past-president of the Austrian Society for Infection Control, Austria
Areas of Research and expertise: epidemiology of healthcare-associated infections, wound infection, prevention of surgical site infection, antiseptics, and infection control aspects of hospital cleansing, construction, as well as antimicrobial medical devices

Prof. Mahmood Bhutta

Prof. Bhutta, MD is Professor in Sustainable Healthcare and Chair in ENT Surgery at Brighton and Sussex Medical School, UK
He works with the NHS (National Health Service), and international procurement organisations and NGOs, to foster better working conditions and reduction of environmental harm in healthcare supply chains, supporting reusable products over single use wherever clinically appropriate.
Areas of research and expertise: environmental sustainability in healthcare systems, labour rights in health supply chains, surgery

Dr. John Boyce

Dr. Boyce, MD was the director of Hospital Epidemiology and Infection Control at Hospital of Saint Raphael in New Haven CT, USA from 1999-2012, and at Yale-New Haven Hospital, New Haven, CT USA from 2012/2015.
He is now President of J. M. Boyce Consulting, LLC, Hyde Park, NY USA
Areas of research and expertise: hand hygiene, disinfection of surfaces in healthcare facilities, infectious diseases, IPC, healthcare epidemiology

Prof. David Calfee

Prof. Calfee MD, MS is a professor of medicine and population health sciences at Weill Cornell Medicine and the chief hospital epidemiologist at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center in New York, NY USA
Editor-in-Chief of Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology, a journal of the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America
Areas of research and interests: healthcare environmental hygiene, HAIs, AMR, and behaviour change

Prof. Philip Carling

Prof. Carling, MD is clinical professor of medicine at Boston University School of Medicine, USA
Director of infectious diseases and hospital epidemiology at Carney Hospital in the Dorchester Areas of Boston, USA
Areas of Interests and expertise: healthcare environmental hygiene, IPC, epidemiologically grounded computerized tools, infectious diseases,

Dr. Alessandro Cassini

Dr. Cassini, MD is the deputy cantonal doctor at Vaud Public Health Department and works at Infection Prevention Control Unit in Lausanne University Hospital
Areas of research and expertise: Antimicrobial resistance, Public health and health systems, HAIs, cost effectiveness of IPC interventions including healthcare environmental hygiene

Prof. Vincent Chi-Chung Cheng

Prof. Cheng, MD is honorary professor at department of Microbiology at the University of Hong Kong
Chief of service, consultant microbiologist and infection control officer at Queen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong
Currently serving as editorial board member of Journal of Hospital Infection, Infection Prevention in Practice, Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology, Antimicrobial Stewardship and Healthcare Epidemiology
Areas of research and expertise: air control, laundry, healthcare environmental hygiene

Prof. Nizam Damani

Prof. Nizam Damani is a senior consultant at Public Health Agency N. Ireland and a visiting Professor at the Sindh Institute of Urology & Transplantation Center, Karachi, and Ameer-ud-Din Medical College, Lahore, Pakistan.
He is a member of the Guideline Development Group at the WHO, Geneva, Switzerland.
He has written the book Manual of Infection Prevention and Control (4th edition), published by Oxford University Press and translated into several languages. His new book Mankind vs. Microbes will be published in November 2023.
He has won several awards, including Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for outstanding services and contribution to Infection Prevention and Control locally and to the World Health Organization.
Areas of research and expertise: Infection Prevention and Control, Clinical and Diagnostic Microbiology and Antibiotic Stewardship.

Ms Rose Gallagher

Ms Gallagher is a professional advisor in infection prevention and control at Royal College of Nursing, UK
Scientific advisor to the European Public Health Alliance (EPHA) on antimicrobial resistance and a member of the UK Health Alliance on Climate Change Executive Committee
Areas of research and expertise: sustainability in dentistry and healthcare, impact of procurement and use of consumables to influence sustainability in health and care settings

Prof. Darla Goeres

Prof. Goeres is a research professor of regulatory science and leader in the efforts to develop and validate biofilm standard test methods in the United States and abroad
Industrial coordinator at Center for Biofilm Engineering, Montana State University and ERA Chair, FEUP, University of Porto
Areas of research and expertise: development and validation of quantitative biofilm methods, biofilm reactor design, prevention or treatment of biofilm found in industrial or home environments

Prof. Georgia Gon

Prof. Gon is a researcher and assistant professor at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UK
Areas of research and interests: HEH in low-resource settings, water and sanitation, maternal and child health, healthcare environmental hygiene

Prof. Loreen Herwaldt

Prof. Herwaldt, MD is a physician and professor of internal Medicine, microbiology and immunology; research associate in infectious diseases and epidemiology at University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, USA
Areas of research and expertise: hospital epidemiology, infectious diseases, infection prevention

Prof.
Martin Kiernan

Mr. Kiernan is a visiting professor at Richard Wells Research Centre, University of West London
Conjoint fellow at the University of Newcastle and Adjunct Honorary Research Fellow, Avondale University (New South Wales)
Areas of research and expertise: IPC, healthcare environmental hygiene, guidelines, healthcare-associated pneumonia and urinary catheter-associated infection. Particular interest in wet and dry surface biofilms, biocidal formulations, product efficacy, cleaning efficacy and behavioural interventions

Prof. Axel Krämer

Prof. Kramer, MD is the head of the Institute of Hygiene and Environmental Medicine at the University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
Head of the Institute for Hygiene and Environmental Medicine at the Ernst Moritz Arndt University of Greifswald since 1990
A founding member and president of the German Society for Hospital Hygiene (DGKH) and a member of the Hospital Hygiene and Infection Prevention Commission at the Robert Koch Institute
Areas of research and expertise: hospital hygiene, environmental medicine for community medicine, theory and practice of hospital hygiene with a focus on antiseptics, evaluating innovations in the contexts of sustainability, future-proof development and resource conservation

Prof. Jean Yves Maillard

Professor of Pharmaceutical Microbiology at Cardiff University School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, UK
Areas of research and expertise: antimicrobials, efficacy, mechanisms of action, emerging antimicrobial resistance, sporicides, complex biofilms, dry surface biofilms, product delivery, design of efficacy test protocols that mimic real life applications
Chair of the British Standard Institute (BSI) CH/216/0-/01 group on antimicrobial hard surface
Chair of the TC330 working sub-group on bacterial resistance to antimicrobial surfaces
Director of Biocide Consult

Prof. Brett Mitchell

Prof. Mitchell is an Professor Avondale University and work at the Central Coast Local Health District in New South Wales, Australia
Editor in Chief of Infection Disease and Health; credentialed expert in IPC
Areas of research and expertise: Healthcare environmental hygiene, surveillance, urinary tract infection and pneumonia.
He has published many papers in the area of environmental cleaning and is involved in clinical trials in this area.
Involved in the development of many State and national guidelines around IPC
Has worked in IPC at various levels and in different countries

Dr.
Daniela Pires

Dr. Pires, MD PhD is honorary research associate and infectious diseases physician at the NIHR Health Protection Research Unit in Healthcare Associated Infections and Antimicrobial Resistance at Imperial College London, UK
Former research fellowship at the Infection Control Programme & WHO Collaborating Centre on Patient Safety at the University of Geneva Hospitals, Switzerland
Areas of research and experience: IPC, hand hygiene, HAIs and AMR

Prof. Tom Riley

Prof. Riley is a Professor of Microbiology at The University of Western Australia’s School of Biomedical Science, Australia
And a Senior Clinical Scientist at PathWest Laboratory Medicine, Western Australia’s public sector pathology service
He is a Fellow of the Royal College of Pathologists, the Australian Society for Microbiology, the American Academy of Microbiology, the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America and the Faculty of Science of the Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia
Areas of research and expertise: diagnosis, pathogenesis and epidemiology of Clostridioides difficile infection in human and non-human animals

Dr. Sara Romano-Bertrand

Dr. Romano-Bertrand is an associate professor of microbiology & infection control & prevention at Centre Hospitalier Université of Montpellier, and a researcher in the team ”Hydric Pathogens, Health & Environment” of HydroSciences Montpellier, France
Areas of research and interests: IPC, water control, microbial ecology, AMR, molecular microbiology

Prof. William A. Rutala

Prof. Rutala, PhD is a professor for the Division of Infectious Diseases at the University of North Carolina's School of Medicine, USA
Director and co-founder of the Statewide Program for Infection Control and Epidemiology
Areas of research and expertise: disinfection, sterilization, cross infection, health-care associated infections, outbreaks, antibiotic-resistant pathogens

Prof.
Sayed Sattar

Professor Sattar is Prof. Emeritus of Microbiology at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, and Chief Scientific Officer of CREM Co Labs, Mississauga, Canada
He is Vice chair of the Global Virus Network’s Task Force on public health and hygiene
His research expertise includes: indoor air quality, disinfection, hand hygiene and sterilization; influence of environmental factors on the survival and dissemination of pathogens through water, food, municipal wastes and animate and inanimate surfaces. He also studies the use of safe and sustainable technologies for interrupting the spread of viruses and other infectious agents in healthcare and other settings

Prof. Mark Sobsey

Prof. Sobsey is a distinguished professor and part-time research professor at department of Environmental Science and Engineering in University of North Carolina, USA
Areas of research and expertise: healthcare environmental hygiene, water control, point-of-use household water treatment, wastewater disinfection of pathogens, environmentally related antimicrobial resistance, microbial detection methods, water reuse and environmental health response to the COVID-19 pandemic

Prof. David Weber

Prof. Weber MD, is a professor of medicine, pediatrics, and epidemiology; associate chief medical officer and medical director, Department of Infection Prevention at University of North Carolina (UNC), USA
Advisor to the World Health Organization on COVID-19 and Mpox with a focus on environmental contamination and disinfection
Member, Hospital Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee, CDC (Chair, NHSN, working group)
Vice-President, Society for Health Epidemiology of America; Deputy Editor, Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology
Areas of research and expertise: HAIs, new and emerging diseases (e.g., COVID-19, Biothreats, Candida auris), vaccines, tuberculosis, sterilization/disinfection

Prof. Andreas Widmer

Prof. Widmer MD, is the former chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases and Hospital Epidemiology, and head of Hospital Epidemiology at the University Hospital Basel, Switzerland
Co-founder and president of the National Centre for Infection Prevention. Core member of the ‘patient safety’ program of the WHO
Areas of interests and expertise: healthcare environmental hygiene, control of multi-resistant pathogens such as MRSA, surgical site infections, in particular implant-associated infections, and C. difficile infections

Prof.
Jennie Wilson

Prof. Wilson is a professor of healthcare epidemiology at University of West London, UK
A lead author of the Epic guidelines for preventing HAIs in NHS hospitals

Areas of research and experience: prevention of HCAI, surveillance and data management, teaching and implementing infection control strategy, CAUTI, healthcare associated pneumonia, hydration, hand hygiene and use of clinical gloves

Prof. Shuk Ching Wong

Prof. Wong is Honorary Associate Professor at School of Nursing and Department of Microbiology at the University of Hong Kong
Senior Nursing Officer, Infection Control team at Queen Mary Hospital & Hong Kong West Cluster
Currently serving as course coordinator, Infection Control Course at the University of Hong Kong, and member of the Expert Committee on Antimicrobial Resistance, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China
Areas of research and expertise: hand hygiene, MRDO control, air control, healthcare environmental hygiene, outbreak investigation

Prof. Sasheela Ponnampalavanar

Prof. Ponnampalavanar is an infectious disease physician and head of the infection control department at the University Malaya Medical Centre and Professor of Medicine at University Malaya, Malaysia. She is a committee member of the Malaysian National Antimicrobial Resistance Committee and chairperson of the Malaysian Society of Infectious Diseases and Infection Control Infection Control Interest group

Areas of research and interest: Infection prevention and control of nosocomial infections, healthcare environmental hygiene, antimicrobial stewardship , MDROs, tropical medicine and travel medicine.

Dr. Marie-Céline Zanella

Dr. Zanella, MD is an infectious disease physician working as chief resident of Infection Prevention and Control Division at HUG – Hôpitaux Universitaires de Genève, Switzerland
Areas of research and experience: air control, healthcare environmental hygiene, viral respiratory infections, healthcare-associated respiratory infections
She is also a member of the Swiss Society for Infectious Diseases and European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases