by Christina Crowe

Megan Amerson-Brown, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Laboratory Medicine, has been named a member of the board of directors of the Certification Board of Infection Control and Epidemiology, the top infection prevention and epidemiology professional organization in the world.

The board position is effective January 2023 and runs four years. Within the board of directors she will serve on the test committee, evaluating test questions and content, and the finance committee.

“It is a privilege to be chosen for the CBIC board of directors, where I can use my experience and expertise to improve and direct the certification process for infection preventionists and advocate for infection prevention and control programs to maintain high standards through certification and structured continuing education,” Amerson-Brown says. 

The CBIC board of directors is a multidisciplinary board that provides direction for and administers the certification process for professionals in infection control and applied epidemiology. The board works to: increase stakeholders’ and influencers’ knowledge and recognition of the value of verified infection prevention competency; collaborate with partners to expand CBIC’s reach and capabilities in furtherance of its mission, including regulation, advocacy, education, and research; and build and share the fact base that demonstrates the benefits of competency assessment in preventing healthcare infections.

"Straight out of fellowship, Megan has already made a tremendous impact at UAB spearheading several initiatives in the Microbiology lab and working with Infection Prevention to optimize surgical culture processing, decrease blood culture contamination rates, and improve patient safety on multiple fronts," says Sixto Leal, M.D., Ph.D., Associate Professor and Associate Director, Laboratory Medicine and Director of the SEBLAB. "Her unique combination of clinical microbiology and infection prevention expertise makes her a perfect fit to serve on the CBIC Board of Directors."