The ICHE Podcast

The ICHE Podcast
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  • Science

Welcome to the ICHE Podcast! Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology (ICHE) is the flagship journal for the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA). In each episode of The ICHE Podcast, we speak with the authors of articles that have recently been published in ICHE. Join us as we discuss the latest research and hottest topics in infection prevention, antimicrobial stewardship, and healthcare epidemiology.

  1. Aug 28

    Episode 71: Bringing Antimicrobial Stewardship Expertise to Rural Hospitals Through Telehealth

    Based on the 2019 NHSN Annual Hospital Survey, the CDC reported that 79.5% of critical access hospitals met all seven of the CDC’s Core Elements of Antimicrobial Stewardship Programs, compared to 92% of general acute care hospitals. Similarly, 82% of hospitals with 50 beds or fewer met all the core elements, as compared to 96% of those with more than 200 beds. In this episode of The ICHE Podcast, Dr. Dave Calfee speaks with three people who have been working to reduce these disparities in antimicrobial stewardship in small rural hospitals. They discuss this important issue and two papers that were published in the July 2026 issue of ICHE. Dr. Calfee is joined by Dr. Chelsea Chambers, an inpatient clinical pharmacy specialist at the James E. Van Zant VA Medical Center in Altoona, Pennsylvania; Dr. Julia Wasser, a clinical pharmacy specialist, inpatient program manager, and Pharmacy Residency Program director at the James E. Van Zant VA Medical Center; and Dr. Robin Jump, Associate Scientific Director of the Cleveland VA Medical Education and Research Foundation and a research physician at the VA Northeast Ohio Healthcare System. Links and Recommendations: Recommendations made and accepted by a telehealth-enabled Antimicrobial Stewardship program implemented at rural veterans affairs medical centers: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/infection-control-and-hospital-epidemiology/article/recommendations-made-and-accepted-by-a-telehealthenabled-antimicrobial-stewardship-program-implemented-at-rural-veterans-affairs-medical-centers/659F70C4B84BB0EC62C6A5876A7ECE19#article Staffing and workflow of an interactive telehealth Antimicrobial Stewardship program with the Veterans Health Administration: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/infection-control-and-hospital-epidemiology/article/staffing-and-workflow-of-an-interactive-telehealth-antimicrobial-stewardship-program-with-the-veterans-health-administration/8764FF71B7A30A3702E0E01F10FFABDFDissemination and Implementation of a Telehealth-Enabled Program for Providing Infectious Disease Expertise in Rural Settings: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40860515/

  2. Jun 16

    Episode 70: Artificial Intelligence for Surgical Site Infection Surveillance

    In this episode of The ICHE Podcast, host Dr. David Calfee speaks with Dr. Daniel Morgan of the University of Maryland School of Medicine and Dr. Jorge Salinas of Stanford University School of Medicine about the use of artificial intelligence for surgical site infection surveillance. The conversation highlights findings from their recent studies evaluating AI-assisted approaches to surgical site infection detection, including considerations related to performance, limitations, and the safe use of protected health information.   “Generative artificial intelligence for surgical site infection surveillance”: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/infection-control-and-hospital-epidemiology/article/abs/generative-artificial-intelligence-for-surgical-site-infection-surveillance/7094A07CD043BD630DE3591AB2F01707   “Use of a large language model integrated within the electronic medical record for the evaluation of surgical site infections – Northern California, 2025”: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/infection-control-and-hospital-epidemiology/article/use-of-a-large-language-model-integrated-within-the-electronic-medical-record-for-the-evaluation-of-surgical-site-infections-northern-california-2025/F2AF14E965608BC25367474685DA3949#article   ICHE’s Artificial Intelligence Special Collection: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/infection-control-and-hospital-epidemiology/announcements/call-for-papers/special-joint-collection-the-role-of-artificial-intelligence-in-infection-prevention-antimicrobial-stewardship-and-healthcare-epidemiology

  3. May 19

    Episode 69: Reducing Bloodstream Infections in Home Infusion Settings

    In this episode of The ICHE Podcast, host Dr. Dave Calfee sits down with Kavita Bhavan, MD, Sara Keller, MD, MPH, MSHP, Deborah Lockard, BSN, MPH, and Sara Szathmary, BSN, RN, CNRI to discuss their recent publications in ICHE. The authors discuss what current evidence tells us about CLABSI incidence in outpatient infusion populations, why surveillance data remain limited, and the unique challenges healthcare organizations face when trying to monitor and prevent infections outside the acute care setting.     Featured ICHE papers  Hannum S, Marsteller J, Gurses AP, … Keller SC. Reducing home infusion CLABSI through a dashboard and toolkit implementation. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2026;47(5): 433-440.   Johnson K, Alvarez KS, Jaybanks A, …Bhavan K. Rates of line associated bloodstream infections in self-administered outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy compared to standard of care: 11 years of data at a safety net hospital. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2026;47(5): 533-535     Other relevant resources: Keller SC, Hannum SM, Weems K, et al. Implementing and validating a home-infusion central-line-associated bloodstream infection surveillance definition. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2023;44:1748–1759.   https://nhicpc.org/

  4. Apr 24

    Episode 68: Multidrug-resistant organisms and Candidozyma auris insights from the SHEA Research Network

    In this episode of THE ICHE Podcast, host Dr. David Calfee is joined by two authors from the April 2026 issue of ICHE to discuss current infection control practices and ongoing challenges in preventing multidrug-resistant organisms and Candidozyma auris in U.S. acute care hospitals.   During the conversation, Dr. KC Coffey and Dr. Sarah Sansom explain the rationale behind their studies, share key findings on current practices, and highlight the challenges hospitals face in their efforts to control transmission of these pathogens.   Articles discussed: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/infection-control-and-hospital-epidemiology/article/current-infection-control-practices-for-multidrugresistant-organisms-mdro-a-survey-of-the-society-for-healthcare-epidemiology-of-america-shea-research-network-and-affiliated-usbased-hospitals/F6250FE7353AB4B56C4323CDC7EB7843   https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/infection-control-and-hospital-epidemiology/article/candidozyma-auris-prevention-practices-in-the-united-states-insights-from-the-shea-research-network/681623BFF050669F472BB80F4DCB073F

  5. Mar 28

    Episode 67: Reducing Infection Risk in Hemodialysis Patients

    In this episode of The ICHE Podcast, host Dr. David Calfee speaks with Jose Navarrete, MD. of Emory University School of Medicine and Marin Schweizer, PhD. of the University of Wisconsin about infection risks among patients receiving hemodialysis, including common pathogens and factors that increase vulnerability. They discuss their recent research and share key findings, along with practical insights on how to improve infection prevention in hemodialysis settings.   https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/infection-control-and-hospital-epidemiology/article/trends-of-bloodstream-infection-incidence-rates-among-patients-on-outpatient-hemodialysis-national-healthcare-safety-network-20122021/3DC9CCED04161F16F274F12919DC3F7C   https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/infection-control-and-hospital-epidemiology/article/abs/survey-of-hemodialysis-patients-knowledge-of-their-infection-risk-and-acceptability-of-an-intranasal-decolonization-intervention/EA68F7DAB1D54174D633E1DE5EE38136

  6. Mar 3

    Episode 66: Bacterial Contamination of Sink Drains in Healthcare Facilities

    In this episode of The ICHE Podcast, host Dr. David Calfee speaks with Bobby Warren of Duke University Medical Center and Ibrahim Ahmed El-Imam of the University of Maryland School of Medicine about their recent publications examining sink drain contamination as a reservoir for gram-negative bacteria and other healthcare-associated pathogens.   "Evaluation of hydrogen peroxide-based foam disinfection for reducing gram-negative bacterial contamination in hospital sinks": https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/infection-control-and-hospital-epidemiology/article/evaluation-of-hydrogen-peroxidebased-foam-disinfection-for-reducing-gramnegative-bacterial-contamination-in-hospital-sinks/83B2F0FFD71D28FEE9C25311F2F6D82B    "Efficacy of a foamed disinfectant in reducing pathogen contamination in renovated inpatient in-room sinks: a randomized controlled trial": https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/infection-control-and-hospital-epidemiology/article/efficacy-of-a-foamed-disinfectant-in-reducing-pathogen-contamination-in-renovated-inpatient-inroom-sinks-a-randomized-controlled-trial/8BF1DC52E1B37AA2D186C41EF0EAA86C

  7. Jan 30

    Episode 65: Understanding the Association Between Routine Oral Care and In-Hospital Mobility with Non-Ventilator Hospital-Acquired Pneumonia

    In this episode of The ICHE Podcast, host Dr. David Calfee explores non–ventilator-associated hospital-acquired pneumonia (NV-HAP)—what it is, how common it is, and why it matters for patient outcomes.   He is joined by Dr. Barbara Jones (University of Utah) and Dr. Sheryl Kluberg (Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute and Harvard Medical School) to discuss key risk factors for NV-HAP and how preventable it may be. The conversation highlights practical prevention strategies, including the role of routine oral care and patient mobility.   Dr. Jones shares insights from her ICHE study evaluating the impact of an oral care initiative using electronic clinical data and diagnostic coding, while Dr. Kluberg discusses her research on the associations between oral care, in-hospital mobility, and NV-HAP. Together, they break down the study questions, methods, key findings, and real-world implications for infection prevention efforts.   This episode offers a concise, evidence-based look at how everyday care practices can help reduce the burden of NV-HAP in hospitalized patients.   Links: Jones, Barbara E., Alec B. Chapman, Jian Ying, McKenna R. Nevers, Shannon Munro, Michael Klompas, Amy L. Valderrama, and Daniel O. Scharfstein. “Evaluating the Impact of an Oral Care Initiative on the Risk of Non-Ventilator-Associated Hospital-Acquired Pneumonia Using Electronic Clinical Data and Diagnostic Coding Surveillance Criteria.” Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology 46, no. 12 (2025): 1190–98. https://doi.org/10.1017/ice.2025.54.    Kluberg, Sheryl A., Tom Chen, Rui Wang, Robert Jin, Laura DelloStritto, Dian Baker, Karen Giuliano, et al. “Associations between Routine Oral Care and In-Hospital Mobility with Non-Ventilator Hospital-Acquired Pneumonia.” Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology 46, no. 12 (2025): 1181–89. https://doi.org/10.1017/ice.2025.10245.

  8. 12/29/2025

    Episode 64: Multisociety Guidance for Infection Prevention and Control in Nursing Homes

    In this episode of The ICHE Podcast, host Dr. David Calfee speaks with the authors of the newly released Multisociety Guidance for Infection Prevention and Control in Nursing Homes. He is joined by Dr. Lona Mody, Dr. Deborah Burdsall, Dr. Susan Huang, Dr. Robin Jump, and Dr. Rekha Murthy to discuss the development, key updates, and practical implications of this comprehensive guidance.   Developed by SHEA in collaboration with APIC, IDSA, PALTmed, and the American Geriatrics Society, the guidance document updates the earlier SHEA/APIC guideline: Infection prevention and control in the long-term care facility published in July 2008. The authors walk through how the updated guidance reflects current evidence and lessons learned, offering a flexible framework to help nursing homes prevent and control infections while preserving the social, rehabilitative, and quality-of-life goals that are central to residential care.   Links for this episode: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/infection-control-and-hospital-epidemiology/article/multisociety-guidance-for-infection-prevention-and-control-in-nursing-homes/88B28E99CD7FDB3668DDAE9C3D2184A0

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About

Welcome to the ICHE Podcast! Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology (ICHE) is the flagship journal for the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA). In each episode of The ICHE Podcast, we speak with the authors of articles that have recently been published in ICHE. Join us as we discuss the latest research and hottest topics in infection prevention, antimicrobial stewardship, and healthcare epidemiology.

Information

  • Creator
    The ICHE Podcast
  • Years Active
    2019 - 2026
  • Episodes
    73
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 The ICHE Podcast
  • Show Website
    The ICHE Podcast

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