Sepsis Alliance HAI and AMR Conference 2026
Includes a Live Web Event on 12/11/2026 at 7:00 AM (PST)
Description:
Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) are increasingly interconnected threats that jeopardize patient safety, elevate healthcare costs, and raise the risk of infections progressing to sepsis. To address these challenges, the 2026 Sepsis Alliance HAI and AMR Conferencewill bring together experts from across the healthcare spectrum for a virtual event. Attendees will explore the latest evidence, technologies, and strategies in infection prevention, antimicrobial stewardship, and sepsis mitigation. Through expert-led presentations and practical insights, participants will gain a deeper understanding of both clinical and system-level approaches that drive safer, more equitable care.
Topics covered will include:
- Innovations in HAI prevention and surveillance
- Equity considerations in AMR and HAI outcomes
- The link between sepsis, HAIs, and antimicrobial resistance
- Antibiotic stewardship and leadership engagement
- Applications of technology and artificial intelligence in HAI and AMR management
The event will be offered as a free live virtual event with CME for physicians and contact hours for nurses awarded.
Learning Objectives:
At the end of this event, the learner should be able to:
- Describe the relationship between HAIs, AMR, and sepsis, and their combined impact on patient outcomes.
- Apply evidence-based infection prevention and control (IPC) strategies within diverse healthcare settings.
- Identify tools, resources, and stewardship practices that support responsible antimicrobial prescribing.
- Recognize emerging technologies and innovative approaches that strengthen HAI surveillance and AMR mitigation.
- Evaluate system-level opportunities, particularly for leadership and quality teams, to drive meaningful improvement in infection control and antimicrobial stewardship efforts.
Target Audience:
Nurses, advanced practice providers, physicians, emergency responders, pharmacists, medical technologists, respiratory therapists, physical/occupational therapists, infection prevention specialists, data/quality specialists, and more.
Agenda
December 11, 2026
| Time (ET) | Session Title | Presenter |
| 10:00-10:25 | Opening Remarks and Patient Story | Cindy Hou, DO, MA, MBA, CIC, CPHQ, FACOI, FACP, FIDSA, FAPIC Infection Control Officer and Medical Director of Research Jefferson Health - New Jersey Christina Cole Sepsis Survivor and Advocate; Founder Phoenix Health Compass and Phoenix Navigator |
| 10:25-10:55 | Keynote: The First Line of Defense Is What We Say: Transforming How We Talk About Infection Prevention and AMR | Elisabeth Marnik, PhD Executive Director; Chief Scientific Officer The Evidence Collective; Those Nerdy Girls |
| 11:00-11:30 | What's new in the world of urinary tract infections? | Payal Patel, MD, MPH, FIDSA Associate Professor of Infectious Disease; Medical Director of Antimicrobial Stewardship Intermountain Health |
| 11:35-12:05 | From Reactive to Proactive: Virtual Surveillance for HAIs and Sepsis Prevention | Fiona A. Winterbottom, DNP, MSN, APRN, ACNS-BC, CCRN, FCCM Manager, Virtual Critical Care Ochsner Health, New Orleans, Louisiana |
| 12:10-12:25 | Healthcare–Associated Infections in U.S. Hospitals, 2023 versus 2015 | Nora Chea, MD, MSc Medical Epidemiologist Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) |
| 12:25-12:40 | Break | |
| 12:40-1:10 | Danaher Sponsored Session: Diagnostic Excellence in Sepsis: Connecting HAI Risk Recognition, Rapid Diagnostics, and Antimicrobial Stewardship | Lucas Schulz, PharmD Medical Science Liasion Cepheid |
| 1:15-1:30 | CorMedix Sponsored Session: Decoding CRE: How Carbapenemase Testing Guides Optimal Care | Erin McCreary, PharmD, BCPS, BCIDP Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine |
| 1:30-1:45 | Break | |
| 1:45-2:15 | Patient Story | |
| 2:20-2:50 | Antivirals as Infrastructure: The Missing Pillar for Prevention of HAI and Sepsis | Amesh Adalja, MD, FIDSA Adjunct Assistant Professor John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health |
| 2:55-3:25 | Impact of Oral Care in Non-Ventilated ICU Patients on Hospital-Onset Bacteremia Secondary to Pneumonia | Elysse Gutierrez, MSN, RN, CIC Infection Preventionist Ascension Seton Williamson |
| 3:30-4:00 | Candida auris Update: Tracking the Shift from Colonization to Infection | Belinda Ostrowsky, MD, MPH, FIDSA, FSHEA Field Medical Officer Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion, Centers for Disease Control c/o New York State Department of Health Meghan Lyman, MD Acting Deputy Branch Chief Mycotic Diseases Branch, Division of Foodborne, Waterborne, and Environmental Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention |
| 4:05-4:35 | Advancing Hospital Antimicrobial Stewardship to Combat Emerging Resistance Mechanisms and Optimize Therapy | Thomas Lavoie, PharmD Senior Program Manager, AHA Funded Partnerships American Hospital Association |
| 5:10-5:15 | Closing Remarks |