SEARCH Extended - Medical Director, Infection Prevention & Control

SEARCH EXTENDED – Medical Director, Infection Prevention & Control

University of Illinois Hospital & Clinics (UI Health) is seeking a full-time Medical Director, Infection Prevention & Control to join their team. This position provides medical expertise across all aspects of infection control, ensuring the highest standards of patient & staff safety. As a physician specializing in infectious diseases and a faculty member in the Infectious Diseases clinical section, this role leads infection prevention efforts through surveillance, outbreak response, policy development, and multidisciplinary collaboration alongside the director of infection prevention and control.

This role is responsible for leading institutional preparedness & response to emerging pathogens, pandemics, and high-consequence pathogens. This position leads, develops, and maintains a comprehensive IP&C program across the organization. This role involves collaborating with healthcare professionals, administrators, and public health agencies to ensure the highest standards of patient safety, regulatory compliance, & evidence-based IC practices.

• Serves as the key clinical leader in reducing healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) and improving antimicrobial stewardship.
  • Provide medical oversight and strategic direction for the infection prevention and control program, ensuring institutional alignment with best practices and regulatory requirements.
• With the director of infection prevention and control, execute the annual infection control risk assessment with input from all areas of clinical operations and develop the annual infection control plan, incorporating regulatory compliance and external reporting responsibilities.
• Supervise and mentor Associate Hospital Epidemiologists, ensuring their professional development and assigning them responsibilities that align with institutional infection prevention priorities.
• Stay up to date with changes in infection prevention regulations, guidelines, and best practices, ensuring institutional policies remain compliant and evidence-based.
• Alongside the director of infection prevention and control, oversee facilities-based surveillance and risk mitigation including legionella surveillance, air flow monitoring, and construction risk mitigations.

• Provide expert medical guidance on infection control policies, outbreak management, and emerging infectious diseases, requiring continuous engagement with clinical teams.
• Along with the director of infection prevention, ensure adherence to evidence-based infection prevention guidelines and regulatory requirements (CDC, CMS, The Joint Commission, OSHA, etc.).
• Participate in lab stewardship measures when they overlap with infection control priorities.
• Along with the director of infection prevention and control, monitor and report on staff compliance with infection prevention best practices, including hand hygiene and isolation precautions.
• Along with the director of infection prevention and control, work closely with risk management and occupational medicine to provide medical expertise regarding exposures, infections, and inadvertent failures of sterile or aseptic technique.

• Along with the director of infection prevention and control, ensure environmental hygiene practices align with infection prevention standards to reduce HAIs.
• Along with the director of infection prevention and control, support sterilization and disinfection best practices alongside the director of infection prevention and control and the Infection Preventionists.
• Along with the director of infection prevention and control, track and monitor MDROs, HAIs, and transmissible illnesses to identify trends and implement targeted prevention strategies.
• Along with the director of infection prevention and control, ensure appropriate isolation precautions for patients with infections to prevent transmission.

• With the director of infection prevention and control, oversee ongoing surveillance for HAIs, ensuring comprehensive…