2011 - NIH Clinical Center - National Institutes of Health

DECKER LECTURE COMBATS MYTHS AROUND HOSPITAL-ACQUIRED INFECTIONSThe seventh in a series honoring NIH leaders inclinical teaching, the 2010 John Laws Decker MemorialLecture in June, highlighted the work of Dr.Tara Palmore, deputy hospital epidemiologist at theClinical Center and staff clinician at the NationalInstitute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Palmoreis the recipient of the NIH Fellows Committee’s2009 Distinguished Clinical Teacher Award.Palmore’s lecture,“Hospital Infections: Rumors andReality,” addressed common misconceptions abouthospital-acquired infections, an area of interest ofthe NIH community evidenced by the crowd atLipsett Amphitheater.Hospital-acquired infections—which affect nearly2 million people a year and kill an estimated99,000—come at a serious cost, economically,and socially, Palmore said.“An intangible but extremely important consequenceof hospital infections is a loss of publicconfidence in the health-care system, which allowsthese infections to occur in a place where peoplego to get well,” she said.Palmore refuted the misconception that “hospitalinfections are bound to happen” and explainedways health-care professionals can prevent and treatinfections. Palmore discussed the CC policy ofmandatory flu vaccination for patient-care staff.“The reality is that flu vaccination of health-careworkers saves patient lives,” she said.Palmore discussed strategies to prevent or terminatethe transmission of infection and encouraged lectureattendees to always consider the possibility ofan outbreak until proven otherwise and to avoidviewing single infections as isolated incidentsor coincidences.“Hospital infections should not be accepted as anormal part of patient care,” she said.“We aren’tgoing to get certificates for having clean hands,but preventing infections is really its own reward.”Palmore came to the NIH in 2001 as an infectiousdisease fellow after completing her medical degreeat the University ofVirginia School of Medicineand residency at NewYork-Presbyterian/WeillCornell Medical Center. She joined the NIH staffin 2005 and became deputy hospital epidemiologistin 2007. Palmore directs development, organization,and implementation of the CC infection controlprogram.The annual lecture is presented in memory offormer CC Director Dr. John Laws Decker, whodied in 2000. He served as director of the CCand as NIH associate director for clinical carefrom 1983 until 1990, after which he was namedscientist emeritus.Dr. Tara Palmore presentedthe 2010 John Laws DeckerMemorial Lecture.Doppman imaging lecture presents “The Evolution of PET”Radiology and Imaging Sciences hosted the 10th annual John DoppmanMemorial Lecture for Imaging Sciences on October 27, 2010.Dr. Carolyn Cidis Meltzer,William P.Timmie Professor and Chair ofRadiology, as well as associate dean for research at Emory University School ofMedicine, was the speaker. She is also director of the Emory Center for SystemsImaging.Meltzer spoke on “The Evolution of PET: Images of Progress.”The Doppman lecture is held in honor of the late chief of the CC’sformer Diagnostic Radiology Department.Dr. David Bluemke, directorof CC Radiology and ImagingSciences, with CarolynCidis Meltzer, who presentedthe 10th John DoppmanMemorial Lecture for ImagingSciences.ANNUAL REPORT 2011 • 19