Gina Pugliese, RN, MS (1948–2019)

With great sadness, we note the loss of Gina Pugliese, a founding editor of ICHE, long-term editorial board member, and committed contributor to SHEA. Throughout her career, Gina helped shape the practice of infection control, bringing innovation and leadership to the field. She was a prolific writer and educator, sharing her knowledge at >300 conferences in 21 countries, publishing >150 articles and 8 books, and serving as faculty of the Rush University College of Nursing and the University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health. She also served as an associate editor for the American Journal of Infection Control. Gina was a member of numerous national policy committees, providing congressional testimony for many regulatory initiatives. Most recently, she served as Vice President of the Safety Institute at Premier Healthcare Alliance, an organization with a mission to transform the healthcare sector.

Gina received numerous recognitions and awards for her contributions to her field, including Employee of the Year at the American Hospital Association, recognition by the Assistant Secretary of Labor for her work on bloodborne pathogen training for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, and the establishment of the Gina Pugliese Scholarship by The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA). She also received the Carol De Mille outstanding achievement award from the Association of Professionals in Infection Prevention and Control (APIC) and was named by Becker as one of Top 50 Experts in Patient Safety. Her gentle advice and tireless efforts to make healthcare settings a safer place for patients and staff will be greatly missed.