National Infection Control Week 2025: Bridging Gaps, Building Bridges
National Infection Control Week 2025 shines a spotlight on the people who turn policy into practice across Canadian hospitals and long-term care facilities. From infection control practitioners to team leaders and coordinators, the week honors the essential work of those who prevent infections, protect patients, staff, and visitors, and strengthen the health system’s resilience. The stories highlighted this year illustrate how frontline professionals bridge gaps in knowledge, practice, and communication to create safer care environments.
Meet the frontline leaders shaping infection prevention and control
Across regions, dedicated professionals are translating evidence into everyday actions. Their roles vary—from hands-on infection prevention to guiding facility operations—yet they share a common goal: to reduce infections and improve outcomes for residents and patients.
Michelle Groulx: Building capacity, one question at a time
As the Infection Control Practitioner at Portage District General Hospital for nine years, Michelle Groulx supports staff in understanding their role in infection prevention and control. “I know that I am making a difference when staff feel comfortable coming to me with their questions and concerns,” she says. Groulx emphasizes developing staff capability so they can find answers independently, while also learning from the insightful questions that arise over time. Her impact extends beyond the bedside—she notes that her insights influence construction decisions, guiding contractors on hoarding techniques to protect patients, staff, and visitors. Her work embodies the week’s theme of building bridges by connecting clinical care with safe facility design.
Krystal Irvine: Balancing complex care with evidence-based practice
Infection prevention and control specialist Krystal Irvine, who supports long-term care across the Interlake-Eastern Regional Health Authority, describes IPC as a field where one decision can ripple across residents and staff. She highlights strides aligned with this year’s theme: closing knowledge gaps through antimicrobial stewardship and practical tools. Irvine and her team created policies, decision-making aids, and quick-reference resources to help staff apply the right interventions, strengthening consistent, evidence-based practice across the region.
Funmilayo Oluwafemi: Bridging policy and practice across multiple sites
Funmilayo Oluwafemi serves as an Infection Control Support Associate for six long-term care facilities within Prairie Mountain Health. Drawing on years as a public health lecturer in Nigeria, she views the ICSA role as a natural extension of her commitment to disease prevention and health promotion. “Our presence across multiple sites ensures that infection control protocols are not only implemented but also adapted to the unique needs of each location,” she notes. Two-way communication with staff helps identify barriers—like workflow hurdles or supply issues—so small adjustments, such as repositioned hand hygiene stations or clearer signage, can boost compliance and safety.
Lynn Roberts Branconnier: Translating data into everyday practice
With a decade in infection prevention and control across several facilities, Lynn Roberts Branconnier emphasizes that IPC is about more than reminders to wash hands. Her work includes surveillance interpretation, audits, lab report reviews, policy development, education, and cross-team collaboration. “We translate the science of evidence-based practice into practical steps that everyone can follow,” she explains. The role is a bridge-builder, turning data into improved patient care and safety across teams and settings.
Jen Tomlinson: The detective work behind outbreak prevention
As Clinical Team Leader in Infection Prevention & Control at Health Sciences Centre, Jen Tomlinson brings 25 years of ICP experience to a role focused on policy implementation and staff mentorship. Outbreak investigations are described as detective work, combining microbiology, epidemiology, and human behavior. Tomlinson notes that much IPC activity happens behind the scenes—monitoring, planning, and prevention efforts designed to prevent issues from reaching patient care areas. Her leadership underlines the continuous, collaborative effort required to prevent hospital-acquired infections every day.
Amoy Thompson: Education, surveillance, and patient protection
Amoy Thompson, RN, MSN, CIC, serves as the Tuberculosis Infection Control Professional for the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority. For seven years, she has focused on developing and maintaining guidelines, training, hand hygiene auditing, and surveillance to lower infection rates and curb the spread of disease. Thompson stresses that strong IPC depends on education, clear communication, and interdisciplinary collaboration, ensuring policies are accessible to both staff and the public.
Why National Infection Control Week matters
Beyond recognition, the week emphasizes continuous improvement in infection prevention and control across care settings. The themes of bridging gaps and building bridges reflect a shared mission: to translate research into practical steps, tailor solutions to local contexts, and foster collaboration among diverse teams. When IPC practices become a routine part of daily work, the result is safer environments, fewer hospitalizations, and more confident staff who can focus on patient-centered care.
Looking ahead
As health systems navigate evolving infectious threats, the role of infection prevention and control professionals will continue to expand—from clinical oversight to cross-functional partnerships and system-wide resilience. National Infection Control Week 2025 celebrates not only the hard work of individuals but also the collective effort to keep patients, residents, and communities safer.
