About the Prevention Epicenters Program
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CDC’s Prevention Epicenters Program is a unique research program working to implement innovative strategies to improve healthcare quality and patient safety. CDC’s Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion (DHQP) began the Prevention Epicenters Program in 1997 as a way to work directly with a network of academic medical centers to address important scientific questions regarding prevention of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs), antibiotic resistance, microbiome health (gut bacteria), and other healthcare-associated adverse events.
Through the Prevention Epicenters Program, academic leaders in healthcare epidemiology can work together and with CDC to conduct innovative research designed to fill gaps in public health knowledge. The emphasis on multi-center collaborative research projects has been extremely valuable to the field. The Prevention Epicenters Program has successfully translated several arms of research into clinical best practices and published more than 175 articles in peer-reviewed journals.
In 2015, six Prevention Epicenters were funded to address gaps in healthcare-associated Ebola transmission. These sites were combined with five existing Epicenters that were concurrently conducting healthcare safety and quality research.
In 2016, CDC completed an additional round of funding, awarding $26 million to five Epicenters. These institutions will build on previous research and develop new prevention strategies, enabling doctors and nurses to better protect the health and safety of their patients.
There are currently 11 funded Epicenters:
2015–2018 Prevention Epicenters (Ebola-related research)
Goal
The overarching goal of the Prevention Epicenters Program is to work with academic partners to create new knowledge through collaborative research that leads to the prevention of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) and other adverse health outcomes.
History
Eight Prevention Epicenters were funded for three years in the initial funding cycle. To continue these efforts and support this critical research program, DHQP has extended the program through four additional funding cycles, with varying numbers of centers in each cycle. In recent years, CDC has funded five Epicenters.
The purpose of the Prevention Epicenters Program is to develop, implement, and evaluate the effectiveness of epidemiologically based strategies to improve healthcare quality and assure patient safety. Topics addressed include but are not limited to preventing healthcare-associated infections and stopping the spread of antimicrobial-resistant germs.
In 2015, six Prevention Epicenters were funded to address gaps in healthcare-associated Ebola transmission. These sites were combined with five existing Epicenters that were concurrently conducting healthcare safety and quality research.
In 2016, CDC completed an additional round of funding, awarding $26 million to five Epicenters. These institutions will build on previous research and develop new prevention strategies, enabling doctors and nurses to better protect the health and safety of their patients.
There are currently 11 funded Epicenters:
2016-2020 Prevention Epicenters
2015–2018 Prevention Epicenters (Ebola-related research)
2011–2015 Prevention Epicenters Program
- Chicago Antimicrobial Resistance and Infection Prevention Epicenter
- Cook County Health & Hospital System
- Rush University Medical Center
- Duke University Prevention Epicenter
- Duke University, Durham, N.C.
- Translation Prevention Research Epicenter
- Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, Wellesley, Mass.
- Southeastern Pennsylvania Adult and Pediatric Prevention Epicenter Network
- University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pa.
- Washington University and BJC Epi-Center for Prevention of Healthcare Associated Infections
- Washington University, St. Louis, Mo.
2006–2011 Prevention Epicenters
- Harvard University Medical School
- Ohio State University
- Rush University Medical Center
- University of Utah
- Washington University School of Medicine
2001–2005 Prevention Epicenters
- Harvard University Medical School
- Hunter Holmes McGuire VA Medical Center
- The Johns Hopkins University
- Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
- Northwestern University
- University of Iowa School of Medicine
- Washington University School of Medicine
1997–2000 Prevention Epicenters
- Harvard University Medical School
- Hunter Holmes McGuire VA Medical Center
- The Johns Hopkins University
- Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
- Northwestern University
- The Miriam Hospital
- University of Iowa School of Medicine
- Washington University School of Medicine
- Page last reviewed: November 18, 2015
- Page last updated: June 23, 2016
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