Town Hall Meeting Speakers

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Speakers' Biographies

Brian Koll, MD, FACP, FIDSA

Medical Director and Chief of Infection Prevention, Beth Israel Medical Center, and Professor of Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine

Brian Koll, MD, FACP, FIDSA, is a nationally renowned and award-winning infection prevention expert. He has been featured on World News Tonight with Diane Sawyer and Dr. Richard Besser for successful efforts to control Clostridium difficile, as well as in a national public service announcement on this disease developed by the Peggy Lillis Memorial Foundation. Dr. Koll is a 2010 recipient of the “Heroes in Infection Prevention Award” from the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) and the “Board of Trustees Award for Quality and Patient Safety” from Continuum Health Partners, Inc. in 2009, 2010, and 2011. He was also awarded the “Infection Control Champion Award” from the APIC Greater New York Chapter 13 in 2008 and Long Island Chapter 38 in 2010.

Dr. Koll has received numerous infection prevention grants from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Public Health Research Institute, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the National Institutes of Health, and the New York State Department of Health.

Dr. Koll is a member of the New York State Department of Health’s Hospital-Acquired Infection Technical Advisory Workgroup and has presented numerous abstracts on sustained reduction of healthcare-associated infections at APIC, the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America, and the National Patient Safety Foundation. He is also the Medical Chairman for the Greater New York Hospital Association’s Infection Prevention Council.

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Susanne Salem-Schatz, ScD

Program Director and Improvement Advisor, Massachusetts Coalition for the Prevention of Medical Errors

Susanne Salem-Schatz, ScD, has directed healthcare-associated infection prevention programs for the Massachusetts Coalition for the Prevention of Medical Errors for the past four years. As an independent consultant in quality improvement (QI) and program evaluation, Dr. Salem-Schatz brings a unique perspective gained through 25 years of experience, including applied health services research with a focus on clinical practice improvement, work directly with organizations and learning collaboratives to facilitate process improvement, and evaluation of quality programs in health care. Her facilitation approach incorporates both traditional QI methods and strategies to engage and empower front-line staff.

Dr. Salem-Schatz holds a doctoral degree in health services research and policy from the Harvard School of Public Health. She has published in the area of practice improvement and clinical decision making in journals such as the Journal of the American Medical Association, Medical Care, Pediatrics, and the Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Safety.

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Chinyere Alu, MPH

Public Health Prevention Service Fellow assigned to the Division of Patient Safety and Quality, Illinois Department of Public Health

Chinyere Alu, MPH, is a Public Health Prevention Service fellow with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Alu is currently assigned to the Illinois Department of Public Health’s Division of Patient Safety and Quality, where her work focuses on healthcare-associated infections.

Prior to joining the Public Health Prevention Service, Alu served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Malawi, where she primarily provided health education and lead collaborations with the local hospital and community on projects addressing hygiene and sanitation, HIV/AIDS, and maternal and child health.

Alu obtained a master of public health degree in maternal and child health, with a certificate in global health, from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

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Eileen McHale, BSN, RN

Healthcare-Associated Infection Coordinator, Massachusetts Department of Public Health

Eileen McHale, BSN, RN, is an experienced registered nurse with a background in clinical care, patient safety, public policy, and infectious disease. A member of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health staff since 2001, McHale currently serves as the healthcare-associated infection coordinator.

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