ASHE recognizes UCI Health infection prevention expert Linda L. Dickey with President’s Award

July 17, 2019

The American Society for Health Care Engineering (ASHE) of the American Hospital Association has bestowed its President’s Award on Linda L. Dickey, RN, MPH, senior director of epidemiology and infection prevention for UCI Health. The ASHE President’s Award is presented at the discretion of the sitting ASHE president to an individual who goes above and beyond to optimize the health care physical environment. 

The award was presented this week during the society’s 56th Annual Conference and Technical Exhibition in Baltimore, MD.

“Linda, in her leadership roles in the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) has not only addressed many challenges in her own profession, but through her collaborative nature has extended her talent and knowledge to supporting ASHE’s mission as well,” said ASHE President Dean M. Pufahl, CHFM, CHC. “Linda is a great example of an exceptional individual who has given her time and expertise to create a better-built environment for our patients.”

Dickey’s background includes direct nursing experience in adult critical care and more than 20 years of experience in epidemiology & infection prevention, with recent experience in quality and patient safety.

She has worked as an infection preventionist in both Florida and California, serving as president-elect for the Florida Professionals in Infection Control, treasurer for the California APIC Coordinating Council and president for her local Orange County APIC chapter. She currently serves as a director on the national APIC board.

Since 2004, Dickey has spoken at numerous events, including APIC chapter meetings and national conferences. She has also represented APIC on the FGI Guidelines and with ASHRAE 188, which published a new standard in 2016 for Legionella management. Dickey has been a faculty member for the American Society for Health Care Engineering since 2006, speaking nationally and internationally on health care design, construction and most recently, water management plan development. In addition, she was the project leader behind a recently published CDC-sponsored infection prevention publication titled “Using the Health Care Physical Environment to Prevent and Control Infection.” 

For more information on ASHE awards, visit www.ashe.org/about/awards.

About ASHE: ASHE is a professional membership group of the American Hospital Association. More than 12,500 members rely on ASHE as a key source of professional development, industry information and advocacy, including representation on key issues that affect their work in the physical health care environment. For more information about ASHE, visit www.ashe.org.

UCI Health comprises the clinical enterprise of the University of California, Irvine. Patients can access UCI Health at primary and specialty care offices across Orange County and at its main campus, UCI Medical Center in Orange, California. The 417-bed acute care hospital provides tertiary and quaternary care, ambulatory and specialty medical clinics, and behavioral health and rehabilitation services. UCI Medical Center features Orange County’s only National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center, high-risk perinatal/neonatal program and American College of Surgeons-verified Level I adult and Level II pediatric trauma center and regional burn center. It is the primary teaching hospital for the UCI School of Medicine. UCI Health serves a region of nearly 4 million people in Orange County, western Riverside County and southeast Los Angeles County. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter.