Christine Pate, MLS, MPH, CIC

Christine Pate is currently a Regional Infection Control Practitioner, and Consultant, with the Hektoen Institute and an Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) Grantee.

Collaborating with multiple state-level agencies and key stakeholders, Christine serves,

  • As a resource to local health departments to increase Infection Prevention and Control capacity through consultation and training in best practices
  • Aids Illinois healthcare facilities by supporting Infection Prevention and Control programs with implementing established federal and state standards
  • Develops state guidelines for Infection Prevention and Control programs in long-term care and congregate living settings
  • Performs comprehensive onsite and remote facility-specific assessments and outbreak investigations

Christine began her professional career as a Clinical Microbiologist in research and acute care pathology and laboratory medicine, serving for 12 years. She has now served as an Infection Control Practitioner for the last 11 years with community hospitals, major healthcare systems (quality management, regulatory, and patient safety), APIC Consulting, and currently public health.

Christine holds Board Certification in Infection Control (CIC) from the Certification Board of Infection Control & Epidemiology (CBIC), a Master in Public Health (community health science & epidemiology) from the University of Illinois at Chicago, and a Bachelor of Arts in Biochemistry from Olivet College, Olivet MI. ~premed.

As a highly driven healthcare scientist, Christine has proven clinical leadership, providing oversight to a full range of initiatives— exceeding quality benchmarks and performance goals. She has successfully led multi-disciplinary teams with the utilization of effective strategies to prevent healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) & patient safety events.

Regions: Cook County, Evanston, Oak Park, Skokie, Stickney, Grundy County, Kankakee County, Will County.

Contact: Christine.Pate@hektoen.org

 

Deb Patterson Burdsall, Ph.D., RN-BC, CIC, LTC-CIP, FAPIC

Deb Burdsall has worked in long-term care since 1974. She started as a nurse’s aide, and has worked as a staff nurse, nursing supervisor, interim director of healthcare services, MDS/care plan coordinator, wound nurse, quality assurance coordinator, and clinical in-service coordinator. Deb is board certified in infection prevention and control (CIC), and ANCC certified in gerontological nursing. She is on the Board of Directors and is a Fellow of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology.

Deb has a BA in psychology with a minor in biology from Allegheny College in Meadville, Pennsylvania, and a diploma in nursing from The Evanston Hospital School of Nursing. Deb received her MSN and Ph.D. from the University of Iowa College of Nursing. Her doctoral dissertation involved examining how healthcare personnel use gloves when caring for patients including testing the reliability of a glove-use surveillance tool.

Deb has been working with Hektoen Institute and The Illinois Department of Public Health working with congregate care settings in Illinois. She works to find evidence-based, cost-effective infection prevention strategies for long-term care.

Regions: Boone County, Carroll County, Chicago, DuPage County, Jo Daviess County, Lake County, Lee County, Ogle County, Stephenson County, Whiteside County, Winnebago County.

Contact: Deborah.Burdsall@hektoen.org

 

Karen Trimberger, RN, MPH, NE-BC, CIC

Karen Trimberger is a registered nurse with 39 years of clinical, infection prevention, and public health experience. She earned a Master of Public Health (MPH) from the University of Illinois in Springfield and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) from Millikin University. Karen is certified in infection control (CIC) by the Certification Board of Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. (CBIC) and as a nurse executive through the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), a subsidiary of the American Nurses Association. She is a member of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. (APIC). She has participated in state health department workgroups, national APIC, and local APIC chapters for several years.

Karen’s professional experiences include infection prevention and control, emergency preparedness and response, and administration and management, primarily in acute care settings. Karen is certified as a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt and has been active in process and quality improvement projects. For the last six years, Karen has been partnering with facility infection preventionists to assess infection prevention programs, identify focus areas, provide resources, and offer ongoing consultation utilizing the Infection Control Assessment and Response (ICAR) tool developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This work has been with all types of healthcare settings across the continuum of care, with most of this work being in long-term care.

Currently, Karen is an infection prevention consultant grantee with the Hektoen Institute and the Illinois Department of Public Health, assisting Illinois healthcare facilities in implementing best practices for infection prevention and control, emphasizing facilities deemed at high risk for acquiring antibiotic-resistant organisms.

Regions: Adams County, Brown County, Bureau County, Cass County, Champaign County, Clark County, Coles County, Cumberland County, Dewitt County, Douglas County, Edgar County, Ford County, Fulton County, Hancock County, Henderson County, Henry County, Iroquois County, Knox County, LaSalle County, Livingston County, Logan County, Macon County, Marshall County, Mason County, McDonough County, McLean County, Menard County, Mercer County, Moultrie County, Peoria County, Piatt County, Putnam County, Rock Island County, Schuyler County, Shelby County, Stark County, Tazewell County, Vermillion County, Warren County, Woodford County.

Contact: Karen.Trimberger@hektoen.org

 

Mary Alice Lavin, MJ, BSN, RN, CIC, FAPIC

Mary Alice Lavin, MJ, BSN, RN, CIC, FAPIC is currently a consultant with the Hektoen Institute of Medicine supporting healthcare facilities in the prevention and control of multi-drug resistant organisms as a grantee to the Illinois Department of Public Health. With more than 37 years of experience in infection prevention and control, she has worked in a variety of settings leading and supporting efforts to reduce the risk for infection and create a safe environment of care. Locally, Mary Alice has served the APIC-Chicago chapter as nominating committee chair, president, and chapter legislative representative. She is a member of the Illinois Healthcare-Associated Infection/Antimicrobial Resistance Prevention Advisory Committee. Nationally, she is a member of the Detection and Reporting Workgroup of the Council for Outbreak Response: Healthcare-Associated Infections & Antibiotic-Resistant Pathogens (CORHA). Mary Alice served seven years on the APIC Public Policy Committee including two years as the chair and continues to support the Public Policy Committee as a member of the Regulatory Review Panel. She has presented locally and nationally on topics including infection control aspects of construction/renovation, long-term care, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales, influenza, Candida auris, and regulatory issues. Mary Alice graduated from Marquette University with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and Loyola University Chicago School of Law with a Master of Jurisprudence in Health Law. A member of APIC since 1983, she has been certified in infection control since 1984 and became a fellow of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology in 2016. Mary Alice received the APIC Chapter Leadership Award in 2011.

Regions: Chicago, DeKalb County, Greene County, Kane County, Kendall County, McHenry County, Morgan County, Pike County, Sangamon County, Scott County.

Contact: MaryAlice.Lavin@hektoen.org

 

Purisima Concepcion Linchangco, MD, MPH, CIC 

Purisima Concepcion Linchangco or “Connie” as known by her friends and colleagues is a passionate Infection Control Practitioner.  Before joining the talented Infection Control Team at Hektoen Institute, Connie was with the Cook County Department of Public Health for 14 years as the Vaccine Preventable Disease Program Manager. After receiving her board certification in Infection Control, she joined the infection control team at Loyola University Medical Center in Chicago. Connie missed working with public health, that’s why after being with Loyola for 5 years, she joined the Hektoen Institute Infection Control team.

Connie completed her medical degree from Manila Central University in the Philippines and was awarded the Educational Commission of Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) certificate for passing all the 3 steps of the US Medical Licensure Examinations. She completed a year of Internal Medicine training at the Capital Health System at Fuld in New Jersey. And has a current license as a General Medical Practitioner from the state of Wisconsin. She also has a master’s degree in Public Health from the University of Illinois at Chicago, with a major in Epidemiology, and is board certified in Infection Control.

Connie finally found her niche in being in infection control for Long-Term Care Facilities. She loves communicating and being of assistance to the staff of Long-Term Care Facilities.

Regions: Alexander County, Clay County, Cook County, Crawford County, Edwards County, Effingham County, Fayette County, Franklin County, Gallatin County, Hamilton County, Hardin County, Jackson County, Jasper County, Jefferson County, Johnson County, Lawrence County, Marion County, Massac County, Perry County, Pope County, Pulaski County, Richland County, Saline County, Union County, Wabash County, Wayne County, White County, Williamson County.

Contact: Purisima.Linchangco@hektoen.org