Ann Whitfield is currently an Associate Nurse Director Infection Prevention & Control (ICP). During her 20 years in this field she has worked in Australia, Liberia, Tanzania, West Timor and New Zealand. Ann has been a member of ACIPC since 2014, a Board Director and is a credentialed expert with ACIPC.
Ann has enjoyed her Board Director role for ACIPC for the last four years, listening to member’s needs, questions and using these as a voice of members in the ACIPC board meetings. Ann’s goals are to create a better understanding of the IPC role, it’s depth and diversity not only within healthcare but other sectors. Ann also wishes to extend collaborations and connections across Australasian with ACIPC members sharing knowledge to benefit IPC experts and the wider community.
Ann has successfully coordinated the ACIPC Practice Guidance Committee some of the outcomes include the development of positions statements such as renovation and construction, and emerging diseases for members. Ann is also a mentor to students who undertake a national IPC courses and Ann devotes time to supporting healthcare sites who are seeking to expand their IPC programmes.
Ann has humanitarian experience in developing and implementing IPC programmes for the Global Health Alliance Western Australia, Flinders Overseas Health Group, the World Health Organisation for the Ebola response and for the Commonwealth as part of the COVID-19 response.
During her career she has been humbled and proud to be a registered nurse who has gained significant exposure to varying health systems, cultures and communities throughout the world. She is transparent and believes in being authentic, and strives to improve patient outcomes and safety for staff.
Election Statement
I entered nursing like most others do, with the intention of helping the community. Throughout my career I have come to appreciate that the most important facet to nursing is the sharing of knowledge which can in benefit the wider community at large.
The reason that I joined the ACIPC was twofold, the first was that I could learn from experts and expand my knowledge and the second was so that I could help to reach a wider group of people and collaborate.
Collaboration, knowledge and the sharing of that knowledge is what drives me!
I am honoured to have been a Board Director of ACIPC for the previous four years and believe that I have proactively contributed to ACIPC purpose, strategy, performance and culture over that time and I have enjoyed my time. I hope to continue to serve the infection prevention community for the next term. We are all working in little pockets of the world and ACIPC gives us the ability to collaborate and share knowledge and through this we all improve, and the outcomes for our patients improves as well which is the ultimate goal. I believe that I have proven to be a positive contributor, I have led discussions with invasive devices, improving safety for patients using digital technology, and led sustainability programmes with Personal Protective equipment models and I’m excited about the next three years leading work around innovation with IPC linking other professions, developing and defining an IPC expert role and leading work within the Aged care sector reducing harm by infections.