Corey Boles, PhD

Supervising Health Scientist

Dr. Corey Boles, PhD, is a Supervising Health Scientist with Cardno ChemRisk, now Stantec. Dr. Boles completed his PhD in Occupational and Environmental Health with an emphasis in Industrial Hygiene and Exposure Science at The University of Iowa College of Public Health. He has provided on-site industrial hygiene support, performed risk assessments for chemical, particulate, and microbial exposures, provided occupational safety support, and established risk management programs and communications to clients across a wide range of industrial sectors.

His principal areas of expertise include industrial hygiene, bioaerosol and microbial exposure, occupational safety, and exposure and risk assessments.

Dr. Boles has worked with various groups and organizations to evaluate the comparative risk of human health associated with microbial exposures, and subsequent biological risk mitigation techniques. Furthermore, he has led and supported projects that evaluated various hazards related to the built environment and indoor environmental quality.

Dr. Boles is currently a member of the American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA), including their Biosafety and Environmental Microbiology Committee and COVID-19 Task Force, where he assists in the development of Back to Work Safely (BTWS) guidance documents. He is also a member of the Scientific Advisory Board for the Integrated Bioscience and Built Environment Consortium (IBEC).

Charles E. Edmiston, Jr., PhD, SM (ASCP), CIC, FIDSA, FSHEA, FAPIC

Emeritus Professor of Surgery; Adjunct Professor

Dr. Charles Edmiston is Emeritus Professor of Surgery at the Medical College of Wisconsin located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin & Adjunct Professor at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Nashville, Tennessee. He also serves as the Surgical Site Infection Expert Liaison to the State of Wisconsin Division of Public Health. During his tenure at the Medical College of Wisconsin, he served as the Director of the Surgical Microbiology and Hospital Epidemiology Research Laboratory for the Department of Surgery.

Dr. Edmiston completed his doctorate at Vanderbilt University, joining the surgical faculty in Milwaukee in 1984 to develop a Surgical Infectious Disease research program. He is a Fellow of the Infectious Disease Society of America, Association of Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, and Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America. He is board credentialed in Infection Control (CBIC) and as a Specialist in Clinical Microbiology (ASCP).

His major research interests include intravascular device-related infections, nosocomial risks in the operating room environment, biomedical device-associated infections, impact of selected risk factors for surgical site infections, perioperative antibiotic prophylaxis, surface disinfection, innovative strategies for reducing the risk of surgical site infections (SSIs), and the molecular epidemiology of surgical site infections.

For 15 years, Dr. Edmiston has served as a consultant to the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) as an expert on the infection control implications of implantable biomedical devices, including as Chairman of the General Hospital & Personal Use Device Panel of the Medical Devices Committee of the FDA. Additionally, he served as the liaison to the Surgical Infection Society to the Hospital Infection Control Practice Advisory Committee (HICPAC) of the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). He is a member of 2 Editorial boards: Surgery, Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology, Surgery Infections, and a past member of the American Journal of Infection Control (AJIC) editorial board.

Dr. Edmiston has authored more than 300 peer-reviewed publications, book chapters, editorials, and reviews and delivered over 450 National and International lectures in varying subjects surrounding epidemiology, surgical infection prevention, and more.

Michelle L. Vignari, RN, BSN, CIC

Senior Infection Preventionist

Michelle L. Vignari, RN, BSN, CIC, currently serves as a Senior Infection Preventionist and Independent Infection Prevention Consultant from Rochester, New York. Currently working in an acute care hospital setting, Michelle has more than 25 years of practical clinical experience, clinical leadership, is Board Certified in Infection Prevention and Epidemiology, and also has vast experience in the ambulatory and long-term care arenas.

She is an active member of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) and is currently the President for the Rochester Finger Lakes Chapter 107. In addition, Michelle is President Elect of the New York APIC Coordinating Council (NYSAAC) and also serves on the Technical Advisory Committee, a council of subject matter experts working with the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH).

Michelle has published in peer-reviewed journals and continues to contribute to the Infection Prevention and scientific community.

In 2011, she was one of 12 professionals chosen nationally by the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology as a “Hero in Infection Prevention.” In 2017, was awarded the March of Dimes’ Nurse of the Year award in the area of Infection Prevention.

Don Guimera, MSN, RN, CIC, FAPIC

Manage of Infection Prevention

Don Guimera, MSN, RN, CIC, FAPIC, is currently the Manager of Infection Prevention at Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital. He previously served as the International Epidemiology Coordinator in the Department of Infectious Diseases – International Outreach Division at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee.

Don holds a Master of Science degree in Nursing Leadership and Management. He began his nursing career in the Philippines and has been a Registered Nurse for the last 29 years. His clinical experience includes critical care, clinical coordination, nursing education, infection control, quality improvement, risk management, regulatory compliance, and regulatory readiness and accreditation. Don has developed and managed infection prevention programs in the US and at international sites.

Don has been practicing infection prevention and control for more than 25 years and is certified in Infection Control and Clinical Research. He is an active member of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) and has previously served as the President of the Memphis APIC Chapter.

Don was one of the recipients of the prestigious APIC “National Heroes in Infection Prevention” Award in 2012. In 2016, Don received the Fellow of APIC (FAPIC) designation. Fellow of the APIC Status is a distinction of honor for infection preventionists who are advanced practitioners of infection prevention, as well as leaders within the field.

Nick Hysmith, MD, MS, FAAP

Medical Director of Infection Prevention

Nick Hysmith, MD, MS, FAAP, is a pediatric infectious disease physician serving as the Medical Director of Infection Prevention and Hospital Epidemiology at Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare located in Memphis, Tennessee. Dr. Hysmith also serves as an Associate Professor at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC).

Dr. Hysmith, who has been practicing medicine in Memphis for more than 10 years, earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, before receiving his medical degree from UTHSC in 2010. He completed a Pediatric Residence at UTHSC and a fellowship in Pediatric Infectious Diseases with UTHSC and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in 2016. He received a Master of Science in Epidemiology in 2020.

Dr. Hysmith’s research interests include evaluating the human immune response to COVID-19, emerging infectious diseases, novel infection prevention techniques, and implementation strategies to decrease hospital-acquired harm events.

In 2020, Dr. Hysmith was named a “Healthcare Hero” and Top Forty Under Forty by the Memphis Business Journal for his contributions to improving healthcare in the Mid-South. He served on the UTHSC Back-to-School Task Force, providing recommendations and guidelines for a safe return to school. Dr. Hysmith has authored numerous peer-reviewed publications and lectured at regional and national conferences.

Creighton Kaiser, PharmD

Pharmacy Manager

Creighton Kaiser, PharmD, is the Pharmacy Manager at Saint Joseph Health System (SJHS) Plymouth Medical Center in Plymouth, Indiana. Additionally, he sits as the Pharmacy and Therapeutics Chair for SJHS. He received his Doctor of Pharmacy degree from Purdue University in 2012 and has worked for SJHS since then.

Dr. Kaiser manages USP 797 and USP 800 compliance for all hospitals in the Saint Joseph Health System and has coordinated both new construction and remodeling of USP-compliant clean rooms at SJHS. He has over 10 years of experience practicing Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmacy Management.

He resides in Syracuse, Indiana with his wife and children.

Michael Short

Administrative Director – Safety, Security, Transportation & Environmental Services

Michael is the Director of Safety and Environmental Services at Maury Regional Medical Center in Columbia, Tennessee. He formerly worked for The ServiceMaster Company as a Master Coordinator at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia, Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center in Knoxville, Tennessee, and Jones County Community Hospital in Laurel, Mississippi.

Mr. Short obtained a BBA in Organizational Administration from the University of Texas at San Antonio and an MBA from Middle Tennessee State University. Michael holds memberships in the American Society of Healthcare Environmental Services, American Society of Hospital Engineers, Tennessee Hospital Association, American College of Healthcare Executives, and the International Association of Hospital Safety and Security.

He currently serves on the Executive Committee of the District 8 Regional Medical Communications Center, the Tennessee Department of Health Advisory Council for Bioterrorism Preparedness and Hospital Response. Mr. Short is also a Certified Health Safety Professional (CHSP) and has served as an emergency response instructor for the National Center for Preparedness and Response – Vanderbilt University.