Infection Prevention and Control (IPC)

The Global IPC program builds local healthcare expertise through targeted training, education and continuous mentorship.

These efforts are foundational to establish and expand knowledge and skills of the global health workforce, ultimately sustaining the expertise needed to improve patient safety and quality of care. Drawing from theories, models and frameworks in education, socio-behavioral sciences and implementation science, the Global IPC program equips infection preventionists and infectious disease leaders to understand local needs. A multi-faceted approach empowers them to effectively address critical gaps in the prevention and the control of infections ensuring the highest standard on safe and best care for patients worldwide.

The Global IPC program is committed to building the expertise of the clinical workforce globally to improve childhood survival through training and education programs, capacity-building initiatives, continuous mentoring and collaborative research. 

• St. Jude Global Academy – Global IPC offers multiple training opportunities for specialized instructor-led training in infection care and infection prevention and control. Each course aims to provide participants with the essentials knowledge and skills to improve the quality of care for pediatric patients with catastrophic illnesses. These courses are delivered in a blended method, with some coursework completed online through Cure4Kids and select hands-on training conducted in person. Read more about our training opportunities here.
• The Pediatric Infectious Disease Clinical and Research Training for Global Clinicians – This training, referred to as the Mini-Fellowship, focuses on immunosuppressed children. As a training program, it aims to improve infection care and prevention for pediatric cancer patients in low- and middle-income countries. Lack of local expertise and training in infection prevention for immuno-compromised children contributes to poor outcomes of these patients’ healthcare. The Mini-Fellowship trains practicing pediatricians from oncology centers to better treat patients, educate hospital staff, and conduct local research. The one-year blended training methods provide reading materials, asynchronous online clinical research modules, research mentorship, weekly case-based discussion, and in-person infectious disease observership. It concludes with the opportunity to present their clinical research in a high-quality scientific venue.
• Case Kiosk – The Case Kiosk is a case-based discussion platform for reviewing and discussing complex clinical infectious cases in children with chronic illness. Participants present cases from all over the world and interact with a panel of experts which review published standard guidelines and discuss best practices to support care and management of these infections. Offered in both English and Spanish, the Case Kiosk is held weekly and is open to all St. Jude Global collaborators, because every case of infection deserves a discussion. These case-based discussions represent the most effective method for rapidly sharing best practices and professional expertise. Read more about the Case Kiosk and sign-up to receive the discussion announcements here. 
• Research – The Global IPC program engages in collaborative research to better understand contributions and effects of infectious diseases in resource-limited settings. Areas of study include topics such as trends of healthcare-associated infections in pediatric oncology, impact of education and training programs on the clinical workforce, and prevalence of infections present on admission to the hospital. 

Evidence-based clinical guidelines are most effective when they are co-developed, adapted and implemented to reflect local needs and contexts. The program partners with healthcare teams to support the development, adaptation and implementation of evidence-based clinical guidelines across St. Jude Global regions.

• Febrile Neutropenia Guideline Development and Implementation: The program co-designs approaches to support adaptation, implementation and uptake of evidence-informed febrile neutropenia guidelines across St. Jude Global regions.

Practical learning opportunities equip healthcare professionals with the knowledge and skills to strengthen infection management practices and support guideline development and implementation. Through accessible educational resources and training, the program promotes evidence-informed practice and continuous learning across diverse settings.

• Guideline Development Training Modules: Available through the Cure4Kids platform, these modules provide foundational training in clinical guideline development and implementation.
• PIMMS Antimicrobial Stewardship Educational Repository: A series of five learning modules designed to improve provider knowledge and capacity in antimicrobial stewardship and infection management for immunocompromised children globally.

Contact 

To learn more about the Infection Prevention and Control Program, email GlobalIPC@stjude.org.