Board of directors

CICP-A

Assoc. Prof. Stéphane Bouchoucha is an Associate Professor and Associate Head of School (International) in the School of Nursing and Midwifery at Deakin University. He is also a researcher based in Deakin’s Institute for Health Transformation.

With over 20 years’ experience as a registered nurse and an academic, Stéphane has worked in a variety of clinical (critical care, infection prevention, and leadership and management) and community settings. Stéphane’s involvement in infection prevention and control dates from the late 1990s when he was a volunteer with AIDES (the main French NGO dedicated to HIV) before being employed there in the access to care department, advocating for marginalised populations. He subsequently led the French involvement into Eurosuport 1, a Europe-wide study investigating HIV/AIDS patient access to care in European countries.

Stéphane has developed a program of research in infection prevention and control informed by his Master of Science (Public Health) and PhD and supervises honours, masters and PhD students’ projects in infection prevention and control.

CICP-E

Dr. Sally Havers is a committed Infection Control Professional of fifteen years, with a passion for improving and ensuring safe patient care. She has extensive experience and post-graduate qualifications in healthcare management and policy implementation, and an in-depth understanding of the current challenges and opportunities ahead of IPC practice.

Dr Havers has experience managing large, multisite infection prevention and control services and extensive project management experience in the development and roll out of a large national infection prevention program.

She has also coordinated multidisciplinary research and project teams, with an active commitment to Infection Control and Infectious Diseases research, both nationally and internationally.

Dr Havers is a Fellow of the College and has been credentialed at Expert Level.  She is the Chair of the Governance and Risk Committee and the Research, Grants and Scholarships Committee and a member of the Executive Management Committee

CICP-E

Erica is an experienced nurse who is a passionate leader with unique skills in leadership and management, infection control, staff health, immunisation and infectious diseases. Her broad clinical experience across multiple states in Australia has allowed her to diversify her skills, knowledge and develop her leadership style. Erica believes that the key to raising the profile of infection prevention and control has been to balance the current evidence, clinical needs and the task at hand to ensure practical application for all involved. She considers infection prevention and control is everyone’s business to ensure safe patient-centred care. Erica currently holds a Clinical Nurse Consultant position at Royal North Shore Hospital, NSW. She has a Masters in Infection Prevention and Control; is an authorised nurse immuniser and a credentialed member of the Australasian College of Infection Prevention. She holds a position on the professional and credentialing standards committee and the membership, communication and engagement committee allowing her to support her peers to further enhance their profile within infection prevention and control.

Erica is Expert Credentialled and is also a member of the Professional and Credentialling Standards Committee

CICP-E, FACIPC

Janine Carrucan is Nursing Director, Infection Prevention and Control, Townsville Hospital and Health Service. Janine is a senior registered nurse with a passion for infection prevention and control and patient safety. As nursing Director for infection prevention and control, she manages a team of infection control practitioners to deliver the infection prevention and control program at the Townsville University Hospital. This includes seven rural hospitals and two large aged-care facilities. Janine is the (NSQHS) Standard 3 lead and is one of the primary leads for the COVID-19 response including large drive-through testing sites, very large vaccination hubs, hotel quarantine and plays an integral role in all aspects of the response across the health service.

Janine is a credentialled expert infection control practitioner (CICP-E) with a master’s degree  infection prevention and control, master’s degree in public health and tropical medicine and a range of other IPC qualifications. She has been a registered nurse for more than 30 years and has experience in surgical nursing, primary care and nursing education. Janine recently assisted ACIPC as a course facilitator for the Aged Care Leads Foundations course and is a current member of the governance and risk committee, and the Chair of the professional and credentialling standards committee.. Janine is a past member of the membership engagement committee and the education and professional development committee.

CICP-E

Nicola is a Registered Nurse and a credentialled infection control (IPC) practitioner (expert level) of ACIPC (CICP-E) with a Master’s in Infection Prevention and Control, post graduate qualification in Intensive Care, a Registered Nurse Immuniser and a Hand Hygiene Auditor. Nicola is also an accredited assessor for the NSQHS Standards and a current Board Director of the Australian Vascular Access Society (AVAS). Nicola has over 35 years of experience as a Registered Nurse with a background in intensive and critical care with over 20 years’ experience specialising in infection prevention control in both public and private healthcare facilities. She has a keen interest in promoting and ensuring best practice in infection prevention and control and vascular access. Her current role is Healthscope’s National Infection Prevention and Radiation Safety Manger where she provides a strong governance framework and a strategic direction at a national level for all 38 hospitals IPC professionals. She has a keen interest in quality, governance and patient safety, with a strong focus on consumer engagement, improving patient experience and outcomes and is passionate about implementing research and evidence-based best practice to implement effective change infection prevention and control.  

Margaret Leong is the Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) Advisor for the Pacific Community (SPC) and is based in Suva, Fiji. She has extensive experience at the Pacific Regional level and understands the regional IPC challenges and is works with IPC focal points to strengthen IPC capacity in the Pacific Island Countries and Territories. 

Margaret has 30 years of experience working in the public sector both as a nurse clinician and in senior Nursing leadership roles in Fiji. Her previous senior positions with the Fiji Ministry of Health and Medical services includes Chief Nursing and Midwifery officer (Fiji) and Director of Nursing role at the Colonial War Memorial hospital.  

Margaret is the pioneer for IPC in Fiji and spent many years working as an IPC officer and was also instrumental in establishing the Fiji Clinical Risk Management program.  

Margaret is a member of the Membership, Communication and Engagement Committee

CICP-E

Dr Matthew Mason is a lecturer in Nursing, the Academic Lead for Work Integrated Learning in the University of the Sunshine Coast’s School of Health, and a researcher with the Australian Centre for Pacific Islands Research. Matt has extensive experience including 20 years working in IPC, with clinical nursing experience including Trauma Intensive Care, Emergency, and Remote Area Nursing. He has a teaching and research agenda across infection prevention and control in resource-challenged areas grounded in the provision of accessible and safe services for communities and the health staff that serve them. Matt has a professional network across the Western Pacific Region and works collaboratively to improve health care outcomes through sustained mentorship and support. Matt is a Technical Adviser to the WHO Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network, an Executive Member (IPC lead) of the Pacific Region Infectious Disease Association, and is Co-Director of the Collaborative for the Advancement of Infection Prevention and Control that supports IPC activities across the Western Pacific.

Matt is a past member of the Research, Grants and Scholarships committee

Catherine is the Manager of Governance Strategy and Clinical Development at Bene Aged Care. Currently her role encompasses the implementation of evidence based, best practice delivery of care and clinical service across the Aged Care Services portfolio. From Infection Prevention Control (IPC) policy development, providing IPC expertise, advice and education, Catherine delivers ongoing support and mentorship to the organisation’s IPC lead nurses.  

As a registered nurse for more than 30 years and with a passion for IPC and client safety Catherine has extensive experience working in both the acute and aged care sectors.  

She was recognised in the South Australian State Parliament by the Minister of Health for her work as the Infection Control Outbreak Coordinator which contained the COVID-19 Outbreak at Brompton Aged Care in November 2020. The successful management of the COVID-19 outbreak was derived from the experiences gained from holding senior leadership roles allowing for prospective implementation of clinical governance, risk management and IPC. She also contributed to the In-depth interviews with System Leaders and Experts with adjunct Professor Alan Lilly for the Independent Review of COVID-19 Outbreaks in Australian Residential Aged Care Facilities. 

Prior to Catherine’s appointment as an ACIPC Board Director, she was a member of the Practice Guidance Committee. In 2024, she will commence as a member of the Education and Professional Development Committee as the Aged Care Representative, and the Scientific Conference Committee.  

Catherine is a long standing member of the SA Health Network of Infection Control Teams (SANIT) & incorporating Non-acute Infection Control Special Interest Group (NICSIG). Moreover, she co-authors a quarterly Aged Care Community of Practice IPC report.  

Catherine is a member of the Education and Professional Development Committee and the Scientific Conference Committee and is a past member of the Practice Guidance Committee.

Dianne Smith is a business manager with 20 years’ experience in the disability sector, marketing, and business management. Dianne has extensive experience in leadership roles, managing not-for-profit organisations and community advocacy.

Having had cancer twice in the last five years, Dianne is passionate about healthcare and consumer issues and is committed to contributing to better health outcomes for all consumers. Dianne supports and believes in patient-centred care and empowering patients to become active participants in their own healthcare. Dianne has been appointed to ACIPC as director and consumer representative.

Dianne is a member of Membership, Communication and Engagement Committee and the Governance and Risk Committee

CICP-E

Ann Whitfield is the Associate Nurse Director Infection Prevention & Occupational Health in Auckland and is credentialled as an expert with the Australasian College for Infection Prevention and Control. Ann has been a registered nurse for 26 years and has a diverse nursing background which includes positions in the British Territorial Army Medical core, a Nursing Officer Merchant Navy (Cruise ships) and has worked both in small and tertiary hospitals. She has spent the last 17 years as a senior infection prevention and control (IPC) expert and worked for the Communicable Disease Control Directorate in Australia and New Zealand.

Ann has humanitarian experience in developing and implementing IPC courses in Tanzania with the Global Health Alliance Western Australia and in West Timor for the Flinders Overseas Health Group. She has also been deployed with the World Health Organisation in West Africa as part of the Ebola response and for the Commonwealth with the COVID-19 Aged Care Response.

Ann is a past member of the Membership, Communication and Engagement Committee

CICP-E, FACIPC

Dr Peta-Anne Zimmerman is an internationally respected clinician, educator, and researcher in infection prevention and control (IPC). Dr Zimmerman’s experience in IPC spans over 20 years and her domestic clinical experience, research, and expertise has led her to work extensively in China, South East Asia and the South Pacific, on outbreak response, the development of comprehensive infection prevention and control programmes, and on the integration of public health and acute care response in infectious disease emergencies, in low and middle income country settings.

Peta-Anne is the program adviser for the Graduate Infection Prevention and Control Programs at Griffith University, which includes the only named Master of Infection Prevention and Control in the region, and she is proud to be the Visiting Research Fellow with the Infection Control Department of the Gold Coast Hospital and Health Service.

Peta-Anne holds the award of Credentialled Infection Control Professional – Expert. She is the convenor of the Australasian College for Infection Prevention and Control (ACIPC) LMI Special Interest Group, ACIPC representative and senior teaching faculty for the World Health Organization (WHO) Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network (GOARN) and a member of the ACIPC Professional and Credentialling Standards (PACS) Committee. Peta-Anne has also recently received the award of Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.

Peta-Anne is a current member of the Professional and Credentialling Standards, and the past chair of the Research, Grants and Scholarships Committee