APIC Appoints Devin Jopp as CEO

There’s a new sheriff in town at the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC), as the lobbying organization for infection preventionists announced today that Devin Jopp, EdD, MS, will become the chief executive officer (CEO) on December 7.

“COVID-19 shines a light on the critical need for advancing our collective efforts in infection prevention and control,” Jopp said in an APIC press release. He promises to ensure that “infection prevention and control is at the core of our healthcare delivery system and woven into the very fabric of our community.” As Jopp mentions, infection prevention has been in a glaring spotlight since the outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

In July, Connie Steed, MSN, RN, CIC, FAPIC, 2020 president of APIC, told Infection Control Today® that the organization has set high goals for itself: “healthcare without infection. That’s an arduous task, but that is our vision and goal. And the infection preventionists’ role will help drive that vision.” Steed added that thanks to COVID-19 “the importance of infection prevention can be heard and seen clearly by organizations today. Even with that said, there are some organizations that still do not put the focus on infection prevention like they should.”

In APIC’s announcement today, Steed says: “We are fortunate to have found someone with Devin’s vision, commitment, and in-depth knowledge across the healthcare spectrum to lead APIC as we chart a course into the future.”

Jopp’s career path touches a lot of bases within the healthcare system. Jopp currently serves as CEO for the American College Health Association, whose stated mission is to advance the health and wellbeing of college students. Before that, Jopp was president and CEO of the Workgroup for Electronic Data Interchange (WEDI), a not-for-profit organization used by the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to help enhance the exchange of healthcare information. Jopp also served as chief operating officer for the Service Corp of Retired Executives. He also held a leadership position with the Health Insurance Association of America (HIAA). In 2003, HIAA merged with theAmerican Association of Health Plans to become America’s Health Insurance Plans, the foremost lobbying group for healthcare insurance companies.

In the press release, Ann Marie Pettis, RN, BSN, CIC, FAPIC, president-elect of APIC and chair of the APIC CEO search committee, says: “Devin’s wide-ranging background and accomplishments make him uniquely positioned to lead our organization as we look to accelerate the impact of our work.”

In June, Pettis told ICT® that states should mandate that anybody who holds the title of infection preventionist be certified to as an IP. Pettis said that “the efforts to require certification for infection preventionists is very important. There are some states that already require that. Others were also previously focusing on it, but once COVID came….”

In today’s press release, Jopp says: “I am incredibly honored to serve APIC as their new CEO and to advance the critical work of APIC’s mission.”