What happens when prevention meets Southern charm? In this episode of AIC Science into Practice, experts from UAB spotlight Alabama’s Regional Center for Infection Prevention and Control. Discover how they tackled misinformation, trained 70,000+ participants statewide, and built a powerful network of infection preventionists, all while having a little fun along the way.
Guests: Dr. Matthew Fifolt and Dr. Lisa McCormick
Article Link: https://www.ajicjournal.org/article/S0196-6553(25)00010-0/fulltext
Dr. Matthew Fifolt
Dr. Matthew Fifolt is an Associate Professor in the Department of Health Policy and Organization within the School of Public Health at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). He also directs the Survey Research Unit (SRU), a formally designated service center at UAB.
Previously, Dr. Fifolt served as the Lead Evaluator for the Alabama Regional Center for Infection Prevention and Control (ARC IPC). He currently acts as Principal Investigator for several statewide surveillance projects, including the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, National Core Indicators for Aging and Disability, Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring Systems, and the Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems for both Alabama Medicaid Agency and ALL Kids, Alabama’s Child Health Insurance Program.
Dr. Fifolt’s research and scholarship closely complement his leadership roles with the SRU and the Applied Evaluation and Assessment Collaborative, focusing on program improvement, quality improvement, and program evaluation. Dr. Fifolt is an Associate Scientist with the UAB Civitan International Research Center and has published more than 100 peer-reviewed articles.
Dr. Lisa C. McCormick, DrPH, MPH
Dr. Lisa C. McCormick, DrPH, MPH is the Senior Associate Dean for Academics and Practice at the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s School of Public Health, where she also serves as Professor in the Department of Health Policy and Organization. Dr. McCormick brings over two decades of experience in public health practice, education, and research to her leadership role.
Dr. McCormick served as Principal Investigator for the Alabama Regional Center for Infection Prevention and Control (ARC IPC). She also led the UAB Nursing Home & Long-term Care Facility Strike Team and Infrastructure Project. Currently, Dr. McCormick serves as Site PI and Lead Evaluator for the Region IV Public Health Training Center. Additionally, she directs the Research Experience and Training Coordination Core for the UAB Superfund Research Center and is a Senior Scientist with the UAB Social Science and Justice Research Consortium.
Dr. McCormick’s research and scholarship focuses on public health workforce development, program evaluation and needs assessment, community engagement and outreach, and public health preparedness and response. She has secured over $75 million in extramural funding and has authored more than 50 peer-reviewed publications.