Keisha Gustave Captures Coveted (SHEA) Gina Pugliese Scholarship

The Board of Management of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital is honoured to announce the selection of Mrs. Keisha Gustave as this year’s recipient of the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA) Gina Pugliese Scholarship.

Keisha, an Infection Prevention and Control Nurse was chosen from a field of over 200 international candidates, and is the first junior infection preventionist and Gina Pugliese Scholarship awardee selected from the Caribbean region. Through the SHEA scholarship Keisha received a USD $500 grant which subsidized her attendance at the SHEA epidemiology training workshop from April 23 to 26, in Boston Massachusetts. SHEA is also supporting Keisha’s professional development, by connecting her with mentors, Trini Matthews, Assistant Professor and Hospital Epidemiologist at the University of Connecticut Medical Center, and Roger Scott Stienecker, Medical Director of Epidemiology and Infection Prevention at Parkview Health to guide her along her journey.

Mrs. Gustave credits the SHEA epidemiology training workshop with providing her with the tools necessary to improve the QEH’s current surveillance systems; initiate new surveillance systems to detect new and follow remerging healthcare associated infections, and implement appropriate recommendations to mitigate the spread of infection. Keisha also aspires to become a mentor to other infection prevention and control professionals, and author scholarly articles for publication.

Established in 2005, the Gina Pugliese Scholarship is in honor of Gina Pugliese, a Registered Nurse (RN), prominent infection preventionist, and leader in the field of healthcare epidemiology. The scholarship aims to promote the training of non-physician infection preventionists who have shown outstanding interest and leadership in the field or work in a resource limited setting.