Tewodros F. Terefe
Infection Preventionist
Summary
Certified in Infection Control (CIC) with over 14 years of experience in Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) across hospital settings, NGOs, and national public health programs. Demonstrated expertise in IPC program implementation, outbreak response, training, and national guideline development. Recognized for contributions to national IPC advancement, and strong leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic. Passionate about advancing patient safety and quality care through evidence-based IPC practices.
Overview
15
15
years of professional experience
5
5
Certifications
2
2
Languages
Work History
Senior Technical Advisor- IPC
Management Science for Health (MSH)
08.2019 - 12.2023
- Company Overview: USAID- Medicines Technologies and Pharmaceutical Services (MTaPS) program.
- Managed multiple high-priority projects (IPC, Antimicrobial Stewardship, COVID-19, and national IPC Technical Working Group) while consistently meeting goals and deadlines.
- Led the IPC technical area under the USAID- Medicines Technologies and Pharmaceutical Services (MTaPS) program.
- Provided technical support and oversaw IPC program designing and implementation in 30 acute care hospitals (2019-2023).
- Developed a post-exposure management protocol for HCW needle stick and body fluid exposures, including follow-up procedures and reporting guidelines.
- Led a hospital-wide hand hygiene improvement initiative using WHO tools, including compliance observations, ward infrastructure assessments, and staff knowledge/perception surveys.
- Designed IPC monitoring tools for the 30 hospitals to identify gaps, implement evidence-based interventions, and track progress.
- Conducted periodic IPC audits with the Ministry of Health and local health departments, promoting continuous quality improvement.
- Supported hospitals in developing IPC protocols for hand hygiene, disinfection, sterilization, and waste management, aligned with CDC and national guidelines.
- Supported antimicrobial stewardship by collaborating with clinical and pharmacy teams on data collection, audits, feedback, and antibiotic use education.
- Led nationwide COVID-19 IPC preparedness and response projects under the USAID-MTaPS program.
- Facilitated nationwide COVID-19 training for 2,500+ healthcare providers through training-of-trainers (TOT) and cascaded training sessions.
- Contributed to the National Preparedness and Response Plan for COVID-19 and the development of related training materials and IPC protocols.
- Provided technical guidance to the National COVID-19 Emergency Operation Center (EOC) in designing isolation and treatment facilities.
- Designed and conducted COVID-19 facility preparedness assessments for over 30 healthcare facilities, to evaluate readiness.
- Oversaw COVID-19 - IPC response activities nationwide by supervising assigned nine IPC consultants, supporting regional COVID-19 EOCs.
- Presented two IPC and COVID-19-related abstracts highlighting key achievements at the American Public Health Association (APHA) Annual conference, 2022.
- USAID- Medicines Technologies and Pharmaceutical Services (MTaPS) program.
Lecturer in Public Health
St. Paul's Hospital Millennium Medical College
10.2017 - 07.2019
- Chair of the hospital IPC committee.
- Worked as Field Epidemiology Program Coordinator, modeled after CDC's Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) and funded by the CDC.
- Contributed to curriculum development at the College by integrating IPC sessions into the School of Medicine's module.
- Designed and taught undergraduate and postgraduate public health courses on epidemiologic methods, biostatistics, and disease surveillance for medical, nursing, and public health students.
- Contributor for the national outbreak preparedness and response protocols.
- Developed lesson plans and curricula to achieve academic objectives.
- Advised and mentored students on epidemiological research projects, including study design development.
- Assessed student progress regularly and provided constructive feedback for improvement.
- Coordinator for the undergraduate medical student research program at the School of Public Health.
- Participated in conducting research as principal investigator and co-researcher.
Quality Management Department Head
St. Paul's Hospital Millennium Medical College
07.2016 - 10.2017
- Chair of the hospital IPC committee.
- Led an initiative to successfully integrate the hospital's IPC team into the quality management department.
- Collaborated with clinical departments and administrators to develop a 5-year Quality Improvement (QI) strategy (2017–2022) for the hospital.
- Designed and implemented 8 QI projects (2016–2018) in collaboration with the nursing and clinical departments, using scientific approaches.
- Promoted evidence-based practices by utilizing findings from QI projects to improve IPC initiatives.
- Provided evidences and recommendations to hospital leadership and clinical departments to update policies, procedures, and processes to reduce infection risks.
- Monitor HCPs exposure to blood and other bodily fluids by conducting exposure evaluation, PEP recommendations, and follow up.
- Used HCP exposure data to inform interventions for the prevention of HCP exposure to infection risk.
- Regularly monitored customer satisfaction by addressing issues proactively using patient satisfaction surveys.
- Acted as a liaison between clinical departments and hospital administration, strengthening collaboration for successful QI program implementation.
IPC Team Lead
St. Paul's Hospital Millennium Medical College
10.2011 - 06.2017
- Led the development, implementation, and evaluation of the Infection Prevention and Control Program aligned with national standards and regulatory requirements.
- Conducted HAI surveillance based on the customized HAI protocol designed for the hospital level, which includes, chart audits, clinical consultations, and diagnostic information.
- Designed and implemented an induction training program on IPC for new employee orientation, and training for annual competencies and unit-based in-services training.
- Led epidemiologic outbreak investigations (such as; AWD, H1N1) and exposure management, coordinating risk assessments, source testing, follow-up, and regulatory reporting.
- Regularly conducted infection control rounds in clinical wards and high-risk areas, identifying gaps and supporting compliance on IPC practices.
- Collaborated with clinical and pharmacy teams to support antimicrobial stewardship through audit and feedback, data review, and staff education.
- Reviewed and revised IPC policies and procedures based on surveillance outcomes, regulatory updates, and best practices in acute care.
- Advised clinical teams on infection risk mitigation for immunocompromised patients and supported implementation of transmission-based precautions.
- Analyzed infection trends and reported findings to leadership to inform decision-making and drive performance improvement initiatives.
- Ensured regulatory compliance through audits, documentation reviews, and readiness assessments for accreditation surveys.
Risk management officer
St. Paul's Hospital Millennium Medical College
02.2014 - 03.2017
- Contributed to developing the hospital's risk management protocol aligned with legal and national standards.
- Conducted annual risk assessment using all-hazards approach, which included IPC risk assessment, to identify, prioritize and implement mitigation measures to address the risks.
- Ensured the hospital's compliance with federal, state, and local safety regulations, such as; OSHA regulations.
- Evaluated HCPs' occupational exposure to infectious agents, determining eligibility for post-exposure prophylaxis and, treatment and prophylaxis.
- Collected and investigated incident reports, collaborating with staff to implement corrective actions.
- Oversaw healthcare personnel vaccination and screening activities, ensuring compliance with immunization policies, managing records, and supporting outbreak prevention efforts.
- Facilitated risk-reduction initiatives, including IPC programs, fall prevention, and medication safety practices.
- Participated in developing the hospital's emergency preparedness and response protocol and perform drills.
- Delivered training to staff on risk management practices, safety protocols, and compliance requirements.
Environmental Health Officer
St. Paul's Hospital Millennium Medical College
10.2008 - 09.2016
- Ensured thorough cleaning and disinfection of patient care areas, high-touch surfaces, and medical equipment to prevent healthcare-associated infections (HAIs).
- Safeguarded water quality through regular testing and proactive management of potential contamination sources.
- Ensured application and auditing of the hospital's healthcare waste management protocol including proper waste segregation, handling, treatment and disposal based on the regulatory requirement.
- Complied with applicable environmental, health and safety laws and regulations and reported all unsafe practices.
- Provide technical input to the hospital's engineering department in construction and renovation of sanitation facilities; septic tanks, installation/building of waste disposal facilities (e.g. incinerators).
- Developed SOP for food preparation and handling, monitor food handlers hygiene and health status, and conducting regular auditing and feedback.
- Adhered to standardized cleaning protocols and terminal cleaning procedures in isolation rooms and outbreak scenarios.
- Collaborated with the Infection Prevention team to implement evidence-based environmental hygiene practices and monitor compliance.
Education
Masters of Public Health (MPH) - General Public Health
Addis Ababa University (SPH)
Bachelor of Science - Environmental Health
Haramaya University
Skills
Infection Prevention and Control expertise
Healthcare Associated infection Surveillance
Risk and incident management
Antimicrobial stewardship
Training and mentoring
Tech-Savvy
Standard and Isolation precautions
Teamwork and collaboration
Occupational health
Problem-solving abilities
Healthcare quality improvement
Multitasking Abilities
Highlights Of Achievement
- Actively working on Infection Prevention and Control, 01/01/10
- Trained over 1200 healthcare professionals including; Physicians, Nurses, Laboratory technicians, and support/ancillary staff.
- Led Quality Improvement (QI) project at 8 hospitals, which resulted improvement on hand hygiene compliance by 35% over one-year period.
- Guided 21 hospitals to design and implement evidence based IPC improvement plan.
- Led the initiative for the national IPC program in Ethiopia improve its IPC capacity from level 2 (Limited capacity) to 3 (Developed capacity), over four-year period, based on WHO Joint External Evaluation (JEE score)
- Resolved supply shortages during the COVID-19 pandemic by enabling 142 healthcare facilities to produce alcohol-based hand rub locally.
- Helped four hospitals to improve their IPC performances by an average of 22.5%, over one-year period.
- Contributed for the development of 13 national level IPC guidelines and tools.
- Secured annual funding of $5,000 (175,000 Ethiopian birr) for IPC-focused QI projects through the IPC committee by the year 2008., 01/01/08
- Member and secretary for the national IPC technical working group (TWG) – advisory for the Ministry of health, Ethiopia, 01/01/20 to 12/31/23
Accomplishments
- Letter of recognition from the former Minister of Health Ethiopia, Dr. Lia Tadesse, for my role in H1N1 flu pandemic response, 2009.
- Certificate of appreciation from USAID-Ethiopia, for my contribution to the success of USAID MTaPS - AMR project in Ethiopia, 2023.
- Certificate of achievement for valued contribution for USAID MTaPS project, Ethiopia, December 31, 2023
- Helped SPHMMC win a national competition among hospitals on Ministry of Health's ‘Clean and Safe Hospital (CaSH)' initiative, and shared this experience at international level on www.qualityofcarenetwork.org, 2018.
- Certificate of appreciation for dedication to health service at St. Paul's Hospital Millennium Medical College. March, 2018.
- Letter of recognition from Worabe Comprehensive Specialized Hospital for my contribution on improving of the hospital's quality of service. 2019
Certification
Certification in Infection Prevention And Control (CIC), CBIC, 06/23/25
Affiliations
- Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC), Member
- American Public Health Association (APHA), Member
- Ethiopian Public Health Association, Member
Technical Document Contributions - Guidelines Development Contributions
Contributor for 13 national guidelines and materials on IPC, including the national Infection Prevention and Control guideline for Ethiopia.
Credentials
Certification In Infection Control (CIC), CBIC
Awards
- Letter of recognition from the former Minister of Health Ethiopia, Dr. Lia Tadesse, for my role in H1N1 flu pandemic response, 01/01/09
- Certificate of appreciation from USAID-Ethiopia, for my contribution to the success of USAID MTaPS - AMR project in Ethiopia, 01/01/23
- Certificate of achievement for valued contribution for USAID MTaPS project, 12/31/23
- Certificate of appreciation for dedication to health service at St. Paul's Hospital Millennium Medical College, 03/01/18
- Helped SPHMMC win a national competition among hospitals on Ministry of Health’s ‘Clean and Safe Hospital (CaSH)’ initiative, 01/01/18
- Letter of recognition from Worabe Comprehensive Specialized Hospital for my contribution on improving of the hospital's quality of service, 01/01/19
Knowledge exchange and international conferences
- Competed, won and presented the following abstracts at the annual American Public Health Association conference, Boston, USA, 2022.
1. Strengthening infection prevention and control to enhance preparedness and response for
COVID 19 emergencies in Ethiopia
2. Strengthening infection prevention and control to reduce vulnerabilities to infectious diseases: The case of Ethiopia
- Presented a webinar at quality of care network, best practice on infection prevention and patient safety (IPPS), report is published on www.qualityofcarenetwork.org -2018
- Presented quality improvement project at the international congresses on ‘Congress on Health in Africa, July 2017, Istanbul, Turkey
Work Availability
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Timeline
Senior Technical Advisor- IPC
Management Science for Health (MSH)
08.2019 - 12.2023
Lecturer in Public Health
St. Paul's Hospital Millennium Medical College
10.2017 - 07.2019
Quality Management Department Head
St. Paul's Hospital Millennium Medical College
07.2016 - 10.2017
Risk management officer
St. Paul's Hospital Millennium Medical College
02.2014 - 03.2017
IPC Team Lead
St. Paul's Hospital Millennium Medical College
10.2011 - 06.2017
Environmental Health Officer
St. Paul's Hospital Millennium Medical College
10.2008 - 09.2016
Bachelor of Science - Environmental Health
Haramaya University
Masters of Public Health (MPH) - General Public Health
Addis Ababa University (SPH)