Leonard Alan Mermel

Dr Leonard Mermel was a Technical Expert Panel Member of the Medicare Patient Safety Monitoring System, US Dept. of Health and Human Services. He was the 2005 President of the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA) and the 2014 SHEA Mentor Scholar Award recipient which honours individuals who are recognised for their dedication and excellence in mentoring trainees in infection prevention and control.

He is the 2016 recipient of The Milton W. Hamolsky Outstanding Physician Award from the Rhode Island Hospital Medical Staff Association. He is a past recipient of the Ralph A. Kinsella, Sr. Memorial Tribute Award from St. Louis University Hospitals for outstanding qualities of work, leadership, and ability as a house staff officer, the SHEA Young Investigator Award, the Brown Medical School Department of Medicine Chairman’s Award for Outstanding Teaching, Brown Medical School Dean’s Excellence in Teaching Award, and the Brown Medical School Certificate of Recognition for Exemplary Teaching.

Dr Mermel has co-authored US guidelines dealing with prevention and management of intravascular catheter infections and he has authored or co-authored over 300 articles, textbook chapters, and abstracts dealing with infection control and infectious diseases. Dr Mermel and Dr David Classen together developed the idea for the Compendium of Strategies to Prevent Healthcare-Associated Infections in Acute Care Hospitals which is now a standard guidance used in the United States and the basis for some of the National Patient Safety Goals. He is Co-Course Director of the Annual Fellows Course in Hospital Epidemiology & Infection Control. He has lectured at the National Institutes of Health, Institute of Medicine, NASA Johnson Space Center, and internationally on infectious disease issues. His research interest is the prevention of healthcare-associated infections.