Director Infection Prevention
Advent Health Tampa
Kay Sams has over 30 years’ experience in healthcare and has been in infection prevention for the last 18 years as an infection preventionist, consultant, and leader. She is currently the Director of the Infection Prevention and Control Department at AdventHealth Tampa, FL. She has been CIC certified since 2008 and awarded designation of APIC fellow in 2017. She has been active in APIC serving as chair for both the Annual Conference Committee in 2020 and the Conference Abstract Committee in 2018 as well as serving in various opportunities with the local APIC Bay Area chapter. She is currently a member of SHEA. Kay has published and presented nationally on infection prevention and control topics focusing on specialty populations, HAI prevention, and outbreak investigations. She obtained her ASN degree in Nursing from Manatee Community College in 1984 and her Bachelor’s degree in nursing from the University of South Florida in 2006. She completed her graduate certificate in Infection Control in 2008 and Masters in Public Health (MPH) in 2013 from the University of South Florida. Her graduate studies focused on global communicable diseases. Her career interests include HAI prevention in acute care and specialty populations, and quality performance improvement initiatives that improve patient safety and outcomes. In her free time Kay enjoys spending time with her family and friends which include travelling, kayaking, cooking, and DIY projects.