Staff

Dr. Bill Rutala is the Director and co-founder of the Statewide Program for Infection Control and Epidemiology and a Professor for the Division of Infectious Diseases at the University of North Carolina’s School of Medicine. He was the Director of Hospital Epidemiology, Occupational Health and Safety Program at the University of North Carolina Hospitals for 38 years before retiring in May 2017. He is a retired Colonel with the U.S. Army Reserve and is certified in infection control. Full Bio: https://spice.unc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/BIOSKET-WARutala-2023.pdf

David J. Weber has been on the faculty of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill since 1985 where he is currently a Professor of Medicine and Pediatrics in the School of Medicine, and a Professor of Epidemiology in the School of Public Health. Dr. Weber serves as the Associate Chief of Staff for UNC Hospitals. He serves as the Medical Director of the Statewide Program for Infection Control and Epidemiology; and Medical Director of Epidemiology and also of the Departments of Hospital Epidemiology (Infection Control) and Occupational Health. He is Board Certified in Internal Medicine, Infectious Disease, Critical Care Medicine, and Preventive Medicine. He serves as the Associate Editor of Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology. His research interests include healthcare-associated infections, new and emerging pathogens (norovirus, SARS-coV, CA-MRSA, pfiesteria), infections in child care centers, and antibiotic resistant pathogens.

As the Associate Director of SPICE, Dr. Robert (Marty) Cooney is key to SPICE’s mission as the principal lecturer at SPICE annual infection prevention courses, collaborating with state and national agencies, leads applied research projects in the area of infection control and epidemiology of infectious diseases, provides expert guidance on infection prevention practices, and updates SPICE’s educational offerings to align with the latest professional guidelines and regulatory changes. He addresses daily complex inquiries from healthcare professionals overseeing infection prevention activities across North Carolina and beyond.
Marty has a DrPH from the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. In addition, Marty has his RN, BSN, ME, MPH, and CIC. Marty served 3 years on the national CBIC Board of Directors and has also been active in APIC-NC, serving on the APIC-NC Board of Directors, and was previously awarded APIC-NC Practitioner of the Year. He has delivered several presentations at professional conferences and is published in infection prevention journals.

Jennifer Hubbard has her Master’s in Healthcare Administration from the University of North Carolina Wilmington. She is also a Certified Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia Care Trainer™ (CADDCT™) by the National Council of Certified Dementia Practitioners (NCCDP) and has trained interprofessional staff in 51 long-term care facilities. She joined the University of North Carolina Center for Aging and Health at the onset of the COVID pandemic in 2020, focusing on related geriatric workforce education programs. Jennifer was a contributing author of grant funding from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) to support improvement of infection control in nursing homes during COVID-19. She also assisted in securing grant funding from the AHRQ to support continuing professional development (CPD) for interprofessional and medical students addressing COVID-19 and Telehealth. Jennifer assists SPICE with its core infection prevention initiatives in education and training in health care facilities.

Vicki Allen has her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Kaplan University and her Master of Science degree in Nursing Education from the University of Texas at Tyler. Vicki started her nursing career as an LPN from Watts School of Nursing in Durham and spent those first years of nursing in Med/Surg and Rehab. Vicki began working in Infection Control in the late 90’s and has continued to work in that field in hospitals in Pennsylvania, Arkansas, Texas, South Carolina and North Carolina. She has been active in and served on the Boards for the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) at the national and state levels. She has been editor and contributor to texts for APIC and The Joint Commission. She is board certified in infection control and prevention (CIC) and is recognized as Fellow for APIC (FAPIC). Vicki has a large family and enjoys traveling across the United States visiting her children, grandchildren, and siblings.

Pamela Blair has a Master of Public Health from the University of South Florida, a Graduate Certificate in Field Epidemiology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Old Dominion University. She is nationally certified in Infection Control (CIC) and Public Health (CPH) and is a NC .0206 outpatient infection prevention course provider. Before joining SPICE, Pamela spent 8 years with UNC Health focusing on infection prevention for endoscopy, infusion, specialty clinics, ambulatory surgery, inpatient psychiatry, hospice, and home health. She also has more than 15 years of experience in public health, including emergency preparedness, outbreak response, and training and development. Pamela helped create the first outpatient infection prevention program for a large Virginia health system and served as a policy reviewer for the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) PolicyPro Ambulatory Care templates. She enjoys working collaboratively to find practical, evidence-based solutions to keep patients and staff safe.

Ashley Jackson has her Bachelor’s degree in Clinical Laboratory Science/Medical Technology and started her career as a Medical Technologist in a Clinical Microbiology and Immunology Laboratory. In addition, Ashley has a Master’s degree in Public Health. Ashley has also obtained two postgraduate certificates in Global Health and Public Health Leadership through the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill.  She has worked in Infection Prevention and Epidemiology since 2011 and is board-certified in Infection Control and Epidemiology by the Certification Board of Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. (CBIC). She is active in several professional organizations, including the North Carolina Association for Professionals in Infection Control (Secretary 2022-2024, Zone 6 Coordinator 2022-current, and a member of the Legislative and Education committees), The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America, and the National Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology. Ashley has performed infection control assessments in various healthcare settings, including outpatient offices, dialysis facilities, hospitals, nursing homes, assisted living facilities, group homes, and behavioral/mental health facilities. She has also authored many educational materials and tools for healthcare facilities, has provided many educational sessions, and is an approved .0206 infection prevention course provider. Ashley enjoys being on the coast in her spare time, enjoying beaches with her husband and two children. 

Jessica Ramey obtained her bachelor’s degree in science with a concentration in Public Health in 2008 from East Tennessee State University in Johnson City TN. She went on to earn her Masters in Infection Prevention and Epidemiology from the University of Providence in Great Falls Montana in 2021, graduating with honors. Jessica has been in Infection Prevention for 17 years. She is certified in Infection Control and Epidemiology (CIC). As an Infection Preventionist for the past 17 years she has experience in acute and ambulatory care, dialysis, hospice, and behavioral health. Jessica has also worked in large Children’s hospitals, and as an IP consultant in TN, NC, GA, and FL. In Tennessee. She was integral in opening the first Green LEED certified hospital, Franklin Woods Community Hospital in 2010. During her time at Novant, she provided the SPICE outpatient course, and is now on the SPICE team as an Infection Prevention Consultant.