Translational Research - Université de Genève

Hygiene and Infection control
Didier Pittet
Infection Control Programme, HUG
Didier Pittet obtained his medical degree in 1983 on “Inositol phosphates and cellular
activation” from the University of Geneva Faculty of Medicine, and is specialised in infectious
diseases, hospital epidemiology and public health. In 1992 he became Head of the Infection
Control and Prevention Programme at the HUG and Faculty of Medicine. In 2008, the
Programme was designated a WHO Collaborating Centre on Patient Safety. He was appointed
Associate Professor at the Faculty of Medicine in 2000 and promoted to full Professor in 2010.
He has received several degrees and awards for his work as External Lead of the WHO First
Global Patient Safety Challenge “Clean Care Is Safer Care” initiative and is an international
expert for the WHO.
Prevention and control of healthcare-associated infection and antimicrobial
resistance: local, national, and global perspectives
MRSA and multidrug resistance. We are conducting various cohort studies to evaluate the value
of screening and decolonisation to decrease MRSA transmission, including several
epidemiological studies to address the emerging threat of community MRSA.
Innovative strategies in infection control and prevention. Our group is developing and testing
innovative multidisciplinary and multifaceted approaches to prevent or contain healthcareassociated
infection, including microbiological aspects of transmission.
“Clean Care is Safer Care”. As a WHO Collaborating Centre on Patient Safety and in association
with WHO Patient Safety, we focus on the evaluation of the burden of healthcare-associated
infection with the aim of identifying and implementing the most feasible and effective
solutions/measures for prevention worldwide. The strategy is currently endorsed by two-thirds
of the United Nations’ Member States.
Infections in orthopaedic surgery and traumatology. Our research seeks to identify novel
strategies for the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of osteoarticular infections.
Determinants and prevention of healthcare-associated infections in adult and paediatric
critical care. We are investigating risk factors associated with device-associated infections in
order to identify novel prevention strategies.
Epidemiology of noma in Niger. Our research focuses on the risk factors for noma and
compares oral bacterial diversity of children with noma and controls from the same region.
Prevention strategies will be tested following results of the current research.
72 Université de Genève • Faculté de médecine
Longtin Y, Sax H, Allegranzi B, Schneider F, Pittet D (2011) Videos in clinical medicine: hand
hygiene. New Engl JMed 364:e24.
Harbarth S, Fankauser C, Schrenzel J, Christenson J, Gervaz P, Bandiera-Clerc C, Renzi G, Vernaz
N, Sax H, Pittet D (2008) Universal screening for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus
at hospital admission and nosocomial infection in surgical patients. JAMA 299:1149-1157.
Pittet D, Donaldson L (2005) Clean Care is Safer Care: a worldwide priority. Lancet 366:1246-
1247.
Pittet D, Hugonnet S, Harbarth S, Mourouga P, Sauvan V, Touveaneau S, Perneger TV (2000)
Effectiveness of a hospital-wide programme to improve compliance with hand hygiene.
Lancet 356:1307-1312.
Eggimann P, Harbarth S, Constantin M-N, Touveneau S, Chevrolet JC, Pittet D (2000) Impact of
a prevention strategy targeted at vascular-access care on incidence of infections in intensive
care. Lancet 355:1864-1868.
Contact: Didier.Pittet@hcuge.ch
Hygiene and Infection control
Université de Genève • Faculté de médecine
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