Board of Directors/Staff

VACC Board

Cindy Winfrey
MSN, RN, CIC, VA-BC™, IP-BC, CDONA, FACDONA
President
cindy.winfrey@vacert.org

Cindy Winfrey is a Registered Nurse with over 25 years of experience in Infection Prevention in acute care, ambulatory care, and long‐term care settings. She is currently the Manager of Global Clinical affairs for Pentax Medical. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing from Northwest Missouri State University and a Masters in Nursing from Walden University. Certified in Infection Control since 1992, she holds additional certifications in Vascular Access (VA‐BC™), Director of Nursing Administration in Long Term Care (CDONA™), Infection Preventionist Board Certified (IP‐BC™) and is a Fellow in the Academy of Certified Directors of Nursing Administration (FACDONA). She also holds certification as a Six Sigma green belt and is a graduate of the Johns Hopkins Fellows Program in Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology. Cindy has been actively involved with the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC), throughout her infection prevention career. She has served as a member of the planning committee for the APIC Annual Conference, several task forces on the national
level in addition to being a board member, officer and committee member of her local APIC chapter.

Cindy has served as a past member of the test review committee for the Vascular Access Certification Corporation, a contributor to the AVA Consensus Document and is a peer reviewer for the Journal of Nursing Management. She has presented infection prevention educational programs at the local, regional, and national level. She previously was an adjunct faculty member at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs and Pikes Peak Community College. Prior to working in Infection Prevention, Cindy worked as an emergency department Clinical Manager and as a staff and charge nurse in critical care settings. She is an active member in the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC), Association of perioperative Registered Nurses (AORN), American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE), Society for Gastroenterology Nurses (SGNA), Association for Vascular Access (AVA), and the National Association Directors of Nursing Administration in Long‐Term Care (NADONA/LTC).

J. Hudson Garrett Jr.
PhD., MSN, MPH, FNP-BC, CSRN,
CDONA, FACDONA, C-NE, PLNC,
IP-BC, VA-BC™
Presidential Advisor
hudson.garrett@vacert.org

Dr. Hudson Garrett is currently employed as the Global Chief Clinical Officer for Pentax Medical. He has completed the Johns Hopkins Fellows Program in Hospital Epidemiology and Infection Control, and the CDC Fundamentals of Healthcare Epidemiology program. He is also a Fellow in the Academy of National Associations of Directors of Nursing Administration in Long Term Care and the American Academy of Project Management.

Dr. Garrett currently serves as the Chairperson for both the Clinical Research Committee and the Emerging Infectious Diseases in Vascular Access for the Association for Vascular Access (AVA), Past President of the Board of Directors, for the Southeast Chapter of the Infusion Nurses Society, and the Industry Liaison for the Board of Directors for the Association for the Healthcare Environment. He is also a three-time nominee for the AVA Herbst Award. He also served as a reviewer for the 2013 Best Practices in Adult Peripheral Vascular Access Resource Guide for AVA, and is the second author for the second revision of the AVA Pediatric Special Interest Organization Guidelines and also an author for the CVC Best Practices Resource guide. He was recognized as a 2013 “Who’s Who in Infection Prevention” by Infection Control Magazine

Chris Frith
BSN, RN, CRNI, VA-BC™
President Elect
christopher.frith@vacert.org

Christopher Frith RN, BSN, CRNI, VA-BC™ is the Director, Clinical Services at Parallon Business Solutions. Chris serves as the team leader for a group of advanced Vascular Access Nurses who perform vascular access procedures such as PICC (Peripherally Inserted Central Catheter) insertions as well as other advanced infusion techniques for client hospitals. In this role, he integrates technology with evidence-based practice to improve the quality of vascular access procedures, standardize processes and reduce client costs. Chris works as a clinical operations consultant and helps develop interoperability with supplies and facility processes related to vascular access and other clinical services. He participates on committees as a resource to each client facility to improve patient care and help them meet their clinical and financial goals.

Chris completed his Bachelor’s degree in Nursing at Tennessee State University and served as President of the Nashville chapter for the Infusion Nursing Society (INS) during 2011-2012 and is an active member of the Association for Vascular Access (AVA) and the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC).

Michael Brazunas
BSN, RN, VA-BC™
Treasurer
piccedu@aol.com

Michael has been a Registered Nurse for 25 years and a Vascular Access nurse since 1996. He started his nursing career on an oncology unit at Naval Medical Center in San Diego, CA. After learning how to place PICCs, Brazunas helped establish and run the Navy’s first outpatient infusion center. He then started teaching PICC insertion to his fellow nurses, and subsequently attended Luther Medical’s “Train the Trainer” class.

After finishing his service in the US Navy in 1998, he was influential in bringing the use of Modified Seldinger Technique (MST) for PICC insertion to the bedside. He has spent the past 20 years promoting “best practice” in vascular access by teaching classes, speaking at conferences and meetings, and by mentoring new Vascular Access clinicians. An active member of the Association of Vascular Access, Mike has served as Chair of the Education Committee, Director-at-Large and as President. He lives in the Philadelphia area with his wife Eileen and daughter Grace.

Linda Lembo
MSN/Ed, CRNI, VA-BC™
Secretary
piccnurse@aol.com

Ms. Lembo, MSN/ED, CRNI, VA-BC™ has been a registered nurse for over 40 years with the past 28 years focusing on the specialty of vascular access.? Linda received both her Bachelors and Masters degrees in nursing from the University of Phoenix.? She recently retired from The Valley Hospital after 38 years of service where she created and managed the Vascular Access Team. Ms. Lembo was instrumental in bringing the use of ultrasound and the ability to verify tip placement via x-ray by RN’s to the state of New Jersey. She is currently working as a consultant/educator also served as a faculty member at Eastwick College located in Ramsey, NJ.

Ms. Lembo is a Past president of the local New Jersey chapter for the Infusion Nurses Society (INS). As a member of the Association for Vascular Access (AVA) since 2000, she served on the Best Practices Committee, chairperson member of the AVA Nomination Committee, Vascular Access Vein Preservation Committee and the Core Curriculum Committee.?Ms. Lembo was an AVA Board of Directors?from 2009-2013. Through the years, Linda has been active in developing and managing infusion therapy including educational programs on insertion and maintenance of PICC lines.. Ms. Lembo was the 2010 New Jersey Health Care Hero recipient for her work in advancing the field of vascular access/skills in State of New Jersey.

Stacey Cutts
BS, RRT, VA-BC™
Director At Large
staceyrrt@gmail.com

Stacey is a Registered Respiratory Therapist with 30 years of experience in the field. She holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Management from Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, Arizona and has over 20 years of experience in managing respiratory therapy departments in several states.

In her current role as the Manager of Respiratory Therapy and Pulmonary Diagnostics at UT Southwestern, she recognized an opportunity for respiratory therapist to be involved in vascular access. On February 24, 2017, she appeared in front of the Texas Medical Board to gain clarification regarding the scope of practice of RTs in the State of Texas.

She is a member of Texas Society for Respiratory Care, American Association for Respiratory Care, and the Association for Vascular Access. She is a board member for the DFW STARVAN Network for Vascular Access.

Ruth M. Carrico
PhD DNP APRN FNP-C FSHEA CIC
Director At Large Public Member
ruth.carrico@louisville.edu

Ruth M. Carrico is an Associate Professor and Family Nurse Practitioner with the University of Louisville School Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, and is the founding Associate Director of the School of Medicine Global Health Initiative. Dr. Carrico has received training specific for healthcare epidemiology at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in conjunction with the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University in Atlanta and the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA).

At present, Dr. Carrico is responsible for the clinical operations at the University of Louisville’s Global Health Center focusing on practices and outcomes that represent risk for patients, healthcare personnel, and communities worldwide.

Dr. Carrico serves as the Editor-in-Chief for the University of Louisville Journal of Refugee and Global Health. In 2018, Dr. Carrico assumed the role of President-elect for the Kentucky Nurses Association and in 2019 will assume the role of President.

VACC Staff:

Lois Davis RN, MSN, VA-BC™ (VACC Program Director)

Lois Davis
MSN, RN, VA-BC™
VACC Executive Director
lois.davis@vacert.org

Lois Davis has been with the Vascular Access certification Corporation since it was developed in 2009. Lois received her bachelor’s degree in nursing from Boston University and Master’s Degree in Nursing administration from the University of Phoenix. Lois’ background includes over 30 years as a registered nurse with more than 20 years involved in vascular access as a clinician, educator, and manager. In addition to her acute care experience she has a strong home care background. Lois is a recognized speaker and is involved in various local and national professional organizations.

Leah Allen
Association Manager

Leah is a graduate of Georgia State University, where she earned a Bachelor of Business Administration in marketing with a minor in hospitality. She has worked as an Association Senior Coordinator for several different clients with Meeting Expectations. She has experience in customer service, email and social media marketing, board and volunteer management, financial management, sponsorship sales, and other general business operations.

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