Kristen is an infection Preventionist with training in public health education, epidemiology and healthcare leadership. As a Bronze belt in Lean and Gold belt in Lean Six Sigma, Ms. Kelley has dedicated her career to patient safety and improved healthcare processes. She has successfully led numerous system improvement initiatives including organizing over 3,000 clinicians for a CLABSI competency retreat, designing surgical site infection prevention program for pre-operative wellness program for over 14,000 patients, and the co-design of a major healthcare system’s quality and safety organizational infrastructure. She has also helped create and implement several machine learning models to reduce healthcare acquired infections (HAI). Since taking the role of Director of Infection Prevention for Indiana University (IU) Health, HAI have been reduced by 78% through reliable execution of evidence-based strategies in less than four years.
Ms. Kelley has received numerous awards for her work, including the IU Health Board Quality and Safety Award, the IU Health Presidents’ Values Leadership, an IU Health Gold Award, and an Infection Prevention People’s Choice Award for Best Education Video from the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, among others.
Ms. Kelley holds a Masters of Public Health degree in Epidemiology from the Indiana University School of Medicine and a Bachelor of Science in Registered Nursing (RN-BSN), as well as certifications in infection control and epidemiology (CIC), lactation (CLC), and EMT-B. Her work has been published in the Annals of Surgery, American Journal of Infection Control, Health and Hospital Network, and the Indianapolis Business Journal.,