The Organization for Safety and Asepsis Procedures (OSAP) has announced that its 2007 OSAP Symposium in Charlotte, NC, broke records both for attendance and money raised. Approximately 350 people attended the Symposium and/or the State Approved Program for Infection Control and Epidemiology for North Carolina program that was held concurrently. This year’s auction, held during the Symposium, raised a record $130,000 for the OSAP Foundation.
Participants from around the world gathered in the NASCAR capital to “Race Toward Safety.” Symposium sessions provided information on vaccinations and prions and offered updates on infectious diseases including the recent, rare case of a patient-to-patient transmission of hepatitis B. Practical sessions with smaller groups focused on exposure-incident management, how to develop an infection-control program, how to keep waterlines clean, and how to read labels. Emerging issues also were addressed, including risk management and infection control, balancing infection control with the environment, diagnostics and infection prevention, dental tourism, and leadership for change in infection control.
OSAP also gave participants updates on its new infection-control research agenda, a joint project with the World Health Organization, and other initiatives.
Symposium speakers included Director of the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, Dr Lawrence Tabak; the lead investigator in the patient-to-patient hepatitis case, Dr John Redd; motivational expert, Dr Paul Homoly; and a host of other leaders. The symposium portfolio with pdfs of speakers’ slides, handouts, scientific abstracts, and more may be obtained for $150 and includes a link to the participant Web site, which is updated with new information throughout the rest of the year.
The 2008 OSAP Symposium will be held in Palm Springs, Calif, June 12–15, 2008. For more information, go to osap.org.
