Marci Lynn Drees, M.D., MS

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Marci Lynn Drees, M.D., MS

Marci Lynn Drees, M.D., MS

Chief Infection Prevention Officer and Hospital Epidemiologist

Expertise & Research Interests

  • Vaccines
  • COVID-19 (Coronavirus)
  • Influenza (Flu)
  • Healthcare-associated Infections
  • Mass Vaccination
  • Infectious Disease
  • Hospital Epidemiology
  • Antimicrobial Stewardship

Education

  • Master's in Clinical Research, Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences at Tufts University
  • Diploma, Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
  • MD, University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine

Marci Lynn Drees, M.D., MS

Chief Infection Prevention Officer and Hospital Epidemiologist

Dr. Marci Drees is the Chief Infection Prevention Officer and hospital epidemiologist for ChristianaCare, is a highly sought-after national expert on infectious diseases, healthcare-associated infections, and vaccines.
Among her numerous affiliations, Dr. Drees chairs the Education Committee of the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA), and serves as SHEA's liaison to the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). She is board certified in
internal medicine and infectious diseases.

Multimedia

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Experience

Downloadable Images and Links
Media Appearances

Some Health Care Workers Are Wary Of Getting COVID-19 Vaccines

2020-12-01 , NPR
Some health care workers have voiced concerns about safety and potential side effects from COVID-19 vaccines. They want to see clear data on safety and efficacy before they sign on to get a new vaccine, Mahon says.

"It's a minority of people that are saying absolutely no way [to getting a COVID-19 vaccine]," says Dr. Marci Drees, hospital epidemiologist for ChristianaCare and a liaison to the CDC's federal vaccine advisory committee. "I think the majority of people really just want to know more."

Delaware hospital to play leading role in COVID-19 vaccine distribution

2020-12-01 , 6ABC
A Delaware hospital will play a leading role in administering the vaccine to the region.

Ten freezers just arrived at ChristianaCare in Newark this week and will be able to house the coronavirus vaccine in temperatures as low as -94 degrees.

ChristianaCare’s 1-day flu vaccination campaign reaches 8K

2019-10-23 , Delaware Business Times
Dr. Marci Drees, chief infection prevention officer and hospital epidemiologist for ChristianaCare, is tasked with the challenge of convincing staff members to get an annual flu vaccination.

Climate Change May Mean More Risky Mosquitoes

2019-03-28 , WebMD
Dr. Marci Drees is an infection prevention officer and hospital epidemiologist at ChristianaCare Health System in Wilmington, Del., and wasn't involved in the new research. But she said she wasn't surprised by its results.

Hospital system vaccinates nearly 8,000 staff in daylong flu shot blitz

2018-10-14 , NBCNews.com
For the past few years, Christiana has managed to vaccinate more than 90 percent of staff, said Dr. Marci Drees, the health system’s infection prevention officer.

Hospital Beats Flu Vaccine Procrastinators With In-Your-Face Effort

2015-10-18 , NBCNews.com
“There's a lot of advertising, a lot of excitement, there's a lot of peer pressure,” says Dr. Marci Drees, the infection prevention officer and hospital epidemiologist for ChristianaCare Health System.

VIDEO | 'Hit me with your flu shot': ChristianaCare vaccinates thousands of employees in one day

2018-10-11 , WDEL
"If we ever had to mass-vaccinate our entire workforce in a very rapid fashion, this is 'how would we do it?" ChristianaCare Chief Infection Prevention Officer and Hospital Epidemiologist Dr. Marci Drees said.
Selected Papers and Publications

Lessons Learned From Hospital Ebola Preparation

2015-04-01 , Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology
Hospital Ebola preparation is underway in the United States and other countries; however, the best approach and resources involved are unknown.

Antibiotic prescribing by telephone in primary care

2014-07-31 , Pharmacoepidemiology & Drug Safety
Little is known about the contribution of telephone‐based prescribing on overall antibiotic utilization. The objective of this study was to determine the extent and characteristics of telephone‐based antibiotic prescribing in teaching and non‐teaching primary care practices.

The Evolving Landscape of Healthcare-Associated Infections: Recent Advances in Prevention and a Road Map for Research

2014-05-01 , Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology
This white paper identifies knowledge gaps and new challenges in healthcare epidemiology research, assesses the progress made toward addressing research priorities, provides the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA) Research Committee's recommendations for high-priority research topics, and proposes a road map for making progress toward these goals.

Universal Glove and Gown Use and Acquisition of Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria in the ICU

2013-10-16 , JAMA
Antibiotic-resistant bacteria are associated with increased patient morbidity and mortality. It is unknown whether wearing gloves and gowns for all patient contact in the intensive care unit (ICU) decreases acquisition of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

Carrots and sticks: achieving high healthcare personnel influenza vaccination rates without a mandate

2015-06-01 , National Library of Medicine
Objective: Achieving high healthcare personnel (HCP) influenza vaccination rates has typically required mandating vaccination, which is often challenging to implement. Our objective was to achieve >90% employee influenza vaccination without a mandate.

Research Methods in Healthcare Epidemiology and Antimicrobial Stewardship: Use of Administrative and Surveillance Databases

2016-08-30 , National Library of Medicine
Administrative and surveillance data are used frequently in healthcare epidemiology and antimicrobial stewardship (HE&AS) research because of their wide availability and efficiency. However, data quality issues exist, requiring careful consideration and potential validation of data. This methods paper presents key considerations for using administrative and surveillance data in HE&AS, including types of data available and potential use, data limitations, and the importance of validation. After discussing these issues, we review examples of HE&AS research using administrative data with a focus on scenarios when their use may be advantageous. A checklist is provided to help aid study development in HE&AS using administrative data. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2016;1-10.

Automated outbreak detection of hospital-associated pathogens: Value to infection prevention programs

2020-06-10 , National Library of Medicine
Objective: To assess the utility of an automated, statistically-based outbreak detection system to identify clusters of hospital-acquired microorganisms.

Variation in Definitions and Isolation Procedures for Multidrug-Resistant Gram-Negative Bacteria: A Survey of the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America Research Network

2016-05-10 , Cambridge University Press
Objective.
To assess definitions, experience, and infection control practices for multidrug-resistant gram-negative bacteria (MDR-GNB), including Enterobacteriaceae, Acinetobacter, and Pseudomonas species, in acute care hospitals.
External Service and Affiliations
  • American College of Physicians : Fellow
  • Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America : Fellow
  • Delaware Healthcare-associated Infections Advisory Committee : Member
  • Delaware Immunizations Coalition : Member
  • CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices: Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America Liaison
  • Infectious Diseases Society of America: Fellow