Arlington, VA, Sept. 19, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The AAMI Foundation has awarded more than $45,000 in Kilmer Fund Committee grants to researchers at Michigan State University, Emory University and Emory University Hospital, BD Global Sterility Assurance, and PAXXUS., Inc., for various projects on improving sterilization practices and patient safety. The AAMI Foundation’s Kilmer Fund Committee awarded these grants to projects that seek to advance the science of microbiological quality and sterility assurance. They include:

• $11,542 to Emory University and Emory University Hospital researchers to investigate autoclave steam effluent as a route to pathogen escape.
• $10,000 to Michigan State University researchers to assess how healthcare workers respond to packing design features in sterility barrier packaging.
• $13,767 to researchers at BD Medical’s Global Sterility Assurance to evaluate the effect of culture media selection and incubation conditions to recover radiation resistant microorganisms.
• $10,000 to researchers at PAXXUS, Inc. to conduct proof of concept studies to evaluate a methodology for objectively assessing successful occurrence of aseptic presentation.

Contacted for comment, researchers from Emory University and Emory Hospital wrote, “We know this is quite a niche issue, yet it has real significance for staff and facility safety and for public health… We want to make sure that not only is the packaged waste safe, but also that the condensed steam that cools and leaves through the autoclave drain is free from any pathogens.”

Dr. Laura Bix, professor at Michigan State’s School Packaging, said, “We not only objectively evaluate how varying design cues impact healthcare providers’ ability to identify the opening feature on packages intended for sterile medical devices, but also propose and test a method that could be used to evaluate the ability of differing package design features to garner attention… We are thrilled that the AAMI Foundation saw value and potential in what we proposed and supported our research.”

Edmarie Mendez-Laguna, Regional Manager for the U.S. and Latin America at BD Global Sterility Assurance, stated, “We hope that the results of this research can be the first step in the evolution of improving the current practices for growth/cultivation and identifying radiation resistant microorganisms for products that are sterilized by the means of ionizing radiation.”

Per Seema Momin, Global Account Manager at PAXXUS, “Existing research in this area is relatively limited and currently lacks scientific consensus. Therefore, adding even a droplet of new information to the growing body of knowledge has the potential to be impactful… We are incredibly grateful to the AAMI Foundation for enabling the pursuit of this research. “

“We’re pleased to support these projects and anxious to see and share the results with the healthcare community,” said Steve Campbell, Executive Director of the AAMI Foundation. “With patient safety as AAMI and the AAMI Foundation’s north star, we could not be happier to support this research.”

The Kilmer Fund, which is now in its third year, is a central part of the AAMI Foundation’s mission to support deserving healthcare technology professionals through scholarships, grants, and professional development recognition programs. You can find more information about the grant recipients and their projects here.

Dan Visnovsky
Media Relations Manager
Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation
dvisnovsky@aami.org