Elaine Larson

Elaine Lucille Larson (born April 27, 1943) is an American infectious disease specialist. As a Professor of Epidemiology at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, she has published four books and more than four hundred articles on the subjects of infection prevention and control, disease epidemiology, and related issues. In 2017, Larson was named a "Living Legend" by the American Academy of Nursing, the Academy's highest honor.

Early life and education Larson was born on April 27, 1943, and became the first woman in her family to graduate from high school. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree, Master's degree, and PhD from the University of Washington. In 2004, she was the recipient of the school's Distinguished Research Award. During her time in Washington, Larson was a staff nurse at the University of Washington Medical Center in Seattle. She later left the institution to accept a position at Georgetown University as their dean of the School of Nursing. Larson also chaired the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee from 1992 until 2000 During her tenure, she was elected to the National Academy of Medicine (NAM) and served on their Board on Health Sciences Policy from 2000 until 2003.

Larson eventually joined the faculty at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and received the first Pathfinder Award from the National Institute of Nursing Research in 2003. She was also honored by the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses with their Pioneering Spirit Award

As a Professor of Pharmaceutical and Therapeutic Research and Associate Dean for Research at Columbia University School of Nursing, she launched the "Keep It Clean for Kids” Project (KICKS) to study hand hygiene at three New York-area child-care facilities. In recognition of her research into hand hygiene and compliance, she was the recipient of the John Stearns Medal for Distinguished Contributions in Clinical Practice from the New York Academy of Medicine.

Considered a "pioneer in promoting hand hygiene for infection prevention and control," Larson was the first nurse to receive the John Stearns Medal for Distinguished Contributions in Clinical Practice from the New York Academy of Medicine. Her paper "A nursing informatics research agenda for 2008–2018: Contextual influences and key components" also received the "Most Outstanding Article in the Research Category" award from Nursing Outlook.

In recognition of her academic achievements, Larson was named a "Living Legend" by the American Academy of Nursing, the Academy's highest honor, in 2017. Her contributions were recognized to have "changed the way healthcare is delivered by emphasizing the importance of infection prevention and hand hygiene for all health professionals." The following year, Larson was honored with the Walsh McDermott Medal from the National Academy of Medicine becoming the second nurse to have ever received the award. She eventually retired from her position as Columbia University's senior associate dean for research the following year but said she had "no plans to stop contributing to the nursing profession." During the COVID-19 pandemic, Larson cautioned that the pandemic would have a lasting impact on hand-hygiene practices.

Selected publications

Infection Control (1979) Critical Care Nursing (1983) Clinical Microbiology for Nurses and Health Practitioners (1984) Infections and Nursing Practice: Prevention and Control (1994)