Research Health Scientist
Wm. S. Middleton Memorial VA Hospital
Linda McKinley, RN, PhD, MPH, CIC, FAPIC is currently a research health scientist at the VA Hospital in Madison, Wisconsin. Linda has practiced nursing for over 35 years including service in the Army Nurse Corps where she received an Army Commendation Medal for her leadership in developing disinfection and sterilization guidance. She has three decades of experience working as an Infection Preventionist (IP) and held numerous APIC chapter leadership positions in two states including chapter president in Wisconsin. She served with the WI Coalition for Prevention of HAIs in LTC that strategically began providing educational opportunities to IPs in LTC in 2013. Linda has previously served the national APIC Board of Directors and as APIC Secretary. She is recipient of an APIC Chapter Leadership Award for her visionary work in developing an international sister chapter. She also received the SHEA Advanced Practice IP award. Within the VA, she was selected to serve on multiple national infection control advisory groups, chaired the inaugural infection prevention and control field advisory committee and currently functions as a strategic partner with the VA electronic medical record modernization project as co-chair of the infection control subject matter expert workgroup. Linda has been a speaker at local, state, national and international educational events and has mentored graduate students interested in healthcare epidemiology. She has presented numerous abstracts at educational conferences resulting in publications in peer-reviewed journals. She served on the AJIC editorial board, Associate Section Editor of APIC Text, and a scientific reviewer for the University of Wisconsin – Madison IRB and several journals including AJIC. Linda leads infection control research and has served as Principal Investigator on VA funded research studies. Linda has a demonstrated record of experience and productive contributions to the field of infection control to enhance patient outcomes.