Written By:
Nora Wallace - Marketing and Public Relations Manager 

Lennaya Smith RN, BSN, PHN, CDI earned a Certified in Disease Intervention (CDI) credential, a prestigious new national certification developed by the National Board of Public Health Examiners (NBPHE) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to recognize expertise in disease prevention, surveillance, outbreak investigation and public health intervention.  

“The CDI is an important new credential that reflects Lennaya's dedication to professional excellence and advancing the field of infection prevention,” said Anna Arifin, MD, MBA, MT, CIC, CDI, Director of QA, Risk and Infection Control. “Her accomplishment strengthens our department's ability to support patient safety, regulatory compliance, outbreak response, and evidence-based infection prevention practices, while reinforcing our commitment to providing the safest possible environment for our patients, staff and community.” 

Lennaya has been a registered nurse for more than 20 years, with a background in pediatrics, ambulatory care, clinic leadership, patient care coordination, workflow improvement and staff education. 

“This certification is meaningful to me because it connects closely with the work I already do in infection prevention, communicable disease follow-up, exposure response, surveillance, and public health coordination,” Lennaya said. “To me, infection prevention and disease intervention both support the same bigger goal: helping protect patients, healthcare workers, and our community from the spread of infectious diseases.” 

She has been in her current role as the RN Infection Preventionist since February 2022. 

“In this role, I support infection prevention and control efforts throughout the hospital and affiliated outpatient areas,” she said. “My work includes communicable disease surveillance, public health reporting, healthcare-associated infection monitoring, exposure follow-up, regulatory readiness, staff education and working closely with departments throughout the organization.”