DIRECT DIFFERENCE TEAM

Sarah Lopez, RN, BSN, CBIC

Infection Prevention Clinical Liaison

Sarah Lopez is a Registered Nurse with more than 26 years of healthcare experience, including more than a decade of dedicated expertise in Infection Prevention. Throughout her career, she has focused on strengthening patient safety and infection prevention through collaboration, education, evidence-based practice, and meaningful engagement with healthcare teams.

A cornerstone of Sarah’s leadership philosophy is the belief that respect, trust, and teamwork are essential to achieving sustainable improvement. She recognizes that successful infection prevention is not achieved by one individual or department, but through the collective commitment of the entire healthcare team. This philosophy was demonstrated in 2016 when Sarah and her employer were recognized with an APIC Heroes in Infection Prevention award for “Teamwork and Creativity that Created Success.” The award recognized the team’s ability to work collaboratively, embrace positive change, and foster a culture focused on improving outcomes for patients.

Sarah brings a continuous-improvement mindset to her work, recognizing that healthcare practices and regulatory expectations continue to evolve. She is committed to staying informed of emerging guidance, current evidence, and evolving best practices, and helping healthcare teams translate this knowledge into practical approaches that strengthen infection prevention, patient safety, and quality outcomes.

As an Infection Prevention Clinical Liaison with Direct Difference, Sarah serves as a trusted resource and partner to hospital quality and infection prevention teams. She brings together clinical expertise, regulatory awareness, and a collaborative approach to help organizations strengthen their infection prevention practices, support quality initiatives, and identify opportunities for improvement.

Her guiding principle is simple: when we engage people, build trust, and work together toward a common goal, we create stronger teams—and better outcomes for patients.