U. professor selected as faculty partner in CDC program

Elena Ragusa, an assistant professor of professional practice in the Department of Applied Psychology at the Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology (GSAPP), was recently appointed as a faculty partner to evaluate the Healthcare-Associated Infections and Antimicrobial Resistance (HAI/AR) Education and Leadership Program (HELP), according to an Instagram post from GSAPP.

The Daily Targum spoke with Ragusa to discuss HELP's mission and her work in the program. Ragusa said she hopes to gain an understanding of the relationship between education, professional development and the goals of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in her new role.

Specifically, she said her position tasks her with evaluating the effectiveness of HAI/AR initiatives.

HELP is a collaboration between the Institute for Healthcare Improvement and the CDC that is designed to engineer success in existing HAI/AR programs with a focus on soft skills in the medical field.

Ragusa said HELP investigates the idea that improving leadership and management skills positively affects technical and medical results. Resources are then distributed depending on whether the data supports the link between these elements.

The program involves both researchers and participants, who are given the ability to aid in the program's design and organization.

"Being able to empower people … and own their own outcomes and their own learning and their own reflection and making the changes themselves based on their own data, that's huge," Ragusa said.

Ragusa said she is excited about this program due to her career background as an organizational psychologist. She said in her prior experience evaluating similarly structured projects, the success of a project may be at risk if participants feel strained or overworked.

HELP focuses on participant experiences and health equity, she said. The program's three-day training reflects its dedication to a participant-centric approach, Ragusa said.

"It's a really thoughtful process that's really collaborative, and the fact that they're taking such a thoughtful, collaborative approach to the work is really exciting for me. So, it means a lot to work with this team," she said.

Ragusa, a Rutgers alum with four degrees from the University, said Rutgers has had a long-term impact on her career.

"My hope is that if I'm really, really lucky, the way that I do my work might have a tiny, little influence on the people that I engage with at Rutgers. Because, for me, that would be really meaningful to bring that back full circle," she said.