Growing up in the shadow of campus, Pattie Evans knew she wanted a career in medicine and found her passion in Neumann’s new medical technology major. After graduation, Evans worked in the clinical lab at Crozer-Chester Medical Center for several years and later received her master’s degree in microbiology from Thomas Jefferson University. Eventually, Evans found her way to the field of infection prevention and control.

Today, Evans is the assistant director of infection prevention control (IPC) at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center in Philadelphia. IPC is a practical, evidence-based approach, the goal of which is to prevent patients and health care workers from being harmed by avoidable infections.

Dealing with the COVID-19 outbreak, of course, has been a whirlwind, and her department quickly became a focal point during the pandemic. Evans and her colleagues look for patterns of infections and advise hospital leaders and other medical professionals on a daily basis.