Many people know Elaine Larson as "the handwashing lady." Her seminal research in handwashing and infection control started in the 1970s and continues to this day. With it she anticipated by several decades today's demand for evidence-based practice in this fundamental aspect of nursing practice. To recognize her contributions to the field of infection prevention, in 2002 the Association of Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology endowed the Elaine Larson Lectureship. A year later the Friends of the National Institute of Nursing Research honored her with the first Pathfinder Award for her contributions to clinical research and national policy.
Dr. Larson is internationally regarded as the pre-eminent expert in scientific evidence about handwashing and an authority on other aspects of epidemiology and infection control. She has served on the President's Committee for Gulf War Veterans' Illnesses and the National Institutes of Health Study Section on HIV Infection. In addition to being editor of the American Journal of Infection Control since 1994 and serving on nine journal editorial boards, she has published more than 200 journal articles, four books and numerous book chapters. She has consulted for the World Health Organization and in countries on every continent except Antarctica.
