Dian Baker, PhD, NP, RN

Professor and Clinical Faculty, California State University, Sacramento School of Nursing
Professor and Clinical Faculty, University of California, Davis School of Medicine

Dian Baker, PhD, NP, RN, is a professor at the School of Nursing, California State University, Sacramento and clinical faculty at the University of California, Davis School of Medicine. Dr. Baker obtained her PhD from the University of Hawaii and completed a postdoctoral fellowship in healthcare leadership at the University of California, Davis. Her recent publications on pneumonia prevention have drawn interest from hospitals and patient safety organizations across the country. Dr. Baker was the academic partner and researcher with the Sutter Health System Team that was awarded the 2018 California Healthcare Quality Institute's C. Duane Dauner Quality Award for excellence in quality and safety for their work on non-ventilator hospital-acquired pneumonia. In 2020, Dr. Baker was part of the team granted the Award for Publication Excellence from the Association of Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology and the American Journal of Infection Control. Dr. Baker and her colleagues formed the Hospital-Acquired Pneumonia Prevention, Intervention, Research, and Education (HAPPIER) collaborative that includes nurse leaders, researchers, and partners in the UK. She is currently working to promote prevention of non-ventilator hospital-acquired pneumonia in hospitals worldwide and is a consultant for the VA Hospital-Acquired Pneumonia Prevention by Engaging Nurses (HAPPEN) program. She is Co-Chair of the research workgroup for the National Organization to Prevent Hospital-Acquired Pneumonia (NOHAP).

Karen K. Giuliano, PhD, RN, FAAN, MBA

Co-Director, Elaine Marieb Center for Nursing and Engineering Innovation
Associate Professor (Joint), University of Massachusetts Amherst

Karen Giuliano, PhD, RN, FAAN, MBA, is currently Co-Director of the Center for Nursing and Engineering Innovation and an Associate Professor (Joint) at the Institute for Applied Life Sciences and College of Nursing, University of Massachusetts Amherst. With a clinical background in critical care and 25+ years of global experience in the development of new medical products, Dr. Giuliano has a passion for improving healthcare through innovation. Her expertise includes human-centered design and clinical outcomes research. 

Dr. Giuliano actively contributes to many professional organizations and works with small, medium, and large companies on medical product development and innovation. In addition, her own interdisciplinary program of research is focused in two main areas: non-ventilator hospital-acquired pneumonia and IV infusion safety using IV Smart Pumps.  

Dr. Giuliano is a fellow in the American Academy of Nursing (FAAN), a six-sigma green belt, and holds a BSN and PhD in nursing from Boston College, nurse practitioner from the University of Massachusetts, an MBA (Global Management Concentration) from Babson College and completed a postdoctoral research fellowship on IV infusion device safety at Yale University. 

Frank A. Scannapieco, DMD, PhD

Chair and Professor of Oral Biology, University at Buffalo School of Dental Medicine

Frank A. Scannapieco, DMD, PhD, is a periodontist and microbiologist. His expertise includes dental plaque and the connection between oral and overall health, particularly in at-risk populations.

His work includes the study of dental plaque formation, the effect of plaque on oral health, and the relationship between oral and systemic diseases, such as pneumonia, diabetes, and obesity.

Dr. Scannapieco was among the first to draw the connection between poor oral health and respiratory infection in intensive care and nursing home patients. His work has contributed to the now-widespread recognition of the need for oral care in hospitals and nursing homes.