Dr. William Rutala, PhD, MPH, CIC
Clinical Advisor
Dr. William A. Rutala is a globally recognized authority in infection prevention, disinfection and sterilization practices, and the epidemiology of healthcare-associated infections. With a career spanning more than four decades, he has shaped infection control policy, education, and research at national and international levels. Dr. Rutala serves as Professor in the Division of Infectious Diseases at the University of North Carolina (UNC) School of Medicine and is the Director and Co-Founder of the Statewide Program for Infection Control and Epidemiology (SPICE), a program that has trained tens of thousands of infection-prevention professionals and provided infection prevention consultation and education to all the healthcare facilities across North Carolina.
For 38 years, Dr. Rutala directed Hospital Epidemiology, Occupational Health, and Safety at UNC Hospitals, where he led programs advancing hospital infection prevention, environmental hygiene, and worker safety. He is also a retired Colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve and is certified in infection control (CIC). Over his distinguished career, he has authored and co-authored more than 700 peer-reviewed publications, books, and book chapters addressing disinfection, sterilization, and healthcare-associated infection prevention. His work has directly informed numerous Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines, including the landmark Guideline for Disinfection and Sterilization in Healthcare Facilities.
Dr. Rutala has provided expert guidance to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Federal Trade Commission (FTC), and the CDC’s Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee (HICPAC). He has been an invited lecturer at more than 400 scientific and medical conferences across 40 states and over 40 countries, reflecting his unmatched global influence in the field of infection prevention.
His contributions have been recognized through numerous prestigious awards, including the Carole M. DeMille Lifetime Achievement Award from the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC), the Hygiene Medal (Germany), and the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA) Lectureship Award.
At Ideate Medical, Dr. Rutala provides critical clinical guidance and scientific oversight to ensure the company’s sterilization technologies meet the highest standards of safety, efficacy, and regulatory compliance. His extensive experience in disinfection and sterilization of critical and semi-critical medical devices directly aligns with Ideate Medical’s mission to eliminate infection risk and enhance patient safety through advanced innovation.
Dr. Rutala earned his BS from Rutgers University, MS from the University of Tennessee, and both his MPH and PhD in Microbiology from the University of North Carolina School of Public Health.
