Sepsis Alliance Announces Karin Molander, MD, FACEP as First Female Board of Directors Chair

May 6, 2020

Sepsis Alliance, the nation’s first and leading sepsis advocacy organization has announced that Karin Molander, MD, FACEP, has been elected as Chair of the Board of Directors. Dr. Molander is an emergency medicine physician in Northern California and has served on the Board since 2018. She succeeds Steven Maupin, who served as Board Chair for three years and will remain on the Board of Directors. Dr. Molander is the first female Chair in Sepsis Alliance’s history.

Dr. Molander has served on Sepsis Alliance’s Board of Directors since May 2018 and has been instrumental in the release of timely and accurate resources during the COVID-19 pandemic, including a video Q&A that has been viewed over 3,000 times and a webinar with over 2,800 registrants.

“During this COVID-19 pandemic, as the virus causes thousands of cases of septic shock and death, now more than ever, we must move with agility, but also understanding, to optimize our treatment of patients and their families,” said Dr. Molander.

Dr. Molander initially became involved in the world of sepsis at Mills Peninsula Medical Center in 2007, training intensivists in central line placement to prepare them for Early Goal Directed Therapy (an initial component of the Surviving Sepsis Campaign). This opportunity triggered an increased awareness and interest in managing the septic patient, prompting her to join the MPMC Sepsis committee in 2009. She then became chair of the Sepsis Committee in 2011 and found that a collaborative approach catalyzed the hospital to succeed in identifying and treating this large, and previously underappreciated, population. She participated in the LEAN process to develop a sepsis Initiative for Sutter Area Hospitals as part of an initial 14 hospital (now 24 hospital) collaborative. Mills Peninsula Medical Center served as the beta test site for the electronic health record launch as the sepsis initiative was incorporated into the Sutter system.

Since the founding of the sepsis program, sepsis mortality has decreased by 69%-placing Mills Peninsula Medical Center in the top five percent for performance nationwide. It was through this experience that Dr. Molander realized the importance of every member of the sepsis treatment team and she is now developing education programs to assist skilled nursing facilities, emergency medical responders, patients, and patients’ families.

“I strongly believe in Sepsis Alliance’s mission to save lives and reduce suffering by improving sepsis awareness and care,” said Dr. Molander. “I look forward to collaborating with the Sepsis Alliance Board of Directors for advocating, educating, and recognizing timely and useful information for the sepsis patient, family and care provider.”

Sepsis Alliance would like to sincerely thank Mr. Maupin for his outstanding leadership and contributions to the organization while serving as Board Chair.

 

 

About Sepsis Alliance

Sepsis Alliance is the leading sepsis organization in the U.S., working to save lives and reduce suffering by improving sepsis awareness and care. Sepsis.org, the organization’s website, serves the needs of more than 2.5 million visitors each year. In 2011, Sepsis Alliance designated September as Sepsis Awareness Month to bring healthcare professionals and community members together in the fight against sepsis. Sepsis Alliance gives a voice to the millions of people who have been touched by sepsis – to the survivors, and the friends and family members of those who have survived or who have died. Since 2003, sepsis awareness in the U.S. has risen from 19% to 65%. Sepsis Alliance is a GuideStar Gold Rated charity. For more information, please visit www.sepsis.org. Connect with us on Facebook and Twitter at @SepsisAlliance.