Surfaces to Safety: Linda Lybert on Collaboration and Patient Protection | Ep 101

In this episode of the Women in Medtech series, host Colleen Patterson is joined by Linda Lybert, founder and executive director of the Healthcare Surfaces Institute, for an eye-opening conversation about the unseen role that materials and cleaning practices play in patient safety.Linda shares how a simple sales visit led to a decade-long mission to improve the way hospitals think about surface disinfection and design. From launching global task forces to breaking down silos between infection prevention, facilities, and manufacturers, she explains how collaboration and persistence are essential to driving change in healthcare environments.Listeners will gain practical insight into how surface selection, training, and communication across departments can reduce healthcare-associated infections (HAIs), extend product life, and protect brand reputation.Key Topics:Why surfaces matter for infection prevention and patient outcomesThe hidden costs of material damage and improper disinfectionHow collaboration between clinicians and manufacturers creates safer environmentsStrategies for overcoming “no” and building momentum for changeThe global effort to standardize cleaning, testing, and education