Renee Gould received the prestigious Sharps Injury Prevention Award in the honorable mention category. ISIPS selected Gould for the award to honor her efforts to prevent needle sticks and other sharps injuries among patients and health care professionals.

Gould joined the staff of UI Hospitals and Clinics in 1989. She serves on a multidisciplinary committee dedicated to making a difference by reducing the number of needle stick and sharps injuries.

About 384,000 sharps injuries - mostly needle sticks - occur annually in the United States. These injuries put health care personnel at risk of contracting infectious agents such as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV). As of December 2001, occupational exposure to HIV has resulted in 57 documented cases of HIV seroconversion among health care professionals.

ISIPS is devoted to reducing sharps injuries. The international group includes medical device and pharmaceutical manufacturers, health care professionals, and medical waste disposal experts. ISIPS honored 15 individuals with awards for their work in preventing sharps injuries this month.