Who doesn’t love a good meme? (example pictured). We see them, “like” them, share them on social media or via texts and email almost daily. But have you ever tried to create one? As a fun and creative way to celebrate Infection Prevention Week 2020 (October 18-24), the Duke Health Infection Prevention team is sponsoring a meme contest.

All Duke Health team members and DUSON community members are invited to participate by submitting their original IP-related meme by Wednesday, October 14.

The COVID-19 pandemic has made this an extremely busy year for the health system’s Infection Prevention team members. Virtually all of our clinical practices have had to be reviewed and updated, and many new policies and protocols have been added. And we have learned that regardless of our specific job, we all have a role in preventing the spread of infection to everyone we come in contact with – at work and in our personal lives. Our compliance with recommended behaviors like masking, good hand hygiene, proper PPE use and social distancing is crucial to our own safety and the safety of those around us.

The meme contest is a perfect way to spread the word about proper infection prevention practices. So let’s get ready to have some fun! Here are the important things to know:

• All Duke Health and DUSON team members are eligible to submit memes for the Infection Prevention Week contest.
• Email your meme to contactDUH@dm.duke.edu. The deadline to submit is Wednesday, October 14.
• Memes should have an educational focus – designed to improve the audience’s knowledge of and compliance with infection prevention practices.
• Memes should be funny and creative, but professional and appropriate, complying with Duke Health’s social media standards.
• Duke Health team members will have the opportunity to vote online for their favorite meme. Voting will begin on Thursday, October 15, and end on Wednesday, October 21.
• A grand-prize winner will be chosen based on the number of votes received and announced on Thursday, October 22. The winner of the Infection Prevention Week meme contest will receive great Duke swag, including a blanket, Yeti rambler and more. The most popular memes will be shared following the contest.
• If you have any questions about the contest, please contact Staci Reynolds, assistant professor, at  Staci.Reynolds@duke.edu.

Good luck, have fun and thanks for helping us celebrate Infection Prevention Week!