SUNNYVALE, Calif., June 4 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ --- Cepheid (Nasdaq: CPHD) today announced speaker and program highlights for its symposium, 'On-Demand HAI Testing: Good Medicine and Good Business,' which the company will host at the 2009 Association for Professionals in Infection Control (APIC) annual conference, taking place in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, June 7th - 10th. Cepheid's GeneXpert(R) Systems and menu of molecular diagnostic tests will be on display in booth #906 on the exhibition floor.

'Management and prevention of Healthcare Associated Infections (HAIs) is a shared responsibility that includes the entire healthcare industry,' said Sandra Finley, Cepheid's Vice President of Marketing. 'We are pleased to present industry experts who will discuss the importance of reducing and eliminating HAI infections and the operational benefits that these investments bring in quality improvements, patient outcomes, and hospital throughput efficiencies.'

The symposium, 'On-Demand HAI Testing: Good Medicine and Good Business,' is scheduled for Wednesday, June 10, 2009 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. EST. Interested parties, unable to attend the APIC conference, are invited to listen to the event live via webcast. To access the live webcast, please register through Cepheid's website at www.cepheid.com/events at least 15 minutes before the scheduled start time to download any necessary audio or plug-in software. APIC attendees can register to attend this exhibitor-sponsored symposium while at the conference.

The scheduled presenters are:

    Jorge P. Parada, MD, MPH
    Associate Professor
    Medical Director Infection Control Program
    Researcher Associate, Infectious Diseases and Immunology Institute (inDII)
    Stritch School of Medicine Loyola University Chicago
    William J. Ward, Jr., MBA
    Associate Professor
    Director, MHS Degree in Health Finance and Management
    Sommer Scholars Program Faculty Director
    Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
    Fred C. Tenover, Ph.D., D (ABMM)
    Senior Director, Scientific Affairs, Cepheid
    Adjunct Professor of Epidemiology, Rollins School
    of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA

Healthcare-associated infections exact a significant toll on human life, and are among the top ten leading causes of death in the United States.