Executive Fellowship in Patient Safety

Faculty

The Internet-based Program allows nationally renowned faculty from around the world, with select expertise in patient safety techniques, to participate. The faculty consists of a mix of fulltime academic faculty and affiliate faculty who are practitioners in the field. Current faculty represents other universities including the University of Florida, University of Wisconsin-Madison, and University of Virginia.  Organizations with particular expertise are selected as faculty. These include The Institute of Safe Medication Practices (ISMP), the United States Air Force, and members of various state and federal Health Departments involved in patient safety.  Finally, some of the very best of our alumni/ae are asked to become faculty members to carry on the tradition of incorporating clinical practice with teaching.  Faculty members are evaluated every year and continually update their modules to incorporate the latest research and literature on the tools and techniques of patient safety.

2007-2008 Faculty

Randolph T. Barker, PhD
Dr. Randolph T. Barker (Randy) is a Professor of Management at Virginia Commonwealth University's (VCU) School of Business. He teaches at the doctoral, masters and bachelor levels in the areas of organizational communication, team development and change. He is a Professor of Healthcare Administration for the Medical College of Virginia's Healthcare Fellows Program and teaches in the Fast Track Executive MBA Program (past Faculty Advisor) in the VCU School of Business. Dr. Barker has also worked in the private sector with Union Carbide as an Employee Relations Associate and in the Public Sector as an Executive Assistant. Dr. Barker is a graduate of Florida State University. In the area of teaching, Dr. Barker has been recognized nationally by receiving The Association for Business Communication Outstanding Teaching Award; regionally by receiving The Virginia Commonwealth University Outstanding Teaching Award; and locally by receiving VCU School of Business Outstanding Teaching Award. His research has also been recognized by receiving the School of Business Distinguished Research Award, and highest School of Business award-The Award of Excellence recognizing achievement in the areas of Service, Research and Teaching. He has been the keynote speaker at numerous academic and professional association meetings. His years of service to the Association for Business Communication (ABC) includes being a member of the editorial board of The Journal of Business Communication, a member of the ABC Publications Board, currently serving as Chair; a member on the Board of Directors for the Association for Business Communication (ABC); served on the Research Committee of ABC; coordinated a multi-regional ABC Conference; has presented numerous papers, presentations and panels at ABC national and regional meetings; and chaired ad hoc committees. He has served as reviewer for best papers and proposals for many ABC regional conferences. He was recently elected Second Vice President of ABC and will progress through the offices to President.

Jacqueline F. Byers, Ph.D, RN, CNAA, CPHQ, FAAN
Dr. Jacqueline (Jacquie) Fowler Byers is a Professor, School of Nursing, College of Health and Public Affairs, at the University of Central Florida. She has over 25 years experience in health care in varied clinical, educational, and administrative roles. In all of these roles, Dr. Byers has pursued evidence-based practice and improved patient experience and outcomes. Jacquie has been actively involved in quality management, outcomes research and patient safety for over 10 years. Jacquie received her doctorate from the University of Florida in 1996. Her master’s degree is from Vanderbilt University, and her bachelor’s degree is from Duke University. She was in the inaugural class of the Robert Wood Johnson Executive Nurse Fellowship program. Jacquie is the Research Editor of the Journal for Health Care Quality and serves as a peer reviewer for several journals. Jacquie is active in the National Association for Healthcare Quality and the American Association of Critical Care Nurses. Jacquie has received a number of awards and has over 90 publications and 110 presentations in the areas of health care administration, quality management, critical care and outcomes and efficacy research.

Kelly Devers, PhD
Dr. Kelly Devers conducts research on a wide range of health care organization, delivery, and policy issues. Her recent research has focused on hospitals and medical groups response to changing market and policy forces and their impact on cost and quality and patient safety. She also is an expert in qualitative and mixed research methods. Currently, she is a co-investigator on an Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) funded project examining physician office-based supports to improve smoking cessation counseling and a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RJWF) funded project to improve the delivery of preventive health care services in primary care practices. She also serves as task leader on an AHRQ funded H-CAHPS project on physician-patient communication about hospital quality data and its implications for hospital referral and choice and as a qualitative consultant on a National Cancer Institute (NCI) study of barriers to colon cancer screening. Dr. Devers also recently served as a co-investigator on a congressionally mandated study conducted through the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) on physician-owned specialty hospitals. She has also served as a temporary member of the Health Services Organization and Delivery (HSOD) study section, National Institute of Health (NIH) and Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), special emphasis panels. Dr. Devers has published widely in major health services research and policy journals and served as guest editor of Health Services Research, edited a book on managed care, and is currently co-authoring a textbook on mixed methods research. Dr. Devers teaches courses in health care organization theory, qualitative and mixed research methods, and quality and patient safety. She holds a joint appointment in the VCU School of Medicine, Department of Family Practice.

L. Dale Dunlow-Harvey, MS, RN
Director, Performance, VCU Health System
Ms. L. Dale Dunlow-Harvey has earned both a Bachelor and Master of Science in Nursing from the Medical College of Virginia at Virginia Commonwealth University, with the MS focused in Executive Administration. She completed an Executive Fellowship in Patient Safety at MCV School of Health Administration in 2004.

In Ms. Harvey’s current role as Director of Performance Improvement and Patient Safety at the VCU Health System, she provides oversight for performance improvement and patient safety programs, including measurement and reporting, for the Health System’s inpatient, outpatient, home care and behavioral settings. Previously, she served as interim director of risk management and regulatory compliance/accreditation, leading the organization through a successful accreditation survey by the Joint Commission.

Ms. Harvey’s nursing experience includes cardiology and general medicine, as well as quality improvement/performance improvement, risk management, and project management. Ms. Harvey is the Immediate Past President of the Virginia Association for Healthcare Quality and Co-Chair of the National Association for Healthcare Quality 2008 Conference Planning Team.

Angela Ebel, RN, MSN
Angela Ebel is a registered nurse who works as a specialist in the Department of Performance Improvement and Patient Safety at Children's Hospital of The King's Daughters in Norfolk, VA. Her interests in patient safety include medication safety, human error, risk-taking behaviors, human/software interface, and incident software design.

Angela and others were able to successfully design and implement incident reporting software in her facility. Her work experiences include working as a pediatric pulmonary clinical nurse specialist, pediatric critical care, home care, nursing education, case management, performance improvement, and patient safety. Her educational background includes graduating in 1980 from Southern Illinois University with a BS in Nursing. In 1987 she graduated from Yale University with a MS in Nursing. And in 2003, she completed the Executive Fellowship in Patient Safety through VCU.

Her husband's name is Cameron and she has boy/girl twins names Austin and Madison who are 9 years old. She enjoys yard sales and thrift stores, non-fiction books, classical music, preparing meals for folks at church, and helping with Sunday School. Her kids are USA swimmers, so much of her time is spent waiting for the next swim event at a swimming pool!

Stephanie Guerlain, PhD
Dr. Stephanie Guerlain is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Systems & Engineering at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia.

She received her Ph.D. and her M.S. degrees in cognitive systems engineering from Ohio State University and her B.S. in human factors engineering from Tufts University.

Her research interests include: Decision support systems, human-computer interaction, data visualization, human factors, human performance in complex systems, human-automation interaction and interactive learning environments.

Ben-Tzion Karsh, PhD
Ben-Tzion Karsh, PhD, is an assistant professor of industrial and systems engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The focus of his work is on using industrial and human factors engineering theories, design principles and methodologies to improve patient and health care employee safety and he's authored or co-authored over 60 journal articles, conference papers and book chapters on that and related subjects. He is currently developing hierarchical systems models to explain technology adoption, diffusion, acceptance and impact within health care organizations.

Dr. Karsh is the principle investigator on a 4 year, multi-hospital study funded by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality to examine the impact of bar coding technology and patient and employee safety in pediatric hospitals. He is also a co-investigator on (1) the AHRQ-funded Developmental Center for Evaluation and Research in Patient Safety at UW-Madison, (2) "Heart Care II: Custom Support for Home Care" which is studying the impact of technology enhanced nursing practice among home care nurses, and funded by the National Library of Medicine, and (3) "Medication error: Prospective hazard and improvement analysis" which was funded by the UK Department of Health.

He is a past national Chair of the Health Care Technical Group of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, serves on grant review panels related to patient safety for AHRQ and the Veteran's Health Administration and is a peer-reviewer for the British Medical Journal, Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Safety, Quality and Safety in Healthcare, Applied Ergonomics, International Journal of Cognition, Technology & Work, Behaviour and Information Technology, and Human Factors.

Beth Y. Kohsin, MS, RN, CPHQ
Beth Kohsin is the Chief of Professional Staff Management and Patient Safety at the Division of Medical Operations (SGO), Office of the Command Surgeon, Headquarters Air Force Materiel Command (AFMC), Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Dayton, Ohio.

Beth serves as the principal advisor to the Command Surgeon on all matters pertaining to the establishment and maintenance of effective Patient Safety, Performance Improvement, Quality and Risk Management, and Credentials programs, oversees these programs in eight hospitals, and conducts activities to ensure compliance with Joint Commission, Department of Defense, Air Force and other national agency standards. Prior to this position, Beth was the Air Force Patient Safety Program Manager and a member of the Department of Defense Patient Safety Planning and Coordinating Committee. During this time, she developed and implemented the Air Force Patient Safety Program across 75 hospitals world-wide and was course director for Air Force Medical Team Management program, teaching team training and communication principles.

She is Faculty Fellow at Virginia Commonwealth University teaching communication principles for healthcare teams. Beth received her BS in Nursing in 1982 from Spalding College in Louisville, KY, and entered the Air Force shortly after, working in the medical, surgical, neurosurgical, post-anesthesia and critical care areas. In 1994, she obtained a MS in Nursing at Arizona State University. In 1996, she began working in performance improvement and is a Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality since 1997.

Deborah Mobley, MS, RN, CPHQ
Deborah Mobley is a registered nurse currently pursuing her doctorate in healing and spirituality. She will complete her studies by 2009 through Virginia Commonwealth University School of Nursing where she also completed her undergraduate degree in nursing and graduate degree in nursing administration. She completed an Executive Fellowship in Patient Safety in 2002 - 2003 through the VCU School of Health Administration. Debbie also completed her studies as a Faith Community Nurse and Faith Community Coordinator through Shenandoah University. Debbie has been a Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality since 1993 and is a trained facilitator. In 1999, the Virginia Nurses Association honored Debbie by naming her as one of the “99 Outstanding Nurses in Virginia”.

Her work experiences include most recently the former Director of Performance Improvement at Virginia Commonwealth University Health System. She has experience in regulatory compliance, patient safety, quality, administration, staff education, marketing and community relations. She is published in the areas of quality, research and regulatory compliance. Her clinical practice includes medical, surgical, pediatric and trauma emergency nursing. She currently serves as adjunct faculty in the VCU School of Nursing. She serves also as co-chair of the Fellowship of Faith Community Nurses for the Virginia Conference United Methodist Church.

Debbie serves as staff support for her husband who is the Director of Occohannock on the Bay Camp and Retreat Center on the Eastern Shore of Virginia. Debbie serves on numerous denominational teams and committees including the Eastern Shore District Disaster Response Team. Debbie and her husband have 12 godchildren. She and her husband of 31 years have a dog, three cats, five roosters, one goat and a rabbit. Together they enjoy spending time with children, teenagers and young adults as well as animals, reading, cooking, boating, fishing, daydreaming, and watching beautiful sunsets on the Chesapeake Bay. Professional areas of research interest include patient safety, the impact of medical mistakes on the healthcare professional, the role of patients in patient safety, and the faith community nurse practice.

Carole A. Stockmeier, MHA, CQM
Carole Stockmeier is the Practice Director of Healthcare Performance Improvement and provides consulting in human performance improvement. She also serves as the Director of Safety & Performance Excellence at founding partner Sentara Healthcare where she guides senior and operational leaders in the implementation of techniques and strategies for human error prevention and high-reliability performance. She provided operational leadership for Sentara’s patient safety initiatives, with outcomes recognized by award of the American Hospital Association 2004 Quest for Quality Award and the 2005 John M. Eisenberg Award for Patient Safety and Quality from the JCAHO and the National Quality Forum. Joining Sentara in 1994, she has over 12 years experience in clinical and non-clinical operations leadership. Prior to joining Sentara, she worked for the Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association. She holds a master’s degree in health administration and a bachelor’s of science degree in public health and is a Certified Quality Manager by the American Society for Quality (ASQ).

Karen N. Swisher, JD, MS
Email: kswisher@vcu.edu
Work Phone: (804) 828-5460
Office Location    
Virginia Commonwealth University
Medical Campus
Department of Health Administration
PO BOX 980203
1008 East Clay Street
Richmond, VA 23298
Personal Link
http://www.had.vcu.edu/~kswisher/index.html

Institute for Safe Medication Practices
1800 Byberry Road, Suite 810
Huntingdon Valley, PA 19006
Phone: (215) 947-7797
Fax: (215) 914-1492
http://www.ismp.org/

Hedy Cohen, RN, BSN, MS,
Vice President,
Hedy Cohen has more than 18 years of clinical nursing background in critical care and nursing management. She is a frequent speaker on current issues in medication safety and has authored numerous articles on improving the medication use process. She also edits ISMP's monthly newsletter for nurses, Nurse Advise-ERR; has co-authored a handbook on high-alert drugs; and is on the national advisory boards for Nursing Advance and Davis's Drug Guide for Nurses. She is an adjunct assistant professor at Temple University School of Pharmacy, a faculty fellow for the executive patient safety fellowship offered through the Virginia Commonwealth University and a Senior Scholar at the Department of Health Policy at Jefferson Medical College. Ms. Cohen received a BSN from LaSalle University, a MS in Health Systems Administration from the Rochester Institute for Technology, and is presently doing doctoral work in health policy at the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia.

Matthew P. Fricker, Jr, MS, RPh,
Program Director,
Matt Fricker was the co-creator for the program tools, content, and onsite hospital reviews for the Regional Medication Safety Program for Hospitals, a collaborative program with the Health Care Improvement Foundation of the Delaware Valley Healthcare Council and ECRI. In addition, he consults for hospital and health systems throughout the country. Mr. Fricker has more than 25 years of acute care experience, serving most recently as director of pharmacy and materials management and chairman of the institutional review board at Doylestown Hospital in Doylestown, PA. He brings experience from the university and community hospital settings and community practice setting. Mr. Fricker received a BS in Pharmacy and a MS in Hospital Pharmacy Administration from Temple University and has published numerous articles in the pharmacy and medical literature.

Stuart Levine, PharmD
Informatics Specialist
Stuart Levine, PharmD is the Informatics Specialist at ISMP.  Stuart’s primary role is promoting medication safety through the safe use of electronic technologies. Stuart also serves as an in-house resource for medication safety for pediatric and neonatal patients based on his 25 years as the director of pharmacy services at the Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children. Finally he is part of the consulting service at ISMP assisting in reviewing the medication use process in hospitals around the country. Prior to joining ISMP Stuart was a member of the ISMP board of trustees, a member of the consulting staff and a national lecturer on medication safety.  He has served as both member and officer of local pharmacy organization as well as member and president of the Delaware State Board of Pharmacy.  Nationally Stuart has been a member of the board of the Pediatric Pharmacy Advocacy Group as well as chief operating officer.  He received his bachelor of pharmacy degree from Temple University and his PharmD from the University of Kentucky.

Michelle Mandrack, RN, BSN
Director of Consulting Services
Michelle is the Director of Consulting Services at the Institute for Safe Medication Practices. Prior to joining ISMP in 2001, Michelle spent over 20 years as a nurse in acute care settings in a variety of clinical and managerial roles. She was the Director of Maternal Child Health and subsequently, the Director of Nursing at Mercy Suburban Hospital in Norristown, PA. In her present position, Michelle manages ISMP’s consulting services as well as performs onsite medication risk-assessments and root-cause analyses for hospitals and healthcare facilities throughout the US. She has frequently participated in the analysis of medication safety issues specific to the pediatric and neonatal populations. Michelle also performs medication-related technology assessments including CPOE, pharmacy, and bar code point-of-care systems. She has participated in several state-wide medication safety collaboratives, and recently co-managed the Pennsylvania Critical Access Hospitals Medication Safety Collaborative. She regularly provides educational programming to healthcare professionals related to medication safety risk assessment and development of error reduction strategies. Michelle serves as part-time faculty at Temple University School of Pharmacy, and at Virginia Commonwealth University in their Executive Patient Safety Fellowship Program. She received her BSN from Thomas Jefferson University and is presently pursuing her MSN from Drexel University in Philadelphia, PA.

Susan Paparella, RN, MSN
Vice President
Before joining ISMP, Susan spent over 20 years in the acute care setting, in a variety of clinical and leadership positions. Most recently, Susan was the Director for Critical Care and Emergency Services in the Mercy Health System in Pennsylvania, and subsequently the Director for Hospital-wide Quality Improvement, Risk Management, and Education. In her last seven years with ISMP, Susan has directed and performed onsite medication error risk-assessments and root-cause analyses for hospitals and healthcare facilities throughout the US and Canada. She has frequently participated in the analysis of medication safety issues specific to adult populations; specifically oncology and pediatric services. Additionally, Susan speaks regularly to healthcare large and small audiences and educational collaboratives around the country for ISMP on a variety of medication safety-related topics.

Susan serves as part-time faculty in the Temple University School of Pharmacy, and at Virginia Commonwealth University in their Executive Patient Safety Fellowship Program. She is the immediate past chairperson of the Emergency Nurses Association’s (ENA’s) Patient Safety Committee, and a member of their LUNAR III research group, which is presently involved in a research study looking at the implementation of JCAHO’s medication-related safety goals in EDs around the US. Susan is a member of the American Association of Hospital Risk Managers (ASHRM), Sigma Theta Tau International, and the American College of Healthcare Executives. She is also the author and section editor of Danger Zone, which is a regular column on medication safety in the Journal of Emergency Nursing.

Allen J. Vaida, PharmD, FASHP
Executive Vice President
Allen Vaida previously served as director of pharmacy, assistant vice president and director of pharmacy, vice president of clinical operations, and chief operating officer at Mercy Suburban Hospital in Norristown, PA. He has served on the boards of several healthcare organizations, including as a trustee for ISMP from its incorporation as a nonprofit organization in 1994 until his employment at ISMP in 2000. Dr. Vaida served on the United States Pharmacopeia's Safe Medication Use Expert Committee from 2000 through 2005 and is currently a member of the advisory board for the Maryland Patient Safety Center. He also is a clinical assistant professor at the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia, adjunct assistant professor at Temple University School of Pharmacy, adjunct associate professor for the Centers for Heath Policy and Primary Care and Outcomes Research at Stanford University and Stanford University School of Medicine, and adjunct faculty for the Executive Patient Safety Fellowship offered through Virginia Commonwealth University. Dr. Vaida received a BS in Biology from the University of Scranton, a BS in Pharmacy from the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and Science, and a Doctor of Pharmacy from the University of Minnesota.