Whew, our site visitors from LCME came and went the week of February 20th. For two and a half days, they met with over one hundred people- medical students, residents, faculty, staff, and administration. Our site visitors praised our hospitality and our school. Many of us feel a bit like we just ran the final leg of a marathon, but it is actually not quite over. We received the preliminary findings last week. We did remarkably well! While we won’t know for sure whether these preliminary findings are accurate (they need to be reviewed by the LCME and then discussed in detail in a June meeting of the LCME), we can say a few things that I think are pretty darn impressive and likely accurate based on the preliminary report.
First, we have done an impressive job improving our academic and learning environments, particularly as it relates to diversity. In 2015, at our last visit, we were cited for a lack of diversity among faculty and limited engagement in pipeline programs and partnerships. Under the leadership of Drs. Wilson and Ross, we have made great strides in these domains and the site visitors identified no areas of concern! Second, we have an exceptional new curriculum and excellent processes in place for monitoring the successes and areas for improvement needed. This was also an area of concern last time but this time, they seem pleased with what we are doing. The site visitors were visibly impressed with our assessment and coaching systems- as am I. Finally, we continue to provide truly outstanding services through student health and career counseling as well as library and information services.
As expected, we have some areas to work on. We need to develop better processes to support feedback to volunteer faculty. We need to ensure we have sufficient engagement from non-administrative faculty in the final admissions decision-making processes. And, while the overall curriculum is outstanding, we have several tweaks we have made as we have gone along and we just launched the final phase, so as we have done with the other phases of the curriculum, we will monitor to ensure we are getting it right. Of course, this last one we are all over thanks to our amazing educators and the superb program evaluation and CQI team.
While I, of course, wish I could say they thought we were perfect, I know of not one single school that has been told that in the last decade. When I think about what we have done- managed massive educational disruption in COVID, launched a new curriculum, and made it through what appears to be a HIGHLY successful LCME visit- it’s pretty darn impressive. Not quite a miracle, but awfully close. Thank you to each and every one of you who contributes every day to making the magic happen. Our students, residents, fellows, faculty, and staff are what makes Wash U so special, and it is because of you that we shine. I will keep you all informed as more information comes in, but congratulations on completing this important milestone.
Mattar named Director of Global Health Education and Partnerships at the SOM
The School of Medicine is committed to building sustainable partnerships and learning opportunities for our students and communities here and abroad. As part of this focus, several initiatives have been implemented. Those include the Health Equity and Justice Curriculum, the Global Health Advocacy Explore and a new intentional streamlined process for Global Health learning and partnerships.
I am happy to announce that Caline Mattar, an Associate Professor of Medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases will serve as the first Global Health Education and Partnerships Director at the School of Medicine. She will focus on overseeing Global Health Education offerings and building bilateral global partnerships.
She comes with an extensive experience in Global Health. She has led several initiatives at various international organizations including the World Health Organization, the World Medical Association and the Consortium of Universities for Global Health. Her research focuses on antimicrobial resistance in resource-limited settings.
At Washington University, she started various educational programs including a Gender and Global Health course, the Global Health Pathway for Internal Medicine Residents, the Global Health track for Infectious Diseases fellows and the Global Health Explore program. She also oversees the Graduate Medical Education Global Health Rotations.
GME Leadership Changes
Tia Drake, our Designated Institutional Official and Executive Director of GME, has made the difficult decision to step down from her role to take on the role of Executive Director of the Association for Hospital Medical Education (AHME). Tia has been deeply involved in AHME for many years, is passionate about the work they do, and is really excited to have the opportunity to work directly for them while making more time for her family.
While I am very excited for Tia and her new role, this is very sad news for us here at Washington University. Tia has worked for WashU for more than 35 years, the majority of it in GME. She is a gifted leader, a brilliant problem solver, and as I have said many times, the most knowledgeable person I have ever met about GME. I have loved working with her during these last 5 plus years, have learned so much from her, and feel blessed to call her friend. Since taking on the DIO role, she has helped lead a move toward unprecedented program director engagement, enhanced collaboration across the consortium membership, and initiated new programs to support program directors and coordinators, all while helping programs and leadership manage the challenges brought by the early and later phases of the COVID pandemic. She is the vision behind a new data dashboard to help us identify challenges programs are facing, thematic areas of need, and early intervention opportunities. She has helped many programs deal with challenges both related to initial and ongoing accreditation and the management of trainees in difficulty. Simply put, she is a deeply trusted and valued member of this community, and we will miss her dearly.
Tia has agreed to stay in her Executive Director role until the end of March and will continue to consult with us as needed in the months afterward. Dr. Dominique Cosco, Program Director in Internal Medicine, has agreed to step in immediately as Interim DIO. Dominique is immensely qualified, having worked in GME throughout her career. She has been a member of multiple leadership committees on the GME team and is a lead instructor in the Program Director Boot Camp. She has held multiple national leadership roles related to GME and the Association for Program Directors in Internal Medicine. She will continue her role as Program Director in Internal Medicine during this interim appointment.
We will plan a farewell celebration in March for Tia, although we will never be able to adequately thank her for her contributions to WashU and GME. More information will be forthcoming.
Eva’s Excerpt February 2023
Well folks, it is time for the LCME Site visit (Feb 20-22). For those of you who have not been paying close attention, LCME is the Liaison Committee for Medical Education, and it is the accrediting body for the MD program. They look broadly at the school, its finances, its leadership, its faculty, and of course all things MD student education. In preparation, Eve Colson, Associate Dean for Program Evaluation and Continuous Quality Improvement (PECQI), Leslie Blaylock, Director of PECQI, and the entire PECQI team have compiled a more than 500-page document called the Data Collection Instrument or DCI. Of course, they had tremendous help from the admissions office, the Office of Medical Student Education, the Ed Tech and Innovation Unit, Student Affairs, the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, and countless individuals. Over the past weeks, we have met with many of you who will be part of this visit to review what to expect and to answer any questions you have. We appreciate everyone’s interest and support of this process.
Here is what you need to know – we have an AMAZING school. Why do I say this? First, I get to see the massive amounts of data we have accumulated while assembling the DCI, from our ongoing PECQI processes, and from talking with our students. This data clearly and consistently demonstrates that our students are highly satisfied with their education, excelling academically, have immense opportunities, and succeed both in the Match and in their residencies (yes, we get feedback on that). They feel supported, cared for, and they know we listen, take their feedback seriously, and use it to continually improve on what we are doing. In addition to data, I have seen firsthand the passion and commitment that each and every one of the people involved in the LCME site visit brings to what they do in support of our students, our medical school and the academic mission. It is truly remarkable.
Of course, we have things that we need to improve on. Many we have been actively at work on. We saw concerns about timely access to mental health care and have added additional providers, reminded students about their access to 24/7 counseling through NexGen, and are working on online scheduling (a complex problem given we contract with multiple external providers). We had concerns about standardized reporting of mistreatment so launched the SAFE program and educational modules last year and the EF task force on culture and climate was assembled last month. We have made iterative and important improvements in the Gateway Curriculum including enhancing content in pharmacology and microbiology and making changes to specific modules and clerkships. We received concerns about student spaces in the hospital and worked diligently to correct them with marked improvement in student satisfaction. Finally, we have learned from our students that we could broaden our debt counseling services, so the office of financial aid has started a series of educational events on things like buying a house, living on a budget, and others. More issues will show up. That is inevitable. What matters is that we are committed to continually improving – as people, as a program and as a school.
I am so very proud of this school, this community, our students, and the work we have done to prepare for this visit. While I am sure it will not be perfect, we have A LOT to be proud of. The fact that we were able to achieve all of this while dealing with a pandemic and curriculum renewal is frankly astounding. Thank you for all you do and have done to support the educational mission and our students at WUSM!
Eva’s Excerpt December 2022
Pause?
I think many people look at me and assume that I work non-stop. “Driven,” might be a word some would use to describe me. There is clear truth to that. And I am also a strong believer in the importance of the pause. It is a practice I’ve developed, use consistently, and is something I think is particularly important for me during the holiday season. This month marks my birthday, my son’s birthday, and the end of a year. And because of the work, stressors, and life chaos associated with COVID and now accreditation, I have been remiss in attending to the importance of the pause. So this month, I want to talk a little bit about what I mean by a pause, why I think it’s important, and use this as an opportunity to hold myself accountable to taking a pause. I hope you will do the same.
What do I mean by pausing? I like this description by Mara Karpel in her Huffington Post Blog: “Sometimes that pause consists of moments to smell the roses, and sometimes that pause is time spent with family. (I am particularly grateful for the moments with both of my parents because, after all, there are no do-overs.) Sometimes that pause consists of days spent playing, and sometimes that pause is a longer one, to heal the wounds we have sustained on our journey.” I especially like this definition because it’s so flexible and allows one to consider pauses even when things are hard, or, as often occurs during the holidays, filled with must do events and activities.
So, why is pausing so important? Terry Hershey writes in his book, The Power of Pause, “While waiting for perfect, we pass on ordinary. While waiting for better, we don’t give our best effort to good. While waiting for new and improved, we leach the joy right out of the old and reliable.” Bottom line, there is joy in what we often consider mundane. I had the opportunity to experience this early this month. I was traveling to Southern California for work and I decided to fly to the Bay Area to visit my mom. I could only stay for less than 48 hours and all we did was talk and watch TV, but it was so rejuvenating and joyful for me.
There are also clear health and wellbeing benefits to pausing. You can refer to a variety of online sites from the Veterans Affairs to a variety of health and mindfulness blogs. From those, I’ve cobbled together this list of benefits (and some great quotes) that most resonate with me:
1) Pausing helps you reevaluate priorities and adjust goals
When you’re busy pursuing your goals, it often feels unproductive to stop and think about your priorities and whether they remain the same. But living head down, work hard can cause you to miss the realization that your goals and priorities, or simply the world around you, may have changed, taking you off track from your true purpose and priorities. Pressing pause gives you the opportunity to reevaluate your goals, take stock of your accomplishments, and adjust your focus so you don’t later look back and wonder how you got there.
2) Pausing allows you to restore your strength
As a former athlete and still exercise junkie, this one really resonates with me as I age (thanks especially to my PT for forcing this on me). Being constantly busy and buried under problems (or injuries, illness), with new ones piling on top, weighs us down and slows recovery. To keep living a full life, it’s crucial to recover. Short pauses are the easiest way to do this. The longer we put off the rest we need, the more time we need to restore. If we take a break without waiting to be exhausted, we can recover our strength much faster than if we wait until we are completely drained (or injured or knocked on our butt with illness). I actually bought an Oura Ring to help me with just this and I love it (thanks to my bestie Tina for pushing it on me)!
3) Pausing helps you regain your creativity
I continually find that I have moments of inspiration and creativity after a pause (for me this is usually problem solving or a new curricular/ assessment idea – sorry team). A pause can be a source of inspiration that helps us reach for new opportunities and see ordinary or difficult things from a different perspective.
4) Pausing keeps us going
Brene Brown in her book, The Gifts of Imperfection: Your Guide to a Wholehearted Life says, “The dig-deep button is a secret level of pushing through when we’re exhausted and overwhelmed, and when there’s too much to do and too little time for self-care.” As people who work in healthcare and medical education, we know this dig deep button very well – it’s our go-to button. Brown tells us that when we pause and refuse to automatically hit that “dig-deep” button, it doesn’t mean that we get off track, are lazy or fail. It means we care for ourselves enough to take some time to reflect and rejuvenate.
Pausing is a necessity, not a luxury or indulgence. In her book, Radical Acceptance, Tara Brach writes, “Through the sacred art of pausing, we develop the capacity to stop hiding, to stop running away from our own experience. We begin to trust in our natural intelligence, in our naturally wise heart, in our capacity to open to what arises.” I wish you all a healthy and happy holiday season and an intentional pause to rejuvenate and take stock.
Eva’s Excerpt November 2022
“Gratitude turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, confusion into clarity…it makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.” Melody Beattie
This quote comes from self-help author Melody Beattie, and I came across it while thinking about what to write about this month. It seems so incredibly fitting as a way forward this month that culminates in a day where many gather with loved ones to give thanks.
For many of us, the world feels out of control, chaotic, and confusing right now. Some of us want to deny the challenges we are facing locally and nationally. It can feel so much easier to just stick our heads in the sand or distract ourselves with mindless TV or TikTok videos (I am particularly prone to the former). It’s certainly easier than wondering how a young man in our community could choose to kill children and teachers in his alma mater. It’s less distressing than thinking about the fact that someone tried to harm a member of Congress and almost killed her husband. It’s less disturbing than thinking about how our freedoms and rights, things we have come to accept as inalienable, may be in jeopardy and how the efforts we have made to create more diverse and inclusive communities may be at risk. In times like these, I find turning my mind to gratitude, rather than denial or distraction, is a helpful antidote.
I have a lot to be grateful for – a loving family that puts up with me, my health, and work that I find meaningful and fulfilling. For me, that latter fulfillment comes from three domains. The first is taking care of patients. I still love patient care. I find that if I don’t do enough of it, I miss it and don’t feel like myself — not grounded. I get so much personal reward from supporting people in their health and illness, helping to guide their choices of treatment and preserve their values during vulnerable times. The second area of my work that gives me fulfillment is teaching. I especially love teaching at the bedside and in small groups where I can assess if what I am doing is working. Seeing that realization dawn on someone’s face when they understand something that they didn’t before is such a gift. Finally, I love helping people solve complex problems. That is what drew me towards administration and leadership in education. In the end, I see education as a way to change the world for the better in big ways and in small ways. Each of you are doing that every day and it is my job to help you, to make it easier, to clear the roadblocks, to provide vision sometimes and to support someone else’s vision other times. That is truly meaningful work for me.
As I saw the 3rd class of Phase 1 MD and MSTP Gateway students recite their oath at the White Coat Ceremony late last month, as I talk to rising Phase 2 students who are so excited to start their clerkships, as I meet with students getting ready for Phase 3 who are preparing for their specialty choice and differentiation phase, and as I talk to our final year students preparing for their match, I am just so grateful for what we have built together. Similarly, I see the incredible new curriculum in PT – the first competency-based curriculum of its kind. I watch the build out of the OT Center for Community Living and marvel at the commitment to improving the lives of our community. I go to Sling Health Demo days to learn about the creative solutions our MD, PhD, and undergrad students have thought up and hear about the incredible research our PhD students are doing. Finally, I have the privilege of routinely hearing about the incredible clinical care and teaching of our house staff and faculty. I am just blown away. I’m reminded so often of what an incredible place this is and what truly amazing people I have the honor to work with and support every day. It is such a blessing.
What are you grateful for this season of gratitude? And outside this season? I hope with all my heart that at least one thing you are grateful for is knowing what you contribute to this truly critical mission that we all share – advancing human health through the promotion of wellness and the delivery of outstanding health care, innovative research, and the education of tomorrow’s leaders in biomedicine within a culture that supports diversity, inclusion, critical thinking and creativity. It does not solve all the problems we face, but it is a remarkable contribution to making the world a better place. Happy November.
Eva’s Excerpt October 2022
Do you ever wonder what our strengths and weaknesses are as an institution? Want to know? Well, it turns out this is a core function of the LCME self-study process. While we won’t know the results of the external peer review process until after the site visit in February (and even after that when the LCME sends back its findings), over the last year we have done a deliberate and in depth review of our strengths and weaknesses. This was accomplished through multiple LCME subcommittees who then presented their findings to an executive committee who compiled a summary report. The final draft of that report is now available to you. Of course it doesn’t cover everything and it heavily tilts toward education since that is the primary purview of the LCME, but it gives a nice overview. If you have comments, concerns, thoughts or suggestions on the report, I would love to hear them. You can leave those comments anonymously here. Thanks for your engagement in the LCME process.
Eva’s Excerpt September 2022
Welcome to our new students!!!! I LOVE this time of year. Things start to cool off a little, Pedal the Cause is just around the corner (there is still time to sign up), and our new students arrive. Their arrival ushers in such an important excitement and enthusiasm- an excellent reminder of why so many of us are here at WashU School of Medicine! With this month’s newsletter, I thought I’d tell you a little about some of our incoming students.
The MD student entering class consists of 124 individuals, 65 of whom are women and 52 (~42%) self-identify as being a member of a group under-represented in medicine. Applications to the MD program were up 8% despite a national drop of 12%. These students are exceptional academically, come from 31 states, 4 countries and 63 institutions.
In OT, we welcome 108 exceptional students- 2 PhD, 56 OTD and 50 MSOT. Twenty-four of these students self-identify as under-represented in medicine, and an additional twelve identify as Asian-American/ Pacific Islander, a group under-represented in OT. These students come from 29 states, 9 countries and 82 different undergraduate institutions.
In PT, the entering class is comprised of 90 learners, 65 of whom identify as women and 37 individuals (42%) identifying as members of the BIPOC community. They come from 5 countries, 24 states, and 67 different institutions, with backgrounds ranging from degrees in Kinesiology and Rehabilitation Science to French and Music, and a few entering Physical Therapy as a second career.
And in DBBS, we are welcoming 115 new students and 6 transfer students. More than 50% of these students identify as female, 19 self-identify as under-represented in medicine and science and 49 of whom are international. Twenty-three students are first generation and 18 come from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Also new in the last few years, we welcome students to the Masters programs in Medical Genetics, Masters and PhD in Medical Physics and PhD in Nursing Science- the latter in collaboration with Goldfarb School of Nursing. And finally, we welcome our audiology and communication sciences and masters students.
Some of my favorite quotes from incoming students as to why they chose us among the many options they had were:
“I want to learn in an environment with mentors who will set me up for success and alongside classmates that will lift me up.”
“I love that everything about the WUSM program feels intentional and you can see how wholeheartedly the school values its students, empowering them to thrive as individuals and team-members. Also, the musicals.”
Welcome to these incredible students. We are so happy to have you here as part of the WashU family.
Eva’s Excerpt January 2020
On January 20th, we recognize Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Although advocacy for the creation of Martin Luther King Day began shortly after his assassination in 1968, it was not until 1983 when Ronald Reagan signed it into law as an official holiday. Moreover, it was not until 2000 when all 50 states recognized it as a legal holiday. I bring this up because important change is often slow- especially at the beginning.
We can see this here at the School of Medicine and in St Louis. That is certainly not for a lack of trying or for a lack of significant success. Under Dean Ross’ and Dean Stevenson’s leadership, we have made marked strides in the diversity of our student body. Since 2010, the number of students who self-identify as under-represented in medicine (URiM) has almost doubled with nearly 20% of the current first and second year students self-identifying as URiM. In recent years, new programs were developed to enhance URiM resident, fellow and faculty recruitment and retention. OUTMed has seen massive support and growth with a new mentoring program and enhanced engagement in student recruitment. The appointment of our first Associate Vice Chancellor for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Dr. Sherree Wilson, resulted in the creation of enhanced educational programming on diversity and equity and has created new conversations on campus. We are proud residents of the St. Louis community. Over the years, we have invested in urban renovation, biotechnology incubators, and community partnerships to improve the health of all St. Louisans. All of these things have made an important impact.
Yet there is much to do. The population of healthcare professionals and scientists is nowhere near representative of the population we serve. Like other schools, we have identified structural racism in standardized tests as a major challenge to equity in grading and therefore opportunity. We are confronting unconscious and conscious biases in our systems and ourselves. We face massive economic, social, health and healthcare disparities in the St Louis region. These and others are daunting problems without easy solutions. Problems that are born from centuries of racism and inequity.
But, I believe we are near a tipping point- that place where complex change begins to occur more rapidly, snowballing into a new future, no longer of incremental change, but change of a more sudden and sweeping nature. That change stands on the foundation of years of painstaking work that is done before it. Why do I say this? This year, we have seen increased applications from students underrepresented in medicine. Our Dean has made a substantive financial commitment to scholarships, both need-based and merit, an issue, which frequently hampers both applications to medical school and effective recruitment of students from disadvantaged backgrounds. Dr. Wilson and her team are engaging in a number of new initiatives that will increase and sustain our student, staff and faculty diversity while enhancing the cultural climate on our campus. In this issue of the newsletter, we highlight two senior leader recruitments who add important diversity to the leadership of our school. Chancellor Martin has announced critical new initiatives to transition us from Washington University in St Louis to Washington University for St Louis.
In July, the School of Medicine will launch a new curriculum for medical students. In addition to expanding on the work already done in the existing curriculum to train students in health disparities and social medicine, we are expanding our partnerships with community organizations. Dr. Ross was recently named the Principal Officer for Community Partnerships and Dr. Laurie Punch is spearheading our efforts to collaborate with both healthcare and non-healthcare organizations for this curriculum. The Gephardt Institute on the Danforth campus has expanded its reach and increased its programming and support for community engagement. Siteman, the ICTS and our clinical partners are also expanding their engagement in and with our community and doubling down on their investments to reduce health and healthcare disparities. We are perhaps more aligned and engaged with community partners than we have ever been.
So, in this month of remembrance of the great Dr. Martin Luther King, I am truly hopeful. Hopeful that we are reaching a tipping point here in St Louis. Hopeful that we will see a more rapid transition toward equity than we have yet seen. Hopeful that together, we will see the place of Dr. King’s dream speech. Yet, it is clear that we cannot rest and there is much, much to be done. For as Dr. King so eloquently stated:
“We are not satisfied and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.”
I wish you resilience and hope in the important work that is to come.
St. Louis Integrated Health Network-led Enhanced CenteringPregnancy Collaborative Receives First Place
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Kelly McKay-Gist
St. Louis Integrated Health Network Phone: 314-657-1506 Email:kmckay@stlouisihn.org
St. Louis Integrated Health Network-led Enhanced CenteringPregnancy Collaborative Receives First Place in Council on Patient Safety in Women’s Health Care National Improvement Challenge on Reduction of Peripartum Racial and Ethnic Disparities
The Council on Patient Safety in Women’s Health Care has awarded the Enhanced CenteringPregnancy Collaborative first place in their 2019 National Improvement Challenge. The Council on Patient Safety in Women’s Health Care represents over twenty health care and patient advocacy organizations united to provide safe health care for every woman. The 2019 National Improvement Challenge required entrants to show successful implementation of one of the Council’s patient safety bundles in combination with a patient safety framework designed to increase equitable pregnancy outcomes.
“We are grateful for the support of the Council on Patient Safety in Women’s Health Care,” said Kelly McKay-Gist, Program Coordinator at the St. Louis Integrated Health Network for the Enhanced CenteringPregnancy Collaborative. “Eliminating racial and ethnic disparities and accelerating racial equity is our core mission and we are thrilled to be able to improve health outcomes and change care delivery.”
The Enhanced CenteringPregnancy Collaborative seeks to: 1) Reduce patients inequitable adverse pregnancy outcomes and buffer against trauma and stress. 2) Provide intensive trainings for health care teams to support patients who are experiencing trauma, depression and psychosocial stress as result of racism, and 3) Increase shared accountability to promote direct practice changes while catalyzing system level changes to ensure community members and health care teams are working together to eliminate racial disparities through development of innovative solutions, policies and new approaches to care delivery. The effort brings together a trans-disciplinary collaborative representing key St. Louis health care institutions, community collaborators and community-based organizations. The entire effort is planned and executed in partnership with community collaborators, who bring the voice of women seeking and accessing care throughout the area.
“This necessary work centers the women and babies shouldering the greatest burden of health disparities in our region –Black moms and babies,” said Dr. Melissa Tepe, Vice President and Chief Medical Officer at Affinia Healthcare and Chair, Enhanced CenteringPregnancy Collaborative. “It is powerful because the work is led by the community, implemented by a collaborative, region-wide, diverse health care team, and increases the vitality of moms and babies in our communities.”
Outcomes from the Collaborative’s innovative pilot group prenatal care model indicate a promising trend in lower rates of preterm birth, lower rates of depression and higher birth weights.
Partners and group prenatal care sites include:
Community Collaborators: Jessica Belton, Joie Cruesoe, Jenelle Norman, Teneisha Parks, Cheron Phillips and Richelle Smith
Affinia Healthcare
BJC Healthcare Barnes-Jewish Hospital
CareSTL Health
Family Care Health Centers
Flourish STL
Good Shephard Children and Family Services
Jamaa Birth Village
Mercy Hospital -St. Louis
Saint Louis Integrated Health Network
Saint Louis University School of Medicine
SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital
Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine
Other award-winning programs the Council selected for the 2019 National Improvement Challenge: Rutgers-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School (2nd place), University of Maryland-St. Joseph Medical School (3rd place), and Penn Medicine-Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania (4th place).
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The Council on Patient Safety in Women’s Health Care seeks to continually improve patient safety in women’s health care through multidisciplinary collaboration that drives culture change. The National Improvement Challenge, offered annually, seeks to improve women’s health care through the development of patient safety and quality improvement projects and to foster a culture of collaboration, teamwork, patient safety, and communication between clinicians and patients while concurrently increasing widespread implementation of the safety tools and resources put forth by the Council on Patient Safety in Women’s Health Care.
The St. Louis Integrated Health Network, through collaboration and partnership, strives for quality, accessible, and affordable healthcare services for all residents of Metropolitan St. Louis, with an emphasis on the medically underserved. IHN members include five community health center organizations totaling 18 sites, two medical schools, two public health departments, and three major hospital systems coordinating care. If you would like more information about this topic, please call Kelly McKay-Gist at (314-657-1506) or email kmckay@stlouisihn.org.
