Four Physicians Selected for HMS Fellowship in Patient Safety and Quality

The CRICO-funded program announces the Class of 2018

Boston, MA , August 16, 2016 — Established by the academic teaching institutions and Harvard Medical School (HMS) in 2012, the HMS Fellowship in Patient Safety and Quality is proud to present four recipients representing the class of 2018. This will be the fifth class of individuals selected to lead broad-impact improvement efforts.

The CRICO-funded two-year postgraduate program is offered to physicians who are in, or have completed, a residency or fellowship program. The primary goal of the HMS Fellowship in Patient Safety and Quality is to train a select group of individuals to lead operational improvement initiatives within the Harvard medical system and across the nation. The HMS Fellowship represents a collaboration of quality and safety leaders across the Harvard medical institutions.

Promoted nationally in the Spring/Summer of 2015, HMS Fellowship applications were screened and finalized in December. Four fellowships were offered and accepted for this class that began July 1, 2016. The recipients include:

• Brittany Esty, M.D.: a Clinical Fellow in Allergy and Immunology at Boston Children’s Hospital. She graduated from Williams College and earned her M.D. degree from the University of Utah School of Medicine. She completed her residency in pediatrics at the University of Utah School of Medicine and was selected as the department’s Chief Resident. Her specific interest in the field of Allergy and Immunology is optimization of asthma control as well as improved education regarding epinephrine use for children with food allergies. Dr. Esty will be sited at Boston Children’s Hospital for her Fellowship in Patient Safety and Quality.
• Matthew Germak, M.D: an Internal Medicine Fellow at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. A graduate of the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Dr. Germak earned his M.D. degree from the University of Massachusetts Medical School. His experiences and projects over the past several years in the area of quality improvement have fostered an interest in health care leadership and addressing broader health care issues. Dr. Germak will be sited at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center for his Fellowship in Patient Safety and Quality.
• Rajshri Mainthia, M.D.: a General Surgery Resident at Massachusetts General Hospital. Prior to residency, she studied at Virginia Commonwealth University and Oxford University, and graduated from Vanderbilt University School of Medicine as a Canby Robinson Scholar. She is particularly interested in over-diagnosis and over-treatment in surgery and hopes to address this costly and potentially harmful public health issue with evidence-based medicine, better outcomes tracking, and incentives for physicians to cost-save in ways that lead to improved patient outcomes. Dr. Mainthia will be sited at Massachusetts General Hospital for her HMS Fellowship in Patient Safety and Quality.
• Nneka Nzegwu, D.O.: an attending Neonatologist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and a Clinical Instructor in Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School. She graduated from Johns Hopkins University with a B.A. in Biophysics, and earned her D.O. degree from Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine. Her long-term goals are to participate more widely on the institutional, state, regional, and national levels to collaborate with other centers and organizations on quality and patient safety initiatives to improve patient outcomes. Dr. Nzegwu will be sited at Brigham and Women’s Hospital for her Fellowship in Patient Safety and Quality.

Dr. Anjala Tess, HMS Fellowship & Curriculum Director explains:

“It is remarkable to see growth, from the inception of this program, until now. Through the Fellowship the clinicians are provided opportunities to further explore health quality, patient safety, leadership, and best practices, to better serve the patient. At the end of the program these physicians will be better equipped with the skillset to lead effective change in health care.”

Many graduates of this Fellowship have assumed leadership roles in patient safety and quality within the Harvard medical community. Their enhanced awareness of both the risks and opportunities for improvement in this area have inspired them to assume these leadership roles and serve as catalysts for change.

• Class of 2014: Yael K. Heher, M.D., M.P.H. and Yvonne Y. Cheung, M.D. have made significant strides in improving quality and safety. Dr. Heher is Director of Quality Assurance & Improvement in Pathology at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, while Dr. Cheung is the Department of Quality Chair at Mount Auburn Hospital.
• Class of 2015: Merranda Logan, M.D. and Mary LaSalvia, M.D. are change agents working hard to improve patient safety and quality. They are both at Massachusetts General Hospital, where Dr. Logan serves as Assistant Chief Quality Officer and Dr. LaSalvia is Clinical Director & Director of Patient Safety and Quality.

Application details, program curriculum, and current faculty can be found on the HMS Fellowship in Patient Safety and Quality website.