Bio Sketches: Fellows of Executive Program in Patient Safety (Beginning August 2002)

Arnett, Andrea M. (BS, MS, LNC)

Ms. Arnett received her BS in nursing and her Masters in Nursing, Clinical Nurse Specialist from the University of California--San Francisco’s School of Nursing and her Legal Nurse Consultant Certificate from San Francisco State University College of Extended Learning. She is currently the Risk Manager and Patient Safety Manager at Hayward and Fremonth Medical Centers in Hayward, California. In that position, she is responsible for patient safety activities, risk management, and medication safety. Her research interests include medication safety programs, reporting systems, and human factors training.

Ms. Benjamin received her BS in Biology and a BS in Pharmacy at Northeast La. University, Monroe, La. Currently, she is the Pharmacy Quality Officer at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda Maryland where she is responsible for patient safety and medication errors. She is the chair of the Prescribing Improvement Task Force. Her research interests in patient safety include human factors, indicators and metrics, and organizational change.

Bittle, Debra (MS). 

Ms. Bittle received her M.S. degree in health care risk management form Finch University in Chicago and her B.S. in criminal justice from the University of Baltimore. Currently, she is Corporate Director, Risk Management & Legal Services at Upper Chesapeake Health in Havre de Grace, MD.

Dr. Blanchard received his BS in Pharmacy from Virginia Commonwealth University, his Doctor of Pharmacy from Mercer University, Atlanta, GA, and his Masters in Business Administration from Lynchburg College, Lynchburg, Virginia. Currently, he is the Corporate Director of Pharmacy for Centra Health where he oversees the pharmacies of Lynchburg General Hospital, Virginia Baptist Hospital, and Hospice of the Hills. He is also the Vice-Chairman, Board of Directors of MedsHelp and an Assistant Clinical Professor, Department of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutics at Virginia Commonwealth University.

Dr. Bosley received her Doctor of Pharmacy from the University of Nebraska Medical Center and did her pharmacy practice residency at the Ohio State University Medical Center. Currently, she is the Patient Clinical Safety Specialist at Alegent Health-Bergan Mercy Hospital in Omaha, Nebraska. In that position, she has leadership responsibilities in risk management, JCAHO patient safety standards, and medication errors. Her research interests include identification and assessment of medical errors and near misses, and application of human factors engineering to improve patient safety.

Brennan, Warren, (MHA)

Mr. Brennan, received his BS in Biology at the University of Pittsburg and his MHA from Virginia Commonwealth University. Currently, he is the President & CEO of Strategic Medical Alliances, Inc. SMA is a business intelligence, management consulting firm providing advisory management services nationwide for hospital systems, payers, vendors-suppliers, regulators and corporate benefit managers. His research interests are in process control management, performance assessment, and information technology.

Ms. Butts received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing and her Master of Science in Health Administration from Virginia Commonwealth University. Currently, she is the Vice President of Patient Care Services at Community Memorial Healthcenter, South Hill, Virginia. In that position, she has leaderships roles in the environment of care, IOP, QA, clinical practice, infection control, and ED committees. Her research interests include medication safety, prevention of falls, and physician order entry.

Ms. Cabral-Daniels received her BS in Mental Health from Tufts University in Medford, MA, her MPH in Public Health from Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, and her JD from the University of Virginia ‘s School of Law in Charlottesville, VA. Currently, she is the Lead Policy Analyst in the Center for Quality Health Care Services and Consumer Protection in the Virginia Department of Health. In that position, she has leadership responsibilities in drafting and promulgation of managed care health insurance plans, health care regulations and certificate of need recommendations. Her research interests are in the areas of hospital licensure and how it relates to patient safety initiatives.

Mrs. Campbell received her Bachelor of Science in Economics and her Masters in Health Administration (anticipated May 2002) from Virginia Commonwealth University, Medical College of Virginia Campus, Richmond, Virginia. Currently, she is an administrative resident at Hunter Holmes McGuire Medical Center, Richmond, Virginia. As part of her residency program, she co-chairs the MCCF Committee charged with process improvement and is Root Cause Analysis committee member for medication safety issues.

Dr. Carroll received his BS in Biology from Furman University, Greenville, SC and received his MD from the Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC. He received his MPH from the University of Washington, Seattle, WA. Dr. Carroll is currently the Senior VP of Medical Affairs and Performance Improvement in Rockingham Memorial Hospital, Harrisonburg, VA. Dr. Carroll is a member of American Academy of Family Physicians, American College of Preventive Medicine, and American College of Physician Executives. One of Dr. Carroll’s interests is using information technology to facilitate patient safety initiatives.

Dr. Cohen received his BA in Philosophy and his MD in Medicine from the University of Illinois. He is board certified in pediatrics and neonatology. Currently, he is the Medical Director of Clinical Quality Improvement and Patient Safety at OSF Saint Francis Medical Center. He is also a Clinical Associate Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Illinois’ College of Medicine at Peoria. His research interests include developing more active interactions with patients and families regarding patient safety and collaborative endeavors regarding patient safety across the continuum of care in health care systems.

Cook, Jody C. (Col.) (MS, RN, CPHRM)

Ms. Cook received her BS in nursing from East Carolina University and her MS in Healthcare Risk Management from Finch University of Health Sciences at the Chicago Medical School. She is a Colonel in the Nurse Corps of the United States Air Force Reserves. Currently, she is Director of Risk Management and Patient Safety of Kaiser Permenente in the North East Bay Service Area in Martinez, California. In that capacity, she has fully integrated a successful risk management program which includes two acute care facilities, two ambulatory surgery centers, and nine medical office buildings of Kaiser. Her research interests include risk assessment tools such as failure mode, human factors, and changing organizational cultures issues related to patient safety.

Dr. Dorn received his medical degree from the University of Kansas’ School of Medicine. He did his neonatal fellowship at Children Hospital in Cincinnati, Ohio. Dr. Dorn is a neonatologist at Wesley Medical Center, Wichita, Kansas where he also serves as the chair of the P.T. Committee. He is also Associate Professor of Pediatrics and OB/GYN and Family Practice at the University of Kansas’ School of Medicine. His research interests in patient safety include medication programs and a non punitive culture shift in safety issues.

Ms. Dougherty received her BS in Nursing from the William Paterson University, Wayne, New Jersey. She is certified in critical care nursing, gastroenterology, and in risk management from the American Society of Healthcare Risk Management. She is currently the Patient Safety Officer/Risk Manager at Hunterdon Medical Center in Flemington, New Jersey where she has a leadership role in designing and implementing patient safety programs. Her research interests are in failure mode and effects analysis for high-risk patients and reporting mechanisms.

Ms. Ebel received her MSN in Pediatric Nursing at Yale University, New Haven, CT. She is currently the Performance Improvement Specialist at Children's Hospital of the King's Daughters in Norfolk Virginia. In that capacity, she is responsible for investigating patient safety concerns including root-cause analysis, monitoring trends, and facilitating teams to improve processes. Her research interests include medication safety, reporting systems, and quality indicators.

Ms. Ebertowski received her BSN in nursing from the University of North Dakota, her Masters in Nursing from the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston and her MS in Health Administration from the University of Colorado at Denver. Currently, she is the Chief Operating Officer at Wesley Medical Center in Wichita, Kansas. Her research interests include safe medication administration, and developing collegial relationships among health care providers.

Ms. Finkel received her BS in Nursing from the University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston, Texas. She is currently the Quality and Outcomes Management Specialist at Texas Children's Hospital in Houston, Texas. As part of this team, she plays a critical role in developing, managing, organizing, and coordinating the delivery of improvements in patient safety programs. Ms. Finkel is interested in patient safety data management and human factors for development of continued patient safety programs.

Mr. Gragg received his BS in Pharmacy from the University of Toledo in Ohio. He is certified in Executive Practice Management. Currently, he is the Medication Safety Officer and Manager of Operation Development at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, Ohio. In that position, he has leadership responsibilities in the identification investigation, and analysis of medication related errors. His research interests include developing metrics for measuring safety progress and developing a comprehensive safety program.

Hays, Steven M. (MSHA)

Mr. Hays graduated from Winthrop University, Rock Hill, SC with BA in English, and received his MSHA from Virginia Commonwealth University. Mr. Hays is currently the executive director of Virginia Physicians MSO. Mr. Hays is also a member of American College of Healthcare Executive and Medical Group Management Association. One of Mr. Hays’ interests is the adoption of ISO 9000 quality assurance standards and implementation of six sigma strategies within health care organization.

Ms. Hunley received her LPN from Sentara Norfolk General Hospital, Norfolk, VA. Ms. Hunley currently serves as the clinical quality manager for Sentara Medical Group and co-chairs the physician clinical quality improvement committee. Ms. Hunley is a member of Medical Group Management Association. One of Ms. Hunley’s interests in patient safety is outcome measurement.

Ms. Johnstone received her BS in Pharmacy from the Mass. College of Pharmacy. She recently took the position of Medication Safety Officer for Northbay Healthcare System in Fairfield, California. Her research interests include changing cultures and increasing reporting and errors and events.

Ms. Kienle received her BSc in Pharmacy from the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and Science, Pennsylvania and her MPA in Health Service Administration from Marywood College, Scranton, Pennsylvania. Currently, she is the Medication Safety Manager at Owen Healthcare in Laflin Pennsylvania. In that position, she is responsible for medication safety function in client hospitals and for developing tools for use in various hospitals. She is also adjunct Associate Professor at Wilkes University, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. Her research interests include cultural issues associated with medication errors and accreditation issues.

Ms. King received her Master of Health Administration and Planning at the University of Cincinnati in Cincinnati, Ohio. She is currently the Risk Manager, Clinical Safety at TriHealth in Ohio. In that position, she is responsible for the identification, evaluation and proactive control of risk associated with clinical processes at TriHealth. Her research interests include perinatal safety, medication errors, and staffing details associated with patient safety.

Mrs. Kunac received her Diploma in Pharmacy from the Central Institute of Technology, New Zealand, her Masters in Clinical Pharmacy from University of Otago, NZ, and is pursuing her Ph.D in pediatric pharmacy from University of Otago (anticipated March 2004). Currently, she is a research fellow in the School of Pharmacy at the University of Otago where she focuses her research activities in pediatric and neonatology pharmacy. Specific interests include unapproved medication use in children, pediatric formulations, drug delivery, adverse drug events including medication errors.

M.S. Major Lachapelle received her M.S. degree in midwifery from Georgetown University in Washington, DC and her B.S. in Nursing (Boston)and B.S. in Zoology from the University of Massachusetts (Amherst). Currently, she is director of patient safety at Elmendorf ARB in Arkansas. Her interests are in health literacy and medical team management.

Lee, Laura M. ( BA, BSN)

Ms. Lee received a BA in Business Administration from Gettysburg College, Gettysburg, PA and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from The Catholic University of America, Washington DC. Currently, she is Special Assistant to the Deputy Director for Clinical Care, Clinical Center National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland. In that position, she develops patient safety initiatives for the organization, participates in research studies on the epidemiology of adverse events and medical errors, and coordinates clinical quality and performance measurement initiatives. Her research interests include organizational culture of safety and patient and staff perception regarding safety in hospitals and research settings.

Lim, Kate S.K., (MHA)

Miss Lim received her BS in medical technology and her MHA in healthcare administration from Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia. She is currently the Director of Performance Improvement at Williamsburg Community Hospital, Williamsburg Virginia where she has leadership roles in all areas of patient safety. Prior to her position at Williamsburg Community Hospital she was the Director of Medical Ancillary Services at Penang Adventist Hospital, Penang Malaysia. Her research interests centers around the use of restraints and patient safety issues surrounding patient falls.

Ms. Lindner received her Associate Degree in Science from Florida Junior College, Jacksonville, Florida. Currently, she is the Director of Human Resources at Lakeview Medical Center, Suffolk, Virginia where she has major responsibilities in compliance, safety, and quality assurance. Her research interests are in medication errors and patient safety.

McClatchey, Sally J., (BSN, MIS)

Ms. McClatchey received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Virginia Commonwealth University and her Masters in Management Information Systems from George Washington University, Washington DC. Currently, she is the Director of Performance Improvement and Risk Management at Pender Memorial Hospital, Burgaw, North Carolina. Her research interests include data management in error analysis and human factor engineering.

Mitchell, Amy RN. 

Ms. Mitchell is Director of Patient Safety at Carolinas Health Care System in Charlotte, NC. She received her Bachelor of Science degree in nursing from East Carolina University and her Bachelor of Arts degree in history from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Mrs. Mobley received her Master of Science in nursing administration from Virginia Commonwealth University and is currently enrolled in the Ph.D. program in Nursing at VCU. She is the Director of Performance Improvement at the Virginia Commonwealth Health System where she has responsibilities and leadership functions within performance improvement and regulatory compliance functions. Her research interests are in organizational culture changes, medication errors, and hospital equipment failures.

Dr. Paparella graduated from Villanova University, Villanova, PA with BS in Biology, and received his Doctor of Osteopathy from Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. Dr. Paparella is currently staff physician in Emergency Medicine, Mercy Suburban Hospital, Norristown, PA. Dr. Paparella is a member of American Osteopathic Association, and American College of Emergency Physicians. One of Dr. Paparella’s interests in patient safety issues is safe medication practice.

Mrs. Poindexter received her BS in Nursing from Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA and her MSA in Health Services Administration from Central Michigan University. Ms. Poindexter is currently a risk manager and outcomes analyst at John Randolph Medical Center, Hopewell, VA. Ms. Poindexter is the president of Central Virginia Association for Healthcare Quality. Among other patient safety issues, Ms. Poindexter is interested in tools and methods that aid in transforming organization’s philosophy and culture

Ricks, Michael R. (MHA). Mr. Ricks received his BA degree from Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah and his Masters in Health Administration from Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri. Currently, he is the Administrative Director, Neuroscience & Vascular Programs for Sentara Southside Hospitals in Norfolk, Virginia. His research interests include implementing processes to improve patient safety, and organizational culture to patient safety.

Mr. Roberts received his BS in Psychology at Christopher Newport College and his Masters in Social Work from Norfolk State University, Norfolk Virginia. Currently, he is the General Administration Practitioner at Eastern State Hospital, Virginia where he is serving as the Patient Safety Officer. In this capacity, he investigates all unknown injuries and patient abuse case in Geriatrics and maintains compliance for acute and geriatric psychiatric programs.

Ms. Schrier received her B.S. and M.S. in nursing from the University of Colorado Health Science Center with her Master's specialty in community health nursing. Currently, she is the Risk Manager/Patient Safety Officer at Mercy Medical Center in Durango Colorado. In that position, she has major responsibilities for the development of a patient safety program, failure mode effects analysis, and traditional risk management loss prevention and claims activities.

Ms. Shelor received her Nursing Diploma from DePaul Hospital’s School of Nursing in Norfolk Virginia. Currently, she is the risk manager for Sentara Healthcare in Virginia Beach, Virginia where she is responsible for loss prevention, patient safety, and malpractice claims management for physician practices, home care and ambulance services. Her research interests include strategies to improve provider communication.

Smith, Thomas (RN, MA). 

Mr. Smith received his MA degree in administration from West Virginia University in Morgantown and his BSN in Nursing/Biology from West Virginia Wesleyan College in Buckhannon. Currently, he serves as Director of Virginia Operations for WVMI, Inc. in Richmond, Virginia.

Lt. Col Snyder received her Master of Science in nursing care of children/high risk infants from the University of Texas in San Antonio. Her current position is Chief, Planning and Healthcare Improvement, 60^th Medical Group, at Travis Air Force Base, California. In her previous position as Chief of Outcomes Management Division at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany, she directed a new division encompassing all activities associated with patient safety and risk management. Her research interests are in the role of human factors in error reduction and creating an organizational culture of patient safety.

Weaver, Joseph (Major) PharmD.

Major Weaver received his M.S. degree in management from Troy State University, Alabama and his B.S. in Pharmacy from Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia. He currently serves as Chief, Pharmacy Element at Patrick AFB in Florida. His interest include: medication errors for prevention, including but not limited to the use of automation, quality assurance software, health care provider education/awareness and patient education and awareness.

Ranked 5th
in the Nation.