145 Patient Safety Experts to Know | 2026

Aaron Calhoun, MD

President

Society for Simulation in Healthcare

Washington, DC

Alexander Tomich, DNP, RN

Vice President of Clinical Excellence

Trinity Health Illinois/Indiana Region

Chicago, IL

Alice M. Krumm, DNP, RN

Director of Partner Engagement and Faculty

Vanderbilt Health

Nashville, TN

Allen Kachalia, MD

Senior Vice President of Patient Safety and Quality and Director of the Armstrong Institute for Patient Safety and Quality

Johns Hopkins Medicine

Baltimore, MD

Amy Cotton, DNP

Senior Vice President of Quality and Safety

RWJBarnabas Health

West Orange, NJ

Amy Lu, MD

Chief Quality Officer

UCSF Health

San Francisco, CA

Angela Green, PhD, RN

Vice President of Patient Safety and Quality

Johns Hopkins Health System

Baltimore, MD

Anne Weekley, RN

Vice President of Quality and Patient Experience

University of Maryland–Charles Regional Medical Center

La Plata, MD

Arun Patel

Chief Patient Safety and Clinical Risk Officer

Los Angeles County Department of Health Services

Los Angeles, CA

Baruch Fertel, MD

Vice President of Quality and Safety

NewYork-Presbyterian

New York, NY

Bela Nand, MD

Regional CMO

AdventHealth Mid-America Region

Kansas

Brenda Nance, DNP, RN

Vice President of Quality Attainment

Saint Francis Health System

Tulsa, OK

Brent Lee, MD

Director of Clinical Excellence and Performance Improvement

North American Partners in Anesthesia

Sunrise, FL

Brian Kates

Director of Risk Management and Quality

Cumberland Hospital

New Kent, VA

Brook Watts, MD

Chief Quality Officer

University of Michigan Health

Ann Arbor, MI

Cara Cruz

Director of Risk and Quality

Carson Valley Health

Gardnerville, NV

Carmen Gonzalez, MD

Chief Patient Safety Officer

The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center

Houston, TX

Carole Stockmeier

Senior Vice President of Safety and Reliability

Press Ganey

South Bend, IN

Che Jordan, PhD

COO

Guided Paths

Norfolk, VA

Christopher Landrigan, MD, MPH

Chief of General Pediatrics at Boston Children’s Hospital, Director of the Sleep and Patient Safety Program at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and William Berenberg Professor of Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School

Boston Children’s Hospital

Boston, MA

Christopher Thomas, MD

Vice President and Chief Quality Officer

FMOL Health

Baton Rouge, LA

Corey Champeau

Vice President of Quality and Safety

Yale New Haven Health

New Haven, CT

Crystal Garcia, BSN, RN

Vice President of Specialty Services Quality and Safety

Valleywise Health

Phoenix, AZ

Cynthia Adams

Lean Six Sigma Program Director of Quality Programs

Harris Health

Houston, TX

Cynthia Cuddy, RN

Senior Vice President of Quality and Patient Safety, Clinical and Academic Affairs

Westchester Medical Center Health Network

Valhalla, NY

Darlene Gondrella

Vice President of Quality

West Jefferson Medical Center

Marrero, LA

David Nash, MD

Founding Dean Emeritus

Jefferson College of Population Health

Philadelphia, PA

Debra Honey, RN

Senior Vice President and CNO

Covenant Health

Knoxville, TN

Denise Wilson, DNP

System Director for Regulatory Compliance and Accreditation

SSM Health

St. Louis, MO

Diego Lara, MD

Chief Quality and Safety Officer

Ochsner Children’s

New Orleans, LA

Donald J. Lefkowits, MD

Executive Medical Director

Sentact

Nashville, TN

Donna Hahn, MSN, RN

Vice President of the Quality, Safety and Patient Experience Division

Geisinger

Danville, PA

Edward Seferian, MD

Vice President of Patient Safety and Quality and Chief Quality Officer

Johns Hopkins Hospital

Baltimore, MD

Eileen Kasda, DrPH

President and CEO

SafeTower

Baltimore, MD

Elsie Lindgren

Enterprise Patient Safety Officer and Associate Vice President of Patient Safety and High Reliability

Advocate Health

Charlotte, NC

George Verghese, MD

Senior Vice President and Chief Clinical Quality Officer

Teladoc Health

New York, NY

Ghazala Sharieff, MD

Corporate Executive Vice President and Chief Medical and Operations Officer of Acute Care

Scripps Health

San Diego, CA

Hakim Lakhani

Senior Director of Health Systems Transformation

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

Boston, MA

Heather Khan, RN

Vice President of Quality Transformation

Endeavor Health

Evanston, IL

Heidi Raines

Chief Strategy Officer

Sentact

Nashville, TN

Heidi Wald, MD

Chief Quality Officer

Denver Health

Denver, CO

Ihab Dorotta, MD

Chief of Quality and Patient Safety and Chief of Clinical Operations

Loma Linda University Health

Loma Linda, CA

Jacqueline Saito, MD

Chief Quality and Safety Officer and Vice President of Medical Affairs

Children’s National Hospital

Washington, DC

James M. Hoffman, PharmD

Senior Vice President of Quality and Safety

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital

Memphis, TN

James Tucker, BSN, RN

Assistant Vice President of Quality, Safety and Regulatory

Orlando Health West Florida Region

Orlando, FL

Janice Yanez

Director of Patient Safety

Nicklaus Children’s Health System

Miami, FL

Jared Kutzin

Immediate Past President of the Society for Simulation in Healthcare, Senior Director of the Simulation Teaching and Research Center, and Professor of Emergency Medicine and Medical Education

Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

New York, NY

Jason Adelman, MD

Associate Dean for Quality and Patient Safety, and Director of the Center for Patient Safety Science

Columbia University Irving Medical Center

New York, NY

Jeff Giullian, MD

CMO

DaVita

Denver, CO

Jeffrey Boord, MD

Chief Quality and Safety Officer

Parkview Health

Fort Wayne, IN

Jeffrey Pothof, MD

Chief Quality Officer

UW Health

Madison, WI

Jennifer Jacobson, RN, BSN

Vice President of Clinical Operations and Quality

Compass Surgical Partners

Raleigh, NC

Jennifer Schwehm

Vice President of Corporate Quality and Patient Safety

LCMC Health

New Orleans, LA

Jeremy Goodman, MD

Vice President and System Quality Officer

Baptist Health

Jacksonville, FL

Jesse Ehrenfeld, MD

Global Chief Medical Officer

Aidoc

New York, NY

Jo-el Sprecher

Patient Experience and Safety Director

Mary Greeley Medical Center

Ames, IA

Jodi Ulmen

Director of Clinical Quality, Outcomes and Compliance

Madelia Health

Madelia, MN

Jonathan Perlin, MD, PhD

President and CEO

The Joint Commission

Oakbrook Terrace, IL

Jonathan Rogg, MD

Vice President and Chief Quality Officer

Houston Methodist Hospital

Houston, TX

Jordan Messler, MD

Chief Medical Officer

Glytec

Boston, MA

Josh Lumbley, MD

Chief Quality Officer

NorthStar Anesthesia

Irving, TX and Washington, DC

Julie Schneider

Director of Risk Management and Regulatory Affairs

UCI Health

Orange, CA

Kate Kellogg, MD

Vice President of Patient Safety and Infection Prevention

MedStar Health

Columbia, MD

Kathleen Pendleton

System Director of Just Culture and Patient Safety Projects

Wellstar Health System

Atlanta, GA

Kelly LeBlanc

Senior Director of Patient Safety and Quality

Touro

New Orleans, LA

Kelly Ragan Kelleher, MD

Chief Quality and Patient Safety Officer and Associate Chief Medical Officer

Phoenix Children’s

Phoenix, AZ

Kelly Randall, PhD

Vice President of Patient Safety and Compliance

Ascension

St. Louis, MO

Kelo Landry, BSN

Director of the Quality, Patient Safety and Stroke Program

Lakeview Hospital

Covington, LA

Kencee Graves, MD

Chief Medical Quality Officer

University of Utah Health

Salt Lake City, UT

Kimi Kobayashi, MD

Chief Medical Officer

UMass Memorial Medical Center and Medical Group

Worcester, MA

Kiran Gupta, MD

Vice President and Associate Chief Quality Officer

Sutter Health

Sacramento, CA

Kristen Tefft

Vice President of Quality and Patient Safety

Oceans Healthcare

Plano, TX

Lalit Bajaj, MD

Chief Quality Officer

Children’s Hospital Colorado

Aurora, CO

Laura Arline, MD

Chief Quality Officer

BayCare Health System

Clearwater, FL

Laura Haubner, MD

Senior Vice President and Chief Quality Officer

Tampa General Hospital

Tampa, FL

Laura Paxton

Founder and CEO

Rpharmy

Austin, TX

Lauren Koniaris, MD

Vice President and CMIO

Hackensack Meridian Health

Edison, NJ

Leah Binder

President and CEO

The Leapfrog Group

Washington, DC

Leslie Jurecko, MD

Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer

MCIC

New York, NY

Lisa Esolen, MD

Executive Vice President, Chief Quality Officer

Guthrie

Sayre, PA

Lisbeth Votruba, RN

Chief Clinical Officer

AvaSure

Belmont, MI

Lori Culloty, DNP

Safety Director

Corewell Health

Grand Rapids, MI

Lori Paine, DrPH

Vice President and Patient Safety Officer

Rochester Regional Health

Rochester, NY

Lydia Weber, DNP

Chief Patient Safety and High Reliability Officer

Hackensack Meridian Health

Edison, NJ

M. Suzanne Kraemer, MD

Chief Quality Officer

Carilion Clinic

Roanoke, VA

Mahmoud Bakeer, MD

Assistant Vice President of Orlando Health, and Chief Quality Officer

Orlando Health South Lake Hospital

Clermont, FL

Maitreya “Trey” Coffey, MD

Chief Quality Officer

Nationwide Children’s Hospital

Columbus, OH

Mallory Koshiol

Vice President of System Safety and Quality

Allina Health

Minneapolis, MN

Marcus Schabacker, MD, PhD

President and CEO

ECRI

Fort Washington, PA

Michael Lane, MD

Senior Vice President, Chief Quality and Safety Officer and Associate Chief Medical Officer

Parkland Health

Dallas, TX

Michael Posencheg, MD

Chief Quality and Safety Officer

Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia

Philadelphia, PA

Nicholas Testa, MD

Chief Clinical Officer

Sentact

Nashville, TN

Nicolas Restrepo, MD

Chief Quality and Patient Safety Officer

Valley Health

Winchester, VA

Nicole Alerding, MSN, RN

Director of Performance Improvement and Patient Safety Officer

Roxborough Memorial Hospital

Philadelphia, PA

Nicole Hedderich, RN

Vice President of Quality and Risk Management

Calvert Health System

Prince Frederick, MD

Nicole Justice

Vice President of Patient Safety, Risk and Insurance

Tampa General Hospital

Tampa, FL

Paige Wickner, MD

Vice President of Enterprise Patient Safety

CVS Health

Woonsocket, RI

Patricia C. Henwood, MD

Executive Vice President, Chief Clinical Officer and James D. and Mary Jo Danella Chief Quality Officer

Jefferson

Philadelphia, PA

Patricia McGaffigan

Senior Advisor of Safety and President of the Certification Board for Professionals in Patient Safety

Institute for Healthcare Improvement

Boston, MA

Patrick J. Brennan, MD

Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer

University of Pennsylvania Health System, Penn Medicine

Philadelphia, PA

Patty Atkins, RN

Quality and Patient Safety Executive

Adventist Health

Roseville, CA

Patty Scott

Patient Safety and Regulatory Officer

University Medical Center of Southern Nevada

Las Vegas, NV

Paula Ferrada, MD

Medical Director of Perioperative Services and Chair of Surgery at Inova Fairfax Medical Campus, and System Chief of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery

Inova Health System

Falls Church, VA

Peter Pronovost, MD, PhD

Chief Quality and Clinical Transformation Officer

University Hospitals

Cleveland, OH

Phillip Chang, MD

Senior Vice President and Chief Medical and Quality Officer

Memorial Hermann Health System

Houston, TX

Phillip Chang, MD

Chief Medical and Quality Officer

CommonSpirit Health

Chicago, IL

Rachel Sisodia, MD

Chief Quality Officer

Mass General Brigham

Boston, MA

Rafael Torres, MD

Chief Quality Officer

White Plains Hospital

White Plains, NY

Regina Santamarina

Patient Safety Officer

Berkshire Health Systems

Pittsfield, MA

Renee Demski

Executive Vice President of Quality, Patient Safety and Performance Excellence

Rochester Regional Health

Rochester, NY

Rollin J. “Terry” Fairbanks, MD

Senior Vice President and Chief Quality and Safety Officer

MedStar Health

Columbia, MD

Samantha Crandall, PhD, RN

Senior Vice President of Quality and Patient Safety

GBMC HealthCare

Baltimore, MD

Samantha Ruokis

Vice President of Clinical Performance Excellence

University of Chicago Medicine

Chicago, IL

Sandeep Wadhwa, MD

Global Chief Medical Officer

Solventum

St. Paul, MN

Sandra Kemmerly, MD

System Medical Director of Patient Safety

Ochsner Health

New Orleans, LA

Sara Toomey, MD

Senior Vice President, Chief Safety and Quality Officer and Chief Experience Officer

Boston Children’s Hospital

Boston, MA

Sarah Kadish

Vice President of Quality and Patient Safety

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

Boston, MA

Sarah Matt, MD

Founder and Principal

Vital Werks

Fayetteville, NY

Satyanarayana Reddy Mukkera, MD

Assistant Vice President of Orlando Health, and Chief Medical Officer

Orlando Health Orlando Regional Medical Center

Orlando, FL

Shannon Davila Kooker, MSN, RN

Vice President of Clinical Excellence and Patient Safety

ECRI

Fort Washington, PA

Shannon Wentz

Senior Director of Patient Safety and Quality

University Medical Center New Orleans and New Orleans East Hospital

New Orleans, LA

Shaun Warren

Assistant Vice President of System Quality and Patient Safety

Ochsner Health

New Orleans, LA

Shelly McGonigal, DNP, RN

Network Director of Quality and Patient Safety

Allegheny Health Network

Pittsburgh, PA

Sigall K. Bell, MD

Director of Patient Safety and Discovery

Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center OpenNotes

Boston, MA

Sonali Desai, MD

Vice President and Chief Quality Officer

Boston Medical Center Health System

Boston, MA

Stephanie Calcasola, MSN, RN

Chief Quality Officer

Hartford HealthCare

Hartford, CT

Stephanie Evans

Vice President and Chief Safety Officer

Arkansas Children’s

Little Rock, AR

Stephanie Hall, MD

Former Chief Medical Officer

Keck Hospital of USC and USC Norris Cancer Hospital

Los Angeles, CA

Stephen Jones, MD

Executive Director of Patient Safety and Quality

Sibley Memorial Hospital and Johns Hopkins Health System

Baltimore, MD

Sunita Koshy-Nesbitt, MD

Chief Quality Officer for the Hospital Channel, and Chief Medical and Quality Officer of Texas Health Physicians Group

Texas Health Resources

Arlington, TX

Suzanne Worthington

Chief Quality Officer

Orlando Health

Orlando, FL

Tejal Gandhi, MD

Chief Safety and Transformation Officer

Press Ganey

South Bend, IN

Thomas H. Gallagher, MD

Executive Director

The Center for Harm Response

Seattle, WA

Tiffany Potter, DNP, RN

Associate Vice President of System Quality, Safety and Clinical Effectiveness

Memorial Hermann Health System

Houston, TX

Tim McDonald, MD, JD

Chief Patient Safety and Risk Officer

RLDatix

Chicago, IL

Tom Bates, RN

Chief Quality Officer

Keck Medicine of USC

Los Angeles, CA

Ulfat Shaikh, MD

Medical Director for Healthcare Quality and Patient Safety

UC Davis Health

Sacramento, CA

Venkat Iyer, MD

Chief Safety, Quality and Patient Experience Officer and Vice President of Medicine Specialties

Allina Health

Minneapolis, MN

William Cooper, MD

Senior Vice President for Professionalism and Clinical Excellence

Vanderbilt Health

Nashville, TN

William Isenberg, MD, PhD

Vice President and Chief Medical and Quality Officer

Sutter Health

Sacramento, CA