Marcia Baker has dedicated 32 years to the healthcare industry, beginning her career as a registered nurse in critical care. Over the decades, she has held several leadership positions that have showcased her commitment to patient safety. As a Certified Professional in Patient Safety (CPPS), Marcia has leveraged her experience to implement and oversee numerous safety initiatives, enhancing patient outcomes. She has passion for fostering a culture of safety and continuous improvement has made her a respected leader and advocate in the field.

Taruna R, Banerjee is the Associate Chief Quality and Patient Safety Officer at Cambridge Health Alliance. In this key leadership role she is responsible for promoting a culture of safety, patient and staff engagement, and performance excellence aligned with national patient safety goals. She has an extensive background in managing quality improvement efforts, developing a culture of high reliability and safety, quality measurement, accreditation and regulatory compliance, and standardization of care. Taruna feels deeply committed to Cambridge Health Alliance mission and vision and is particularly proud of her work in advancing health equity. Taruna is a Certified Professional in Patient Safety (CPPS) and she has also completed the advanced training program (ATP) from Intermountain Healthcare. She received her BA from Wellesley College and her MPH from Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. Taruna joined CHA in 2019 after serving as a Director of Quality and Safety at Boston Children’s Hospital. Prior to this Taruna worked at Mass General Brigham overseeing ambulatory and hospital quality measurement and improvement efforts.

Amanda Binnix is the current Director of Patient Safety and Organizational Readiness for Methodist Health System. Her focus is on building processes to sustain the system’s High Reliability efforts, managing the system event management platform to align with patient and workforce safety initiatives, overseeing improvements to our system policy & guideline process, and supporting efforts for continued readiness and successful Joint Commission accreditation for all of our hospitals. Amanda has over 18 years of clinical and leadership experience in Emergency Nursing, Trauma Program Management, Quality, Patient Safety, and Leadership. She holds Associate Degree in Nursing, a Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing, a Masters’ Degree in Business in Healthcare Management, is a Certified Professional In Healthcare Quality (CPHQ), Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt (LSSYB), and was previously a Certified Emergency Room Nurse (CEN).

Dr. Subashnie Devkaran is an international leader in quality, accreditation and patient experience and currently serves as the Chair of Quality and Value at Mayo Clinic. She also provides leadership oversight for the Mayo Clinic Robert D. and Patricia E. Kern Center for the Science of Health Care Delivery. Mayo Clinic is currently ranked as the nation’s top hospital by U.S. News & World Report. Dr. Devkaran has served on various regulatory committees and leadership societies in the Middle East and internationally including President of the American College of Healthcare Executives, MENA. She has also served in enterprise leadership roles for the Cleveland Clinic both in Abu Dhabi and Ohio. Being a lifelong learner, Subashnie has a PhD from Edinburgh Business School (Scotland). With a Masters in Healthcare Management from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, she also serves as a lecturer with the University. Subashnie acquired her clinical degree in Physical Therapy from South Africa and received recognition as Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality (CPHQ) from the Healthcare Quality Certification Board based in Washington D.C. She is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives (FACHE) and a Fellow of the International Society for Quality in Healthcare (FISQua).In addition to her full time role at Mayo Clinic she is also an International Consultant with Joint Commission International. Subashnie frequently speaks at international conferences and has published research papers on healthcare quality, patient safety and high reliability. With a passion to reduce the knowledge gap in healthcare quality and patient safety internationally, Dr. Devkaran continues to pursue research in these areas.

Sean C. Dowdy, MD, FACS, FACOG, is a consultant in the Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, with a joint appointment in the Department of Surgery at Mayo Clinic. He serves as Chief Value Officer of Mayo Clinic and is the Robert D. and Patricia E. Kern Associate Dean for Practice Transformation. He joined the staff of Mayo Clinic in 2004 and holds the academic rank of professor of obstetrics and gynecology, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science. He mentors residents and fellows, supervises their research efforts, and holds master’s faculty privileges in the Mayo Clinic Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. Dr. Dowdy earned his bachelor’s degree in English at Cornell University and attended Georgetown University School of Medicine where he earned his medical degree. He completed residency in obstetrics and gynecology in addition to a fellowship in gynecologic oncology at Mayo Clinic School of Graduate Medical Education. He completed postgraduate clinical training in Lille, France, and Berlin, Germany, in laparoscopic surgical oncology. In his role as Chief Value Officer of Mayo Clinic, Dr. Dowdy leads the strategy and execution for the Mayo Clinic Robert D. and Patricia E. Kern Center for the Science of Health Care Delivery and Mayo Clinic Quality and Affordability. In these roles he fortifies Mayo Clinic’s brand and reputation as a category of one within health care as aligned with Mayo Clinic’s Bold. Forward. 2030 Strategy. Dr. Dowdy’s research activities focus on endometrial and ovarian cancer, and he is a member of the Executive Committee of the NIH funded Mayo Clinic Ovarian Cancer Specialized Programs of Research Excellence (SPORE) within the Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center. His current research focuses on improving healthcare quality, safety, and value, and he has worked to disseminate his surgical quality improvements beyond Mayo Clinic to national and international audiences. Dr. Dowdy is credited with more than 230 peer-reviewed publications. He serves as an associate editor of the journal, Gynecologic Oncology, and has held multiple leadership positions in international societies including serving as a member of the Board of Directors for the Society of Gynecologic Oncology, ERAS USA, and Society of Gynecologic Surgeons.

Carmen Esther Gonzalez, MD, MSHQS, is a practicing board-certified professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine with clinical expertise in oncologic emergencies and the Chief Patient Safety Officer at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. Dr. Gonzalez’s administrative expertise is in patient safety and organizational development. Dr. Gonzalez is certified in Quality Medicine by the American College of Medical Quality and obtained a Master of Science in Healthcare Quality and Safety degree at Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Dr. Gonzalez currently leads the Patient Safety Quality Officer Program. She co-leads various institutional safety/quality initiatives, including High-Reliability Organizing, the Tiered Readiness Briefing, the Patient Safety Officer on-call, the Actionable Findings Vigilance Unit and the Patient Safety Incident Command at MD Anderson Cancer Center.In 2024, Dr. Gonzalez was recognized by Becker’s Hospital Review as one of the 90 Patient Safety Experts to Know.

Stephanie Hogberg is a seasoned Registered Nurse with a passion for Quality and Patient Safety. Currently serving as the Assistant Vice President of Patient Safety at Ardent Health Services, Stephanie has built an extensive career in healthcare, starting as a Cardiovascular Nurse and progressing through various roles in house supervision, risk management, emergency preparedness, and quality patient safety. With a Master’s degree in Healthcare Administration, Stephanie’s expertise lies in understanding the root causes of safety events and implementing strategies to prevent their recurrence. Her dedication to patient safety is evident in her approach to safety event management, where she emphasizes the importance of learning from incidents to foster a culture of continuous improvement. Stephanie’s journey with Ardent Health Services is a testament to her commitment to patient safety, and she will be sharing insights on this journey in her presentation.

Thomas Hopkins is a retired Marine Corps Gunnery Sergeant with a specialized background in Marine Corps aviation logistics and over seventeen years of expertise in Continuous Process Improvement. Throughout his career, he has developed a strong proficiency in Lean Six Sigma and Theory of Constraints, which he has effectively used to improve organizational performance. As the Director of Patient Safety at Ardent Health Services Patient Safety Organization, Thomas has been instrumental in developing and implementing the Patient Safety Event Analysis (PSEA) process. This initiative has enhanced the organization’s ability to systematically analyze patient safety events and identify areas for improvement, resulting in more effective prevention strategies. In his role, Thomas has also led the transition to the Press Ganey High Reliability Platform (HRP). His efforts in integrating HRP with EPIC have streamlined event reporting processes, increasing the volume of reports and yielding more actionable insights, significantly strengthening the organization’s safety culture. Thomas will be co-presenting with Stephanie Hogberg, offering insights into their organization’s patient safety journey. Their presentation will highlight the evolution of harm classification, the critical role of leadership in fostering a culture of safety, and the practical application of high-reliability principles alongside Lean Six Sigma and Theory of Constraints methodologies in healthcare. Drawing on his extensive experience in Marine Corps aviation logistics and process improvement, Thomas brings a disciplined and strategic perspective on how leadership and innovation can drive significant enhancements in patient safety and organizational effectiveness.

Dr. Katyal is the Senior Vice President, System Chief Quality Officer, and Chief Patient Experience Officer at Catholic Health. As Chief quality officer, she is responsible for bringing together leaders across the system to ensure excellence in the organization’s approach to quality, safety, clinical effectiveness, and patient experience. She also ensures organizational regulatory compliance and promotes and supports best practices for evidence-based medicine. With more than 15 years of experience with quality systems and processes, Dr. Katyal has demonstrated a commitment to quality and process improvement. She graduated from the UHF/GNYHA Clinical Quality fellowship in 2012. Dr. Katyal earned her medical degree at the State University of New York (SUNY) Downstate College of Medicine in Brooklyn through the Sophie Davis School of Biomedical Education. She completed a postdoctoral pediatric critical care medicine fellowship at New York Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Medical College of Cornell University. She also holds an MBA from Cornell University and an MS in Health Policy from Weill Cornell School of Graduate Sciences.

Trudy Marks is a Patient Safety Director with the Institute of Safety and Quality at Novant Health, where she brings over 20 years of healthcare experience to the role. Trudy provides strategic direction for the organization’s safety program and is dedicated to building a strong safety culture with a commitment to the pursuit of zero events of harm. As a Certified Professional in Patient Safety, Trudy received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Liberty University in Lynchburg, VA, and her Master of Health Administration from Queens University in Charlotte, NC.

Courtney has worked in a wide range of hospitals and departments in her healthcare career including: Environmental Services, Patient Access, Health Information Management, and Performance Improvement. Most recently, Courtney was promoted to the Patient Experience and Safety Data Analyst at Shriners Children’s. In her current role, Courtney manages the Press Ganey HRP platform and patient experience data for the Shriners Children’s system, including assisting with developing system-wide strategies to improve patient safety and experience. Her educational background includes a BS in Health Information Management from Western Governor’s University and a BS in Biology from Eastern Oregon University.

Kristin Murphy is the Manager, Medication Safety at Novant Health, having over 10 years of experience as a medication safety leader within adult and pediatric practice sites.  She received her BS in Neuroscience from the College of William and Mary and her PharmD from Virginia Commonwealth University.  She completed an ASHP-accredited residency at Inova Fairfax Hospital and served as the 2008-2009 ASHP Executive Resident in Association Leadership and Management. In addition to medication safety, her clinical passions include neonatal and pediatric intensive care.

Alana Newman is the Manager of Patient Safety at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in the Chief Quality Office. She earned her Master of Public Health and Master of Social Work degrees from Tulane University. Currently, she oversees a team of patient safety specialists, serves as a liaison to physician representatives in Patient Safety Quality Officer Program, and manages numerous institutional quality and safety strategic initiatives along with the institution’s safety event reporting system. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, she collaborated with a multi-disciplinary team to establish a dedicated testing site on campus and served as an operations manager for employee vaccine clinics. Alana has a passion for conceptualizing initiatives in safety, quality improvement, and health equity and she is often recognized for her collaborative skills and ability to unify efforts across a variety of roles and departments in her organization.

Kathleen has been with Shriners Children’s for the past 9 years. She has 20+ years of clinical experience as a Pediatric Occupational Therapist and has worked with patients and families in the NICU, early intervention and outpatient rehabilitation. Currently, Kathleen is the Director of Healthcare Quality and Safety at Shriners Children’s, working on both the patient safety side using the High Reliability Platform and also the human experience side with our patient, employee and provider surveys. Kathleen loves the Shriners mission, vision and values and how it aligns with our daily patient experience.

Lorelle Scheuer is a dedicated quality and patient safety advisor with over 5 years of experience in healthcare quality improvement and patient safety. Lorelle has a proven record of leading the optimization of healthcare delivery systems and has been instrumental in developing and implementing initiatives that drive quality care, reduce patient harm, and improve overall patient outcomes. Lorelle played a key role in guiding OhioHealth’s High Reliability Organization (HRO) journey, implementing tier safety huddles to nearly 400 ambulatory practices spanning all specialties across the state of Ohio. Through an innovative approach, Lorelle has developed a best practice tool to ensure that all components of the unit/practice level huddle are completed as intended while simultaneously disseminating crucial safety communication down the tiers. In addition, Lorelle is an advocate for the integration of data analytics into quality assurance. She uses performance metrics, feedback, and clinical data to make decisions and streamline workflows, ensuring that patient safety and quality care remain at the forefront of organizational priorities.

Nicole Templeton has been a registered nurse for over 25 years. Her nursing experience in the United States Army and Surgical Intensive Care, coupled with a degree in Health Services Administration, has helped prepare her for work in Healthcare Quality and Safety. Her true passion is patient safety and creating reliable processes, combined with desired behaviors, to ensure best care of patients. Currently, Nicole is the Patient Safety Officer at Michigan Medicine. The Patient Safety division focuses on Prevention, Detection, and Correction of preventable harm events and near misses at University of Michigan Health (UMH).

Kathrynn Thompson, a registered nurse with over 25 years of experience, currently serves as the High Reliability Lead at University of Michigan Health (UMH). In this role, Kathrynn collaborates closely with the Patient Safety Officer and the Director of Patient Safety to manage and oversee programs aimed at enhancing high reliability and fostering a robust culture of safety within the organization. Throughout her 20-year career at UMH, Kathrynn has held a variety of positions, including Patient Safety Program Manager, IT Application Manager, and Nursing Operations Administrator for opening the new Children’s and Women’s Hospital. Additionally, she has provided compassionate patient care as a Neonatal ICU RN. Kathrynn’s passion for reducing preventable harm in healthcare is both personal and professional. As the mother of a critically ill newborn, it has shaped her career and given her unique insights into the healthcare system from both a provider and patient perspective. Motivated by these experiences, she is committed to identifying areas for improvement and is dedicated to being an integral part of the solutions that enhance patient safety and care quality.

Laura Weber, RN, BSN, MBA/HCM, CPHQ Vice President—Clinical Effectiveness & Patient Safety Laura Weber serves as the system Vice President for quality & patient safety at Methodist Health System in Dallas, Texas. In her current role, Laura provides strategic and operational leadership across the health system to advance a culture of reliability, safety and performance improvement. Laura has more than 25 years of experience in healthcare and began her career as a practicing RN in critical care. Prior to joining MHS, Laura served in several leadership roles focusing on performance improvement, patient safety and quality improvement in both entity and system level positions. During her career, Laura has led initiatives to reduce hospital-acquired conditions, implementation of strategic quality improvement practices including the Improvement Academy at Methodist and transforming organizational culture to one of high reliability. With a passion for improvement and reliability in healthcare, Laura has also previously served on the Board of Examiners for the National Baldrige Quality Program and the Texas Award Program for Performance Excellence. Laura holds a bachelor of science degree in Nursing and a Master of Business Administration/Health Care Management. She is a Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality.

As director of safety, Kelly has executive accountability for the system safety plan. Her key focus includes sharing and sustaining safety behaviors, ensuring a system approach for identified trends and system level opportunities and strategic deployment of the BSMH Patient Safety Evaluation System (PSES) and defining Patient Safety Work Product (PSWP). As a Certified Professional in Patient Safety, Kelly brings passion for improving the Bon Secours Mercy Health safety culture and designing healthcare processes, policies, and workflows that meet the needs, demands, and realities of the real-world clinical setting. Before starting a career in patient safety, Kelly managed a multispecialty practice which included orthopedic surgeons, musculoskeletal and family medicine physicians, an anesthesiologist, certified physician assistants (PA-C), advanced registered nurse practitioners (ARNP), registered nurses (RN), physical therapists, occupational therapists, certified athletic trainers (ATC), a certified orthotic provider and an extensive support team of technical and medical assistants. Later, she joined the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida (BCBSF) consultant team. In this role, she traveled across the state, providing guidance, training and education related to healthcare legislation, policies, and process improvement. With over 25 years’ experience, she has been in her current role with Bon Secours Mercy Health since March of 2019.