Dr Tejal K Gandhi has been elected as the National Patient Safety Foundation’s next president, effective July 1.
“With a broad background in clinical care, research, and healthcare quality and safety leadership, Dr. Gandhi brings unmatched credentials to this role,” said Dr Gerald Hickson, chair, NPSF Board of Directors. “Throughout her career, she has demonstrated a strong commitment to advancing the patient safety field. We are thrilled with this appointment.”
Dr. Gandhi currently serves as chief quality and safety officer at Partners Healthcare in Boston. In her role, she has led efforts to standardize and implement patient safety best practices across the Partners system, which includes Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, among others. She is also director of the Harvard Medical School Fellowship in Patient Safety and Quality. She was previously executive director of quality and safety at Brigham and Women’s, a position she held for 10 years before joining the parent organization.
Board certified in internal medicine, Dr Gandhi is also well known for her research in the areas of diagnostic error and health information technology. In 2009, she received the John M. Eisenberg Patient Safety Award for contributions to understanding the epidemiology of, and possible prevention strategies for, medical errors in the outpatient setting.
Dr Gandhi has long served on the NPSF Board of Governors, most recently as vice chair. As president of the organization, she also assumes the role of president of the Lucian Leape Institute at NPSF, a think tank made up of national experts who explore new paths to improving patient safety.
“I am very much looking forward to beginning my new role at NPSF,” Dr Gandhi said. “As a long-time board member of the organization, I am familiar with its history and the great work done in the past. I am committed to continuing that tradition and building upon it for the future. Despite successes, there is still so much work to do to ensure the safest care for all patients.”
National Patient Safety Foundation, Massachusetts General Hospital, Partners Healthcare, Harvard Medical School Fellowship in Patient Safety and Quality
