Chicago, IL - At its annual meeting in Chicago earlier this week, Henri R. Manasse, Jr., Ph.D., Sc.D., was elected Chair of the Board of Directors of the National Patient Safety Foundation (NPSF). Manasse is Executive Vice President and CEO of the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP). He has been active in the NPSF since its inception, consistently working to prevent medication misadventures and measurably improve patient safety.
"I believe strongly in NPSF's commitment to patient safety and preventing medical accidents. As chair of this important and highly visible organization, I hope to enhance the focus of a systems approach to making health care safer. I am honored to have the opportunity to lead this organization forward." Manasse said.
Manasse replaces Nancy W. Dickey, MD who has led the Board for the past two years. Dickey, who is also past president of the American Medical Association (AMA), will remain on the NPSF Board of Directors and Executive Committee as Past-Chair. Dickey is credited with being one of the earliest visionaries and founders of the NPSF, and was recognized by the Board for her outstanding contributions.
Carol A. Ley, MD, MPH, was re-elected as Vice-Chair of the Board of Directors. Ley is currently Associate Medical Director at 3M. Diane C. Pinakiewicz was re-elected as Treasurer. Pinakiewicz is Senior Director, Health Care Strategic Leadership, Schering-Plough. Timothy T. Flaherty, MD, was elected Secretary.
Flaherty is Vice Chair of the AMA, and serves on the AMA Board of Trustees. Flaherty replaces Linda Golodner, National Consumers League, who was also recognized for her important contributions as Secretary. Golodner also remains on the Board, and will take on other Board assignments.
As a relatively young and evolving organization, the NPSF has also had several recent staffing additions. Anne Shea, RN, MBA, was hired as Chief Operations Officer. Dawn McGinley was added as Director of Communications, and Asta Sorensen was hired as Research Program Manager. Searches are well underway for a Chief Executive Officer and Director of Development. These additional actions strongly position the NPSF as a leader in improving patient safety, and in implementing several key initiatives in the areas of research, clinical solutions, and safe medication use.
The National Patient Safety Foundation is an independent, nonprofit research and education organization dedicated to the measurable improvement of patient safety in the delivery of health care. The NPSF was founded in 1997 by the American Medical Association, CNA HealthPro, and 3M. Other major benefactors include Schering-Plough. The NPSF has formed a unique partnership of health care clinicians, institutional providers, health product manufacturers, researchers, legal advisors, consumer advocates, regulators, and policy makers among its board of directors. Working collaboratively with its broad base of constituents, the NPSF is leading the patient safety movement by raising awareness, building a knowledge base, creating a forum for sharing knowledge, and facilitating the implementation of practices that improve patient safety.
For more information about the NPSF, visit our website at www.npsf.org.
Editor's Note: Black and white photographs are available upon request.