Boston, MA (June 22, 2012)—The National Patient Safety Foundation (NPSF) has announced new appointments to the Foundation’s Board of Directors and Board of Governors, effective June 1, 2012.

“We are extremely pleased and honored to welcome these distinguished health care leaders to our boards,” said NPSF President Diane C. Pinakiewicz, MBA, CPPS “They each bring a wealth of experience, knowledge, and a proven commitment to patient safety to their new roles, and join a remarkable group of visionaries who continue to serve on the NPSF boards. We look forward to their unique perspectives and contributions.”

The NPSF Board of Directors provides strategic and operational oversight and is vested with fiduciary responsibilities for the Foundation. The Board of Governors offers direction and insight on NPSF program development, in keeping with the Foundation’s mission.

Joining the Board of Directors as new members:

Alan D. Aviles, President and Chief Executive Officer, New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation

Anne Scott Blouin, PhD, MSN, MBA, RN, Executive Vice President, Accreditation and Certification Operations, The Joint Commission
Dr. Blouin previously served on the NPSF Board of Governors.

Lillee Smith Gelinas, RN, MSN, FAAN, Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer, VHA, Inc.

 Gregg Meyer, MD, MSc, Chief Clinical Officer and Executive Vice President for Population Health, Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center
Dr. Meyer previously served as Chairman of the NPSF Board of Governors. He has been named Vice Chair of the NPSF Board of Directors.

Assuming new roles on the Board of Directors:

Gerald Hickson, MD, previously Vice Chairman, has been named Chairman. Dr. Hickson holds a number of appointments at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, including Assistant Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs, Associate Dean for faculty Affairs, and Director, Center for Patient and Professional Advocacy.

Gary Kaplan, MD, FACMPE, previously Chairman, remains on the board as Immediate Past Chair. Dr. Kaplan is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Virginia Mason Medical Center.

Joining the NPSF Board of Governors:

Paul W. Abramowitz, PharmD, FASHP, Chief Executive Officer and Executive Vice President, American Society of Health-System Pharmacists.

Michael R. Cohen, RPh, MS, ScD, President, Institute for Safe Medication Practices

Tom Evans, MD, FAAFP, President and CEO, Iowa Healthcare Collaborative

Helen Haskell, President, Mothers Against Medical Error

David Marx, JD, CEO, Outcome Engenuity, LLC

Patty Skolnik, Founder and Executive Director, Citizens for Patient Safety

Pamela Thompson, MS, RN, FAAN, Chief Executive Officer of the American Organization of Nurse Executives
Ms. Thompson was most recently Immediate Past Chair of the NPSF Board of Directors.

Assuming new roles on the NPSF Board of Governors:

Saul Weingart, MD, PhD, Vice President for Patient Safety, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, has been named Chairman.

Tejal K. Gandhi, MD, MPH, Director, Patient Safety, Partners Healthcare, has been named Vice-Chair.

For more information about the Foundation’s governance and complete lists of the NPSF Board of Directors and Board of Governors, visit the governance page of our website.

About the National Patient Safety Foundation

NPSF has been pursuing one mission since its founding in 1997–to improve the safety of care provided to patients. As a central voice for patient safety, NPSF is committed to a collaborative, multi-stakeholder approach in all that it does. NPSF is an independent, not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization. To learn more about the work of the National Patient Safety Foundation, please visit www.npsf.org.

Contact: Patricia McTiernan
(617) 391-9922
pmctiernan@npsf.org