Gerald Hickson, M.D., assistant vice chancellor for Health Affairs at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, has been named chairman of the National Patient Safety Foundation (NPSF) Board of Directors as well as chairman of the Certification Board for Professionals in Patient Safety.
Hickson is also the associate dean for Faculty Affairs, director of Clinical Risk and Loss Prevention and director of the Center for Patient and Professional Advocacy at Vanderbilt.
He will serve a two-year term as chair of the NPSF Board of Directors.
Since 1990, Hickson’s research has focused on why families chose to file suit, why certain physicians attract a disproportionate share of claims and how to identify and intervene with high risk physicians.
His findings has resulted in more than 100 peer review articles and chapters, the creation of the Center for Patient and Professional Advocacy (CPPA), the development of the PARS program currently used at more than 60 institutions nationwide, and several educational initiatives to promote disclosure of medical errors and address the disruptive professional.
“The approach of saying to the patient, ‘We have heard you,’ with an opportunity to make it right, is incredibly powerful,” said Hickson.
NPSF, founded in 1997, is an independent, not-for-profit organization committed to improving and advancing the safety of care provided to patients.
The foundation partners with health care organizations to provide a high-visibility stage for solutions that bring about continued and significant improvement in the delivery of safe care, reducing adverse events and saving lives.
