Gandhi runs the National Patient Safety Foundation.
AB Wire
NEW YORK: Dr. Tejal K. Gandhi, MD, MPH, CPPS, president and chief executive officer of the National Patient Safety Foundation (NPSF), has been named by Modern Healthcare magazine as one of the Top 25 Women in Healthcare, in the United States.
The sixth biennial list of women leaders compiled by the magazine was published in the April 27 issue, according to a press release.
NPSF, an independent, not-for-profit organization, has served as a central voice for patient safety since 1997, offering education, membership programs, and an annual conference that draws health leaders, practitioners, and patient safety professionals from around the world.
Gandhi has served as president and chief executive officer of NPSF and president of the NPSF Lucian Leape Institute, the Foundation’s think tank, since July 2013. Previously, she had been Chief Quality and Safety Officer at Partners HealthCare, where she helped lead the efforts to standardize and implement patient safety best practices across the system. Before that, as Executive Director of Quality and Safety at Brigham and Women’s Hospital for 10 years, she worked to redesign systems to reduce medical errors and improve quality.
“I’m honored to be recognized by Modern Healthcare,” said Gandhi, in a statement. “Women certainly make up a large part of the health care workforce, and having that perspective represented at leadership levels is a trend that I hope will continue to gain traction.”
Gandhi was one of 200 women nominated for the list through an open call for nominations last December. A review board composed of senior editors of Modern Healthcare selected the finalists by judging the candidates on a broad range of criteria, including their willingness to share their expertise with others in the field, to serve as role models or mentors to others, and their ability and power to effect change.
Board certified in internal medicine, Gandhi also holds an appointment as associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. This is the first time she has appeared on the Top 25 Women in Healthcare list. Earlier this year, she was included in Modern Healthcare’s list of 50 Most Influential Physician Executives and Leaders. In August 2014, she was included in the magazine’s list of 100 Most Influential People in Healthcare.
Gandhi’s research interests focus on patient safety and reducing error using information systems. She won the 2009 John M. Eisenberg Patient Safety Award for her contributions to understanding the epidemiology and possible prevention strategies for medical errors in the outpatient setting.
Gandhi received her MD and MPH from Harvard Medical School and the Harvard School of Public Health, and trained at Duke University Medical Center.
The National Patient Safety Foundation’s vision is to create a world where patients and those who care for them are free from harm. A central voice for patient safety since 1997, NPSF partners with patients and families, the health care community, and key stakeholders to advance patient safety and health care workforce safety and disseminate strategies to prevent harm.