IHI Patient Safety Learning Series​

Patricia McGaffigan, MS, RN, CPPS, is President, Certification Board for Professionals in Patient Safety, and Senior Advisor, Safety, at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, where she serves as senior sponsor of the IHI Lucian Leape Institute, co-chair of the National Steering Committee for Patient Safety, and key liaison to IHI’s strategic relationships and initiatives for nursing and advancing a thriving workforce. She is the former COO and SVP of Safety at the National Patient Safety Foundation, graduate of the AHA-NPSF Patient Safety Leadership Fellowship Program and IHI Fellow, and nationally recognized speaker. Ms. McGaffigan serves on numerous national committees, taskforces, and technical expert panels, including the AHRQ Survey of Patient Safety Culture Technical Expert Panel, and the Joint Commission’s Journal on Quality and Patient Safety Editorial Advisory Board and Sentinel Event Alert Advisory Committee. She is Commissioner, ANCC Pathway to Excellence, board member of the Massachusetts Coalition for the Prevention of Medical Errors, the Foundation to Advance Nursing in Massachusetts, and the I-PASS Institute, and a member of Planetree’s Person-Centered Certification Committee. She is the recipient of the American Association of Critical Care Nurses Lifetime Member Award, the 2023 University of North Texas Health Science Center’s Mary E. Luibel Distinguished Service Award and was named to the 2024 and 2023 Becker’s Review List of Patient Safety Experts to Know. She received her BS in Nursing from Boston College and her MS in Nursing from Boston University.

P. Jeffrey Brady, MD, MPH, is an experienced leader in patient safety improvement and health care quality. He brings together people and organizations with different perspectives to collaborate, drive, and support innovation that advances health. From 2022 to 2025, Dr. Brady served as the Senior Vice President for Research and Innovation at Highmark Health. He was responsible for leading the organization’s overall research strategy and coordinating research activities that support Highmark Health’s mission as a national, blended health organization that includes one of America’s largest Blue Cross Blue Shield insurers and a growing regional hospital and physician network. Based in Pittsburgh, PA, Highmark Health serves a broad spectrum of needs including health insurance, health care delivery, population health management, re-insurance solutions, and innovative, technology solutions. From 2014 to 2022, Dr. Brady directed the Center for Quality Improvement and Patient Safety at the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). He was as a member of AHRQ’s Senior Leadership Team and oversaw key agency activities, including: Patient Safety Research, Prevention of Healthcare-Associated Infections, and others focused on measuring and improving the safety and quality of health care. Dr. Brady has been engaged in national efforts focused on advancing health care safety and quality, including as co-chair of the National Steering Committee for Patient Safety (convened by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, IHI), and as a member of boards and committees supported by the National Quality Forum, the National Committee for Quality Assurance, The Joint Commission, and other federal and non-federal initiatives. Before moving to AHRQ in 2006, Dr. Brady served as a medical officer for FDA’s Office of Vaccines and held positions as a medical epidemiologist for the Defense Department and as a primary care physician aboard the U.S.S. Coronado while serving on active duty in the US Navy. Rear Admiral Brady retired from active duty in the Commissioned Corps of the US Public Health Service in 2019. He attended the Medical College of Georgia, completed internship training in Internal Medicine at the Naval Medical Center, San Diego, California, and earned a master’s degree in public health from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USUHS) in Bethesda, Maryland. Dr. Brady completed the Navy’s General Preventive Medicine Residency, also at USUHS, and is board-certified in Public Health and General Preventive Medicine.

Karen Garvey serves as the Vice President for Safety and Clinical Risk Management for Parkland Health in Dallas, Texas. She has health system oversight of Regulatory and Accreditation, Patient Safety and Clinical Risk Management, Quality and Safety Education. She is the Executive Sponsor for the Parkland Peer Support Program and Chairperson for Workforce Safety Initiatives involving proactive and reactive strategies to decrease violence against our employees and physicians. She serves on local, state, and national committees collaborating to collectively address this significant issue. She has been active on the IHI Workforce Safety, Well Being and Equity Workgroup and is a participant in the AHA Hospital Against Violence Workgroup.

Patti Groholski serves as the Senior Director of Operations for Ascension’s Associate Occupational Health national service line. She is also the Association of Occupational Health Professionals in Healthcare (AOHP) Wisconsin Upper Midwest Chapter Secretary. She has presented for conferences on occupational health safety topics and worksite clinics. Patti has been a leader in the Associate Occupational Health industry since 2008. She has a Master’s in Business Administration and spearheads research and development strategies to develop quality improvement initiatives.

Marty Hatlie is a patient safety advocate with a strong interest in the roles patients and family members play as co-creators of patient safety solutions. In 2021 he co-founded Patients for Patient Safety US, a US branch of the World Health Organization’s Patients for Patient Safety network. PFPS US is a network of Patient Safety Champions that advocates for implementation of the WHO Global Patient Safety Action Plan in the US. He also serves as President & CEO for Project Patient Care, the Chicagoland safety and quality improvement coalition, which is dedicated to using the voice of the patient to improve care. Drawing on experience as a civil rights attorney, He has served on leadership teams as a consultant on multiple research projects and transformation initiatives funded by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, and Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute.

Helen Macfie is a seasoned health care transformation leader and patient advocate with deep experience in clinical and operational performance improvement (quality, safety, lean), strategic planning, and executive facilitation of large-scale clinical and patient safety redesign. Her aspiration is to foster the attainment of the safest and highest quality care for every patient and family. Since retiring from her 20-year role as Chief Transformation Officer for MemorialCare Health System (California), she continues to serve on the HHS/AHRQ National Steering Committee for Patient Safety, as Faculty and Consultant for the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI), as a member of the IHI Leadership Alliance, and as Board Member for CalHealthcareCompare. Ms. Macfie received the Patient Safety Movement Foundation 5* Award, has been named to Becker’s Healthcare Top 50 Patient Safety Experts and Top Transformation Officers. She earned her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of California San Francisco School of Pharmacy, her FABC for Transformational Leadership from the Advisory Board Company, and her IHI Fellow from the Institute for Healthcare Improvement.

Stephen E. Muething, MD, is the Senior Clinical Director of the Global Advisory Services for Cincinnati Children’s. His work focuses on mentoring, coaching and advising health care systems nationally and globally. He has taught all over the United States and more than two dozen countries. He is a Professor of Pediatrics at The University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. Dr. Muething was awarded the Michael and Suzette Fisher Family Chair for Safety. His research and national impact focus on high reliability, large-scale health care safety, system transformation, and development of learning networks. He has led or served on multiple national initiatives including the IHI National Steering Committee for Healthcare Safety, National Patient Safety Agency Advisory Panel, International Society for Quality Health Care and National Action Plan for Patient Safety.

Lori Pelletier, PhD, is Chief Quality and Patient Safety Officer at Connecticut Children's and Associate Professor at University of Connecticut School of Medicine in the Department of Pediatrics. She is Division Head of Excellence in Patient Safety and Clinical Quality in the Department of Pediatrics. She is also the Inaugural Popik Family Endowed Chair for Quality and Patient Safety and an IHI Faculty member. Dr. Pelletier completed her PhD in Manufacturing Engineering, focused on Health Systems Engineering at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. She lectures nationally on her current research in suicide prevention and organizational excellence.

Shanda Price is a seasoned Registered Nurse and health care executive with 28 years of experience, currently serving as the Vice President of Associate Occupational Health at Ascension Healthcare. Her extensive nursing background encompasses critical care, emergency medicine, stroke program management, case management, quality and regulatory, as well as acute and ambulatory clinical operations. She is adept at leading organizational improvement aimed at enhancing patient quality care and safety to achieve better patient outcomes. She oversees associate safety efforts for the largest non-profit Catholic Healthcare organization in the United States. She earned her BSN and MSN at the University of Alabama and her doctorate from Capella University. Her dedication lies in advancing patient care and safety through a collaborative, interdisciplinary approach.

Kelly Randall serves as the Vice President for Patient Safety and Compliance with Ascension. She earned her PhD in Health Services Administration from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. In her research, she studied the impact of high reliability practices on patient safety outcomes in pediatric hospitals. Ms. Randall earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from Auburn University and her Master’s Degree in Social Work from the University of Alabama. She is a Licensed Master’s Social Worker, a Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality, and has extensive training as a Six Sigma Blackbelt and in Lean Six Sigma Healthcare.

Flor Tena is the Nurse Manager for Professional Nursing Practice at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital in Miami, Florida. She has oversight of the Clinical Practice Specialist Team, Patient Navigation Program, the Nursing Hospital Acquired Conditions (HAC) Program, Wound Care Program and the Lactation Program. She has over 20 years of combined professional experience in neonatal nursing, quality improvement and nursing leadership. Her clinical interests are focused on supporting families navigating health care systems with a focus on improving patient safety, outcomes and transitions of care. She is passionate about implementing best practices and collaborating with stakeholders in both inpatient and outpatient settings.

Janice Yanez is the Director of Patient Safety and Patient Safety Officer at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital in Miami, Florida. She oversees patient safety programs, advancing safety culture and quality improvement. With nearly 20 years of experience in PICU, trauma, ED, IT, and patient safety, she drives high standards of care. A Lean Six Sigma Green Belt and CPPS, Janice is the Florida Culture Subject Matter Expert for Solutions for Patient Safety. She teaches as an Adjunct Professor at FIU and contributes to professional organizations like the Nursing Consortium of South Florida and the Florida Society for Healthcare Risk Management, advocating for safety and quality initiatives.