Advisory Committee
Robert M. Wachter, MD
Professor and Associate Chair, Department of Medicine, University of California San Francisco
Robert M. Wachter, MD is Professor and Associate Chair of the Department of Medicine at the University of California San Francisco, where he also directs the Division of Hospital Medicine. Author of 200 articles and 6 books, he coined the term “hospitalist” in 1996, and is generally considered the “father” of the hospitalist field, the fastest growing specialty in the history of modern medicine. He also a widely precontrived thought leader in the field of patient safety, having contributed many commentaries to leading journals (e.g., the New England Journal of Medicine and the Journal of the American Medical Association) on patient safety, healthcare quality, and related policy issues.
Michael Baker, MD
Dr. Michael Baker is Professor of Medicine at the University of Toronto where he holds the Rose Family Chair in Medicine at University Health Network, for which he served as the Physician-in-Chief for 18 years. Dr. Baker’s career interests have included cancer research, medical administration, and leadership in patient safety. His interest in patient safety began with his role in leading the successful implementation of computerized provider order entry at UHN and has since grown into his current position as Executive Lead for Patient Safety for the Ontario Ministry of Health. Dr. Baker has received several prestigious awards, including The Commemorative Medal for the 125th Anniversary of the Confederation of Canada and The Queen Elizabeth Golden Jubilee Medal. He has been appointed to the Order of Ontario and to membership in the Order of Canada.
Tejal Gandhi, MD
Dr. Tejal Gandhi is the Executive Director of Quality and Safety at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and Director of Patient Safety at Partners Healthcare in Boston. She is also the Associate Professor of Medicine at the Harvard Medical School. Dr. Gandhi’s research interests focus on patient safety and reducing error using information systems. In her operational roles at Partners, she works to redesign systems to reduce medical errors and improve quality, as well as implementing patient safety best practices across all Partners sites. Dr. Gandhi recently received the 2009 John Eisenberg award for her contributions to understanding the epidemiology of medical errors in the outpatient setting and for identifying possible prevention strategies.
Uma Raman Kotagal, MD
Dr. Uma Raman Kotagal, a neonatologist and health services researcher by training, is the Senior Vice President for Quality and Transformation at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, where she is responsible for executing the strategic plan related to Transforming the Delivery System. Dr. Kotagal is also Director of the Center of Health Policy and Clinical Effectiveness and Professor of Pediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Cincinnati.
Diane Doran, R.N., Ph.D., F.C.A.H.S.
Diane Doran joined the Faculty of Nursing, University of Toronto in 1995, where she served as associate dean of research and international relations (2001-2006), interim dean (2005), and is currently a full Professor and Scientific Director of the Nursing Health Services Research Unit (University of Toronto site). Her research focuses on outcomes measurement, knowledge translation, patient safety, and ehealth. She is currently engaged in an innovative investigation into the use of handheld devices to improve nurses’ collection, utilization, and communication of health information at the point-of-care.
Robert S. Bell, MD
Dr. Robert Bell was appointed as President and CEO of University Health Network (UHN) in June 2005. An internationally recognized Orthopaedic surgeon, health care executive, clinician-scientist, and educator, Dr. Bell brings more than 20 years of experience in academic health care to leadership of Canada’s largest research hospital. From 2000 to 2005, he served as Chief Operating Officer of UHN’s Princess Margaret Hospital where he was responsible for leading Canada’s largest comprehensive cancer centre. From 2003 to 2005, he served as Regional Vice President and Chair of the Clinical Council of Cancer Care Ontario.
Douglas Cochrane, MD
Dr. Cochrane is the Chair and Provincial Patient Safety & Quality Officer of the B.C. Patient Safety & Quality Council, and the Chair of the Canadian Patient Safety Institute.
Dr. Cochrane is a Professor at the University of British Columbia in Neurosurgery, a certificant of the American Board of Pediatric Neurological Surgery, and a Fellow of American Academy of Pediatrics.