For Immediate Release
October 13, 2008 |
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Park Ridge, Ill.—Donald Berwick, MD, MPP, FRCP, is awarded the Public Interest in Anesthesia award by the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists’ (AANA) Council for Public Interest in Anesthesia (CPIA).
The Public Interest Award was established in 1991 by the CPIA to recognize an individual or group who has significantly advanced the quality and safety of anesthesia care through public advocacy, research, education, or patient care.
“I am honored to receive the Public Interest in Anesthesia award. Improving safety standards in healthcare is the central focus of my profession, as well as my passion. It gives me great pleasure to receive recognition from an organization such as the CPIA, which shares the same level of a commitment to patient safety and education,” said Berwick.
Berwick is the founder and chief executive officer of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI), a not-for-profit organization dedicated to safe, quality patient care throughout the world. He is a clinical professor of pediatrics and healthcare policy at Harvard Medical School, and a professor of health policy and management at the Harvard School of Public Health. Berwick is also a pediatrician and an associate in pediatrics at Boston’s Children’s Hospital, and a consultant in pediatrics at Massachusetts General Hospital.
Berwick and experts at IHI have helped spread improvement and safety practices that are currently used in outpatient and inpatient settings across the United States and increasingly in other countries. He and his team at IHI spearheaded two national campaigns to reduce avoidable patient deaths in hospitals, providing resources and teaching to enable thousands of hospitals to implement rapid response teams, reduce hospital-acquired infections, and more safely administer and manage medications to prevent adverse drug events.
Former President Bill Clinton appointed Berwick to serve on the Advisory Commission on Consumer Protection and Quality in the Healthcare Industry in 1997 and 1998. Co-chaired by the Secretaries of Health and Human Services and Labor, the Commission was charged with developing a broader understanding of the issues facing rapidly evolving healthcare delivery systems and to help build consensus on ways to assure and improve the quality of healthcare.
Berwick’s works and contributions are noted by several awards and honors, including an Award of Honor from the American Hospital Association for outstanding leadership in improving healthcare quality, and being inducted as a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians in London. He was appointed honorary Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire—the highest award given to non-British citizens—for work conducted on the National Health Service in the United Kingdom.
A summa cum laude graduate of Harvard University, Berwick received his master’s degree in public policy from the John F. Kennedy School of Government, and he also graduated cum laude from the Harvard Medical School.
About the Council for Public Interest in Anesthesia (CPIA)
The CPIA is charged with the responsibility to address issues that affect the public in matters of nurse anesthesia practice, including patient education and advocacy. The CPIA is a multidisciplinary body of individuals that includes nurse anesthetists and public representatives. The CPIA is responsible for the AANA Wellness Program by promoting CRNA wellness for career longevity and personal satisfaction. The Council also acts as the autonomous appellate body for the credentialing councils of nurse anesthetists and their educational programs.
About the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists
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