The Center for Patient Safety Research and Practice at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) is recognized as a world leader in developing knowledge and technology to safeguard patients. It is a premier convener of patient safety experts and includes educators, policy makers, and investigators; in addition, it has an extensive tract record of recognition for making substantial original contributions to advancing state-of-the-art, safer healthcare. Areas of Excellence include medication safety and reengineering healthcare delivery using and studying advanced methods and health information technology (HIT) tools, all of which aim to enhance a culture of patient safety.
The Center has evolved from a government-funded Center of Excellence in 2004 with a primary focus on medication errors and patient safety research to today’s broader mission of evaluating advanced patient safety tools and concepts intended to reduce medical error and improve healthcare quality. The Center’s investigators carry out pioneering research to examine the scope and magnitude of patient safety problems and to evaluate interventions, systems, education, and public policy – all with the goal of creating new knowledge and improving patient safety in a full range of settings, from the hospital to the community.
The Center offers a unique learning experience for researchers seeking to expand their knowledge and skill set for initiating safer and higher quality care. To date, the Center has provided training opportunities for more than 50 participants from the US and from over 20 countries worldwide. The curriculum covers the topics described below; however, participants may define an individualized area of interest under the supervision of a program director.
Participants train with the Patient Safety and Quality leaders at the Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) and Harvard Medical School (HMS) and are expected to learn how quality and safety are operated, measured, and reported at the departmental, hospital, institutional, national, and international levels.
There are two tracks available: a Research Track and an Educational Track.
Research Track
The program curriculum covers the topics described below but as previously stated, participants can define an individualized area of interest. They will be expected to design and implement various research projects in an area appropriate for the fellowship and within their area of expertise.
Areas of Expertise
