The program builds quality improvement and leadership skills of future clinicians and nurse researchers.
The Clinician Leadership in Quality and Safety Scholarly Concentration is designed for 4th-year medical students and Ph.D. nursing students with an interest in quality improvement in healthcare. The program builds quality improvement and leadership skills of future clinicians and nurse researchers. These skills are developed around the science of improving access, cost, effectiveness, equity, and safety in patient care. Learning is longitudinal, mentored, and experiential. By the end of this one-year program, students possess the knowledge and skills to implement a quality improvement project. The program is directed by Dr. Casey Olm-Shipman, Assistant Professor of Neurology and Neurosurgery and Director of Quality Improvement for the Department of Neurology, and Dr. Cheryl B. Jones, Professor and Director of the Hillman Scholars Program in Nursing Innovation. To learn more, please email Cristina Palacio Velasquez, Program Coordinator (Cristina.Palaciovelasquez@unchealth.unc.edu).
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Scholar
Paige Della-Penna
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Paige Della-Penna is a fourth-year medical student from Hershey, PA. Paige previously completed QI projects focused on COVID-19 follow-up during a COVID-19 QI elective and increasing AUDIT-C screening during her family medicine clerkship. This year, Paige will be working with Dr. Karina Whelan and Dr. Laura Loehr from the Division of Medicine to improve primary care for patients with Heart Failure with Reduced Ejection Fraction. Specifically, she plans to develop an educational intervention along with EPIC templates for reporting and documentation to facilitate the care of these patients. |
Mentor
Karina Whelan, MD Assistant Professor of Medicine
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Scholar
Emily Fink |
Emily Fink is a fourth-year medical student applying to internal medicine residency for the upcoming 2021-22 cycle. During medical school she became interested in systems based thinking and high-value care, and she is grateful for the opportunity to expand and apply her knowledge through the CLQS program. Along with her mentor, Dr. Casey Olm-Shipman, Emily will be working with a multidisciplinary team to optimize continuous electroencephalogram (cEEG) utilization in adult ICUs.
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Mentor
Casey Olm-Shipman, MD, MS Assistant Professor of Neurology and Neurosurgery |
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Scholar
Liz Finnessy |
Liz Finnessy is a first-year Graduate Student in the School of Nursing, completing her clinical fellowship year as a Labor and Delivery Nurse at UNC Hospitals before beginning her Ph.D. coursework. She was drawn to quality improvement work after examining the US Health Care System in her undergraduate medical anthropology courses. Finnessy is working with Becca Baldwin, the Sr. Quality and Org Excellence Leader at UNC Medical Center’s Center for Nursing Excellence, on a project to establish Dedicated Education Units at UNC Hospitals for students from UNC School of Nursing. |
Mentor
Becca Baldwin, MSN, RN, CPHQ Quality & Research Team Lead, Nursing Practice |
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Scholar
Lucas Frickey |
Lucas Frickey is a fourth-year medical student originally from Clearwater, KS, who lived in New Bern, NC while serving in the Marine Corps prior to starting medical school. Lucas’ first exposure to quality improvement work during medical school came after first year when he participated in the General Internal Medicine Quality and Clinical Scholars Summer Program. This year, Lucas will be working with Dr. Joseph Grover from the Department of Emergency Medicine to improve the time to antibiotic administration for patients presenting to the Emergency Department with neutropenic fever.
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Mentor
Joseph Grover, MD Clinical Assistant Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine |
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Scholar
Brandon Friedman |
Brandon Friedman is a fourth-year medical student currently applying to Emergency Medicine Residency programs. He has a BSPH in Health Policy and Management. Brandon hopes to use his quality improvement training to improve the provision of care to underserved communities and improve accessibility of medical and public health services to individuals across the United States and the world. He is currently working with Dr. Charul Haugan, the Director of Clinical Optimization at UNC Health, on a project aiming to reduce the Rex ED Sepsis Mortality Index by developing novel documentation protocols for patients with sepsis. |
Mentor
Charul Haugan, MD Emergency Medicine Physician |
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Scholar
Andi Fritz |
Andi Fritz is a fourth-year medical student from Johnstown, PA, who is pursuing anesthesiology. She became interested in quality improvement during her Master of Public Health program at the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health. She hopes to apply her public health background to improving perioperative care for all patients through quality improvement. Andi is currently working with Dr. Greg Balfanz, Associate Professor of Anesthesiology and Vice Chair of Patient Safety and Quality Improvement, on an initiative to improve antibiotic stewardship by reducing the use of second-line antibiotics in orthopedic surgical patients with reported penicillin allergies. |
Mentor
Greg Balfanz, MD Associate Professor of Anesthesiology |
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Scholar
Gabby Grant |
Gabrielle Grant is a first-year PhD student in the School of Nursing studying psychosocial health outcomes following sexual violence and trauma. She is completing a clinical fellowship year in the ED at UNC Hospitals. Gabrielle was first introduced to quality improvement work during her time as a clinical research coordinator at Shriners Hospitals for Children – Boston and Massachusetts General Hospital. This year, she will be collaborating with Dr. Nancy Havill, Nurse Scientist at the Center for Nursing Excellence, and the Workplace Safety Council Educational Taskforce to develop new workplace violence education for new hire orientation. |
Mentor
Nancy Havill, PhD, RN, CNM Nurse Scientist |
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Scholar
Christine Hamilton |
Christine Hamilton is a fourth-year medical student who developed an interest in quality improvement as a first-year after working on a project to reduce hospital readmissions for patients receiving primary care at an outpatient UNC Internal Medicine clinic. This year, Christine will be working with Dr. Zachary Willis, the director of the Pediatric Antimicrobial Stewardship Program. Their project aims to reduce unnecessary antimicrobial use in the PICU by implementing new guidelines to reduce respiratory culture collection in patients unlikely to have ventilator-associated or hospital-acquired pneumonia. |
Mentor
Zach Willis, MD, MPH Assistant Professor of Pediatrics |
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Scholar
Aly Helms |
Alyson Helms is a first-year Ph.D. student in the School of Nursing. She works as a registered nurse in the Emergency Department at UNC Hospital. She is interested in quality improvement work because she wants to help improve patient outcomes in trauma situations. She is working with Kelly Revels, a Clinical Nurse Education Specialist, and Alberto Bonifacio, the Trauma Program Manager in the UNC Emergency Department, on a program examining adherence to the ATLS Trauma protocol. |
Mentor
Kelly Revels, MSN, RN, NPD-BC Clinical Nurse Education Specialist |
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Scholar
Victoria Herdman |
Victoria Herdman is a fourth-year medical student from Atlanta, Georgia. Victoria was first introduced to quality improvement work during her third year of medical school when she completed a project focused on naloxone management during her family medicine clerkship. This year, Victoria will be working with Dr. Trista Reid from the Division of Critical Care Surgery to improve the care of critically ill surgical patients. Specifically, she plans to develop a standardized protocol for increasing palliative care for critically ill patients facing severe disease. |
Mentor
Trista Reid MD MPH Assistant Professor of Surgery |
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Scholar
Gabrielle Nortey |
Gabrielle Nortey is a fourth-year medical student from Gastonia, NC. She was first introduced to quality improvement during her third year when she worked with her peers to increase implementation of social determinants of health screening in safety net primary care clinics during her core clerkship rotations. She is most excited about how quality improvement can be used to increase access to care and address disparities. This year, she is working with Dr. Angela Smith from the Urology Department to improve workflow in the UNC Urology Procedure Clinic with the goal of increasing procedure volume and decreasing the wait times for appointments.
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Mentor
Angela B. Smith, MD, MS FACS Associate Professor of Urology |
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Scholar
Misha Sims |
Misha Sims is a fourth-year medical student from Cary, NC, who is pursuing psychiatry. Misha was first introduced to quality improvement during her second year of medical school when she took a pair of elective population health courses. She is excited to use quality improvement to improve the overall care of psychiatric patients. Currently, she is working with Dr. Rebecca Bottom, Medical Director of the Wake STEP Community Clinic, to improve blood pressure control in psychiatric patients. |
Mentor
Rebecca Bottom, MD Assistant Professor of Psychiatry |
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Scholar
Rachel Swier |
Rachel Swier is a fourth-year medical student from Greensboro, NC. Rachel was first introduced to the exciting world of QI at the beginning of the pandemic, when she carried out a project focused on expanding access to telemedicine. This year, she will be working on a project with Dr. Shifali Arora from the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology to improve the efficiency of inpatient colonoscopies. As part of a larger initiative to reduce delays in discharge due to inadequate bowel preparations, their project will focus on developing effective patient education materials and optimizing communication between team members. |
Mentor
Shifali Arora, MD Assistant Professor of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology |
