Patient Safety Fellows Pitch Insightful AI Solutions to Address Critical Safety Issues

Throughout the 20th annual Patient Safety Fellowship, the participants – representing 8 different academic institutions and 17 academic focus areas – learned from some of the nation’s leading experts on patient safety, workplace safety innovation, and AI in health care. The Fellowship returned to a primarily in-person format for the sessions but still included participants from as far as Maryland, Ohio, and Lancaster, PA, at the weekly learning sessions. Early in the fellowship, fellows formed interdisciplinary teams, and each team visited one care setting to perform an observation activity and identify areas where an AI solution could be applied to a patient safety concern.

Facilities from across the Pittsburgh region opened their doors to the fellows to learn about their services, processes, and opportunities to enhance patient safety. Michael Greer, MBA-HCM, RN, manager of patient safety at Allegheny Health Network West Penn Hospital, welcomed a team to the physical therapy and rehabilitation unit. At Allegheny General Hospital, Director of Pharmacy Arpit Mehta, PharmD, MPH, MHA, CPEL, FASHP, invited fellows to observe the hospital’s pharmacy processes. Francis X. Guyette MD, MPH, medical director of STAT MedEvac, hosted fellows in two locations to learn about the intricacies of their air ambulance services. Sommer Lewis, assistant administrator at The Willows Presbyterian SeniorCare, invited a team to observe the long-term care facility’s processes for managing resident menu selection. A team of fellows visited two local emergency departments, UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh and UPMC Presbyterian, hosted by Associate Professor of Pediatrics Erin Phrampus, MD, and Paul Phrampus, MD, CPE, FSSH, medical director of patient safety, UPMC, respectively. Joe Zimmerman, MSN, RN, CNL, CPPS, director of quality and patient safety, hosted a team of fellows at UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital.

"My experience in the Jewish Healthcare Foundation's Patient Safety Fellowship has been a catalyst for growth, challenging me to merge my nursing expertise with AI innovation to tackle pressure sore prevention,” said Abednego Dovlo, RN, a master of adult care nursing student at the University of Rio Grande. “This experience has forever changed me, instilling a sense of purpose and drive to make a lasting impact."

The fellows also received the opportunity to tour and participate in simulations at the Peter M. Winter Institute for Simulation, Education and Research (WISER), one of the most advanced simulation centers in the U.S. The tour was facilitated by Pittsburgh Regional Health Initiative Board member Paul Phrampus, MD, director of WISER and medical director of patient safety at UPMC. WISER gives healthcare professionals the opportunity to work in simulated settings, which allows them to explore and learn through an immersive environment. The participating fellows learned about simulation’s use of AI and technology to advance patient safety and were given an opportunity to experience clinical simulations around difficult airway management, operating room induction, ultrasound, and fiberoptic bronchoscopy.

Numerous experts and thought leaders from within and outside health care shared their insight with this summer’s fellows during the sessions. Fellows experienced a deep dive into AI, the patient and family perspective on AI in health care, how other industries have prioritized safety through technology, the evolution of AI and Big Data, and how today’s innovators are shaping the future of patient safety. Special thanks to the following individuals for enlightening our fellows throughout the program: Raghu Arunachalam, PhD, CEO of WorkVis.io; David Bates, MD, MSc, chief of the Division of General Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital; David Classen, MD, professor of medicine, University of Utah; Colonel Steven Coffee, MA, EMCQSL, co-founder, Patients for Patient Safety US; Artur Dubrawski, PhD, director, Auton Lab, Carnegie Mellon University; Mike Eisenberg, creative director, Tall Tale Productions; Zane Frund, PhD, MPH, MBA, executive director, Research & Development, MSA Innovation; Reetam Ganguli, founder, Elythea; Alexander Geht, founder, Testa-Seat; Kristen Miller, DrPH, MSPH, MSL, CPPS, scientific director, National Center for Human Factors in Healthcare, Medstar Health; David Steier, PhD, Distinguished Service Professor, Heinz College School of Information Systems and Management, Carnegie Mellon University; and Pam Walaski, CSP, FASSP, president, American Society of Safety Professionals.

"The Patient Safety Fellowship has been an incredible journey of learning and growth. The sessions were a highlight, consistently offering new insights into the intersection of patient safety, technology, and healthcare innovation,” said Siva Komaragiri, a master of science student in healthcare analytics and information technology at Carnegie Mellon University. “I was particularly struck by our site visit to The Willows nursing home. Seeing patient care in action really brought our theoretical discussions to life. The caliber of guest speakers and the dedication of the entire JHF team have made this an invaluable experience that I'm certain will shape my approach to health care for years to come."

As the teams of fellows worked on their AI solutions, each had an opportunity to meet with an advisor to gain feedback on their project idea. Fellows met with Heather Ball, MSN, CNOR, CPPS, senior safety specialist at Medtronic PLC; Jieshi Chen, principal research analyst at Auton Lab at Carnegie Mellon University; Elizabeth Glasser, senior engineering program manager, Product Risk Management, at Medtronic; Anna Li, CEO and founder, Korion Health; Ariana Longley, MPH, patient safety consultant at Pittsburgh Regional Health Initiative; and Brent Nibarger, business development at Pneuma Systems.

“I found the Patient Safety Fellowship to be an invaluable learning experience. The speakers offered valuable insights into the critical link between safety and quality in health care, and the collaborative team delved into the potential for integrating AI technology to advance healthcare processes,” said Blessing Uko, MSc, prenatal certified doula. “I had the chance to network and connect with individuals from diverse professional backgrounds, each offering unique perspectives and experiences.”