Quality Improvement

Contacts

Intern Conference Series: GME Quality Improvement and Patient Safety Curriculum
- Quarterly conferences led by hospital-wide quality leaders during intern year
Pediatrics-focused QI noon conferences led by Dr. Ajanta Patel, which occur quarterly
Application required for all UCMC QI projects: Determination of QI Status Overview
Fundamentals of Quality Improvement and Patient Safety 101
- Optional certificate program offered by UCMC annually for interested residents, fellows, faculty, and staff
- Please contact the Chief Residents if you are interested in this course
Multiple institutional opportunities are also available through UCMC Office of Clinical Effectiveness and UCMC Center for Quality and Healthcare Delivery and Science and Innovation
- Travel Grants for Quality Improvement regional and national meetings
- Analytics expertise for assistance with data requests.

Comer Children’s Hospital Quality Committee meets monthly and is open to all residents.
- Please contact Dr. Brett Palama or the Chief Residents if you would like more information
Individual Scholarly Projects
Multiple opportunities for residents to create institutional guidelines and protocols with faculty oversight

In addition to an individual scholarly project, each class must complete a QI Project by the end of their third year.

QI Class Chairs are elected by their co-residents during intern year to act as project leads
Class QI projects are routinely presented during the Department of Pediatrics Annual Research Day, The University of Chicago Quality & Safety Symposium, and/or at regional or national conferences.
Current Class QI Chairs
- Class of 2022: Jeff Ni, MD; Sandeep Palepu, MD; Emerald Souza, MD; Jasmine Thomas, MD
- Class of 2023: Kellie Barsotti, MD; Stella Bivens, MD; Matthew Nathan, DO; Catherine Waymel, MD

Class of 2021, led by Drs. Ira Kraft and Yuliya Oumarbaeva
- “Improving Resident Handoff”
  - Presented: University of Chicago Quality & Safety Symposium (2021)
Class of 2020, led by Drs. Claire Hailey and Tovah Schwartz:
- “Improving Discharge Education Using Teach-back Method”
  - Presented: University of Chicago Quality & Safety Symposium (October 2020)
Class of 2019, led by Dr. Rebecca Levin:
- “A Residency Class Project to Decrease Labs in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit”
  - Presented: High Value Practice Academic Alliance & Annual Leadership Conference (2018)
  - Awarded Best Residency Initiative to improve healthcare value at HVPAA2018
Class of 2018:
- “Improving Communication Between the Hospitalist Service and the PCPs in the Community”
  - Presented: Dept. of Pediatrics Research Day (2018)
Class of 2017:
- “Improving care of children admitted to the hospital with failure to thrive (FTT).”
  - Presented: Association of Pediatric Program Directors’ Annual Meeting & Dept. of Pediatrics Research Day (2017)
Class of 2016:
- “Impact of pediatric resident education regarding a children’s hospital’s septic shock protocol.”
  - Presented: Pediatric Academic Societies & Dept. of Pediatrics Research Day (2016)