Patient Safety Co-Chair

Rosie Bartel

"In 2009, my life changed dramatically when a doctor informed me that I had a MRSA infection and only a 30% chance of survival. This diagnosis led to numerous surgeries, hospitalizations, and severe emotional, spiritual, financial, and physical challenges. Misunderstanding about MRSA led to isolation from some family and friends. Driven to prevent others from facing similar struggles, I began working with healthcare professionals to address MRSA-related issues in their organization. Sharing my story with leadership, I realized its power in driving change. As I continue to battle this infection, I use my experiences to co-design with medical professionals, inform researchers, and advocate for patients and their family care partners."

Nursing Co-Chair

Vincent Guilamo-Ramos

Vincent Guilamo-Ramos holds the Leona B. Carpenter Chair in Health Equity and Social Determinants of Health at the Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing and is the Executive Director of the Center for Latino Adolescent and Family Health (CLAFH). 

Dr. Guilamo-Ramos' work advances evidence-based solutions across the sectors that shape health, positioning the elimination of health inequities as a practical and essential strategy for repairing the broken U.S. health system. 

CLAFH is a nationally recognized research and action center that partners with Latino communities to develop, evaluate, and scale family-based interventions and nurse-led models of care. Current priorities include mobilizing action to end the Latino HIV Cascading Disaster and correcting false narratives that threaten Latino health.

Patient Safety Co-Chair

Rosie Bartel

In 2009, my life changed dramatically when a doctor informed me that I had a MRSA infection and only a 30% chance of survival. This diagnosis led to numerous surgeries, hospitalizations, and severe emotional, spiritual, financial, and physical challenges. Misunderstanding about MRSA led to isolation from some family and friends. Driven to prevent others from facing similar struggles, I began working with healthcare professionals to address MRSA-related issues in their organization. Sharing my story with leadership, I realized its power in driving change. As I continue to battle this infection, I use my experiences to co-design with medical professionals, inform researchers, and advocate for patients and their family care partners.

December 10 | 1:45 PM

Don Berwick, MD, MPP, FRCP, KBE

Donald M. Berwick, MD, MPP, FRCP, KBE, is President Emeritus and Senior Fellow at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI), an organization he co-founded and led as President and CEO for 19 years. He is one of the nation’s leading authorities on health care quality and improvement. In July 2010, President Obama appointed Dr. Berwick to the position of Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), which he held until December 2011. A pediatrician by background, Dr. Berwick has served as Clinical Professor of Pediatrics and Health Care Policy at the Harvard Medical School, Professor of Health Policy and Management at the Harvard School of Public Health, and as a member of the staffs of Boston’s Children’s Hospital, Massachusetts General Hospital, and the Brigham and Women’s Hospital. He has also served as vice chair of the US Preventive Services Task Force, the first “Independent Member” of the Board of Trustees of the American Hospital Association, and chair of the National Advisory Council of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. He is an elected member of the American Philosophical Society, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the National Academy of Medicine (NAM, formerly the Institute of Medicine, or IOM). Dr. Berwick served two terms on the IOM’s governing Council, was a member of the IOM’s Global Health Board, and currently chairs the NAM Board on Health Care Services. He served on President Clinton’s Advisory Commission on Consumer Protection and Quality in the Healthcare Industry. His numerous awards include the 2007 William B. Graham Prize for Health Services Research, the 2006 John M. Eisenberg Patient Safety and Quality Award, and the 2007 Heinz Award for Public Policy. In 2005, he was appointed Honorary Knight Commander of the British Empire by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, the highest honor in the UK for non-UK citizens. He is the author or co-author of more than 200 scientific articles and six books. He also currently serves as Lecturer in the Department of Health Care Policy at Harvard Medical School.