Justin’s HOPE and the Institute for Healthcare Improvement are extremely proud to announce the 2011 Justin Micalizzi IHI Forum Scholarship Winners:
Rachel Wang, RN, BSN
Rachel Wang is a Primary Care Registered Nurse at the Neighborcare 45th Street Medical Clinic in Seattle. At the clinic she provides prenatal, pediatric, and chronic disease care to vulnerable populations, and serves on the Quality and Process Improvement committee. She completed her nursing degree in 2010 at Seattle University with a preceptorship at Neighborcare’s Pike Medical Clinic, serving homeless adults in the historic Pike Place Market. Rachel also volunteers with the King County Medical Reserve Corps, working for community emergency preparedness and participating in mass vaccination clinics for the uninsured. Her passion for providing health care for the underserved in a community setting was ignited during a service immersion trip where she volunteered at the Mercy Medical Clinic in Belize City. In the future she hopes to work towards implementing public policy changes to promote excellence in healthcare and fight health inequality.
Dra. Nora Dackiewicz, Pediatrician
Since I began to study to become a medical doctor I wanted to be a pediatrician, because I love children. I did my residency at Children’s Hospital “R Gutierrez” in Buenos Aires, and then I went to work to Garrahan Pediatric Hospital, when it was founded. I have been working at Garrahan Hospital since1987. In the last 7 years I have devoted myself to study and improve safety in the care of our patients, in different areas. I worked hard on improving safety in the operating room, adapting and implementing the WHO checklist in collaboration with the multidisciplinary team of operating room, as well as the correct identification of patients, their samples, and all their studies. We have worked hard in the area of pharmacy, to implement the “unidosis”, and medication reconciliation, to provide a continuum of care of patients. We are also working to improve communication within the health team and with families, because adequate communication provides many data for diagnosis and treatment, and communication is essential to understand and empathize with children and their families. Through all these years I worked as a pediatrician I have concluded that we need to do the most we can to prevent our children from suffering harm during medical care. I am aware that parents give us the most valuable they have in their lives, -their children-, so I work a lot with the residents and fellows to teach respect and love to our young patients. I believe that right to safe care is a right of patients inextricably linked to the right to health.
Kelly B. Garrison, BS, AT-C
Kelly is a Quality Improvement Coordinator for the Northwest Community Care Network (NCCN), located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. NCCN is one of 14 Networks that comprises Community Care of North Carolina (CCNC). CCNC seeks to improve the quality of care received by Medicaid patients in North Carolina in the most cost effective environment. Kelly oversees quality improvement initiatives in approximately 120 primary care practices related to chronic conditions such as asthma and diabetes. Recent projects have included working with several practices on Patient Centered Medical Home recognition, collaborating with several practices on increasing the percentage of well-child visits, and working with faculty at Wake Forest Baptist Health to improve pediatric asthma measures at one of the largest Medicaid practices in the state. Kelly received a Bachelors of Science in Sports Medicine from Lynchburg College and is currently pursuing a dual Masters Degree in Business Administration and Healthcare Administration with plans to graduate in the spring of 2012.
***********************
We would like to thank the President and CEO of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, Maureen Bisognano and Dr. Mark Rosenberg, President and CEO of The Task Force for Global Health for their support and assistance in making our project a success again this year. This will be the 13th IHI Forum Scholarship awarded in Justin’s memory. Special thanks to Greta Retterath and Jenna Elkins of IHI for guiding our new recipients. Dr. Don Berwick will always be a part of this scholarship as his passion to share Justin’s story with the world has made healthcare safer and he is forever with us on this project.
We couldn’t have completed this endeavor without the generous contributions to Justin’s HOPE Project via personal donations, honorariums and matching funds throughout the year. We are truly grateful to our friends and sponsors!
All of those who submitted essays for the scholarships this year are warmly acknowledged and appreciated for their important work and dedication to our universal goal of quality in healthcare. It’s always a difficult decision for us to select just a few beneficiaries from such a talented and compassionate group.
There are no words to express our satisfaction and pride in making Justin’s memory continue to live on in such a positive and meaningful way that will improve pediatric healthcare and promote necessary change. I am confident that this experience will touch the lives of the forum attendees, the beneficiaries, their colleagues, communities and patients. Healthcare improvement is about giving back, paying forward and having the courage and will to make a difference. We will continue this project again next year, funds permitting. Thank you all!
