In January 2018, the GNYHA/UHF Clinical Quality Fellowship Program (CQFP) reached its 10th anniversary, a major milestone. The 10th class of 29 fellows—23 physicians and six nurses—has embarked on a rich learning experience that will provide a unique opportunity to gain knowledge and skills to help them become quality leaders for their organizations.
The Fellows
The Class 10 fellows and their organizational affiliations are as follows:
- Alpna Aggarwal, DO, FAAP – Northwell Health/Cohen Children’s Medical Center
- Amanda Anderson, MSN, RN, CCRN – Mount Sinai Health System/The Mount Sinai Hospital
- Lisa Barbarotta, MSN, APRN-BC, AOCNS – Yale NewHaven Health/Smilow Cancer Hospital
- Jeanna Blitz, MD – NYU Langone Medical Center/Tisch Hospital
- Ana Cepin, MD – NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/New York Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center
- Jed Cutler, MD – NYC Health + Hospitals/Kings County
- Patricia Dharapak, MD – Mount Sinai Health System/Mount Sinai Beth Israel
- Karim El Hachem, MD – Mount Sinai Health System/Mount Sinai St. Luke’s
- Emile Fitzmaurice Rosner, CNM, MHNP-BC – SBH Health System
- Adam Goodman, MD – NYU Langone Medical Center/NYU Langone Hospital– Brooklyn
- Sayyed Hamidi, MD – Northwell Health/Mather Hospital
- D’Andrea Joseph, MD, FACS – NYU Langone Medical Center/NYU Winthrop Hospital
- Marina Keller, MD – Greater Hudson Valley Health System/Orange Regional Medical Center
- Carisa Kymissis, MD – NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/NewYork-Presbyterian Columbia University Medical Center
- Susan Lerner, MD – Mount Sinai Hospital
- Liana Leung, MD, FACP – NYC Health + Hospitals/Queens
- Konstantin Millerman, MD NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/NewYork-Presbyterian Lawrence Hospital
- Neil Pasco, MD – NYU Langone Medical Center/Family Health Centers at NYU Langone
- Catherine Petchprapa, MD – NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue
- Andrea Porrovecchio, MD – Montefiore Medicine/Montefiore Health System/Montefiore Medical Center
- Adriana Quinones-Garcia, MD – NYU Langone Medical Center/Tisch Hospital
- Praveen Reddy, MD – Stamford Hospital
- Faye Reiff-Pasarew, MD – Mount Sinai Health System/The Mount Sinai Hospital
- Deanna Ripley, MS, BSN, RN – NYU Langone Medical Center/NYU Winthrop
- Nermica Sarcevic, MD – NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi
- Lisa Schmutter, BSN, RN, CPN – NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital
- Shanteri Shenoy, MBBS – Mount Sinai Health System/Mount Sinai West
- Daniella Stephen, MSN, RN, CPHQ – Mount Sinai Health System/Mount Sinai Queens
- Dean Straff, MD – Montefiore Medicine/Montefiore Health System/White Plains Hospital
The new class brings a diverse range of medical and nursing backgrounds specializing in neonatology, psychiatry, midwifery, oncology, trauma surgery, and primary care, among others. They work in academic medical centers, community hospitals, and outpatient clinics.
The diversity of their backgrounds and interests is shaping a rich variety of capstone projects. Examples include the development of a workflow for screening and treatment of preoperative anemia, improvement of diagnostic test results, follow-up in the ambulatory setting, and decreasing length of stay on a geriatrics unit through early mobilization.
The Faculty
GNYHA and UHF are fortunate to have a committed and experienced cadre of faculty guiding the implementation and evolution of this special program. Among them are physicians and nurses in various leadership positions at the region’s health care institutions who not only advise GNYHA and UHF on important programmatic direction, but also mentor and coach the fellows through development and deployment of their capstone initiatives. We are ever grateful for their time and expertise.
This year we are pleased to add a new member to our faculty and advisory committee, Dr. Foster Gesten, Chief Medical Advisor for Quality and Health Care Delivery at GNYHA.
CQFP at 10 Years—A Look Back
Much has changed in health care and CQFP since the inception of the program. The first class comprised 16 clinicians—all physicians. In 2011 (Class 3), in recognition of a team-based approach to quality and the important role of nurses in clinical leadership, the program began admitting nurses. The program has further evolved in response to the need to address quality across the continuum of care, by expanding its focus and reach into the ambulatory setting. Faculty have led the charge by modifying the curriculum to include quality improvement topics on ambulatory care as well as in addressing issues around coordination across settings. A testament to the success of the program is that many of our fellows continue to be involved with the program after graduation. All alumni are invited to participate in key events throughout the year. A CQFP LinkedIn group, created to facilitate sharing of information and networking among fellows, alumni, and faculty, has grown to 89 members. In addition, several former fellows are serving as program faculty and mentors to current fellows.
Evaluation results from fellows who graduated from the program in April 2017, the most recent class to complete the program, indicate widespread satisfaction and achievement of program goals.
- Fellows were asked to rate their knowledge and skills related to health care quality following completion of the program; 100 percent of fellows who responded to this question rated their knowledge as high or very high for nine out of 10 key program areas.
- 100 percent agreed or strongly agreed that their mentor was helpful in initiating their capstone project.
- Over 90 percent agreed or strongly agreed that their mentor provided them with the support they needed to move their project along.
- 100 percent agreed or strongly agreed that their capstone project would be sustainable.
Dr. Rohit Bhalla, Vice President and Chief Quality Officer at Stamford Health and Chair of CQFP, says the program’s mission to develop quality leaders is a success. “We initially conceptualized the fellowships as a way to equip very capable and motivated health care leaders with the tools they need to do successful quality improvement. What’s happened…is that we now see the fellows as leaders not only in quality improvement but as organizational leaders in general.”
Looking Ahead
GNYHA and UHF are committed to assuring that the CQFP curriculum continues to meet the needs of the next generation of quality leaders and health care organizations. Faculty are currently considering new topics for the curriculum and ways to maximize the effectiveness of the program focusing on the educational needs of adult learners. In recognition of the changing health care work force, for the first time this fall, CQFP will be accepting applications from Physician Assistants for the 2019–20 class.