Renowned Patient Safety Champion to be Hooding Ceremony Speaker

Dear Colleagues-Friends,

As we look to celebrate the many accomplishments of our graduating colleagues, mark your calendars for the VCU School of Medicine Hooding Ceremony on Friday, May 10, 2019, at 3 p.m. at the VCU Siegel Center. We are pleased to announce that Peter Pronovost, M.D., Ph.D., a world-renowned patient safety champion, will serve as the speaker for the ceremony.

A critical care physician, prolific researcher and global thought leader informing U.S. and international health policy, Dr. Pronovost’s scientific work on leveraging checklists to reduce catheter-related bloodstream infections has saved thousands of lives. This life-saving intervention has been implemented across the U.S., and today the catheter infections that used to kill as many people as breast or prostate cancer have been reduced by 80 percent.

Additionally, this critical work has earned him high-profile accolades, including being named one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time Magazine, a coveted MacArthur Foundation “genius grant” in 2008, and recognition as one of the most influential physician executives in healthcare. Currently, Dr. Pronovost serves as chief clinical transformation officer at University Hospitals (UH) health system in Northeast Ohio and clinical professor of anesthesiology and critical care medicine at Case Western Reserve University. You can view one his recent talks here.

Dr. Pronovost was elected to the National Academy of Medicine in 2011 and has received multiple honorary degrees. Dr. Pronovost is an advisor to the World Health Organizations’ World Alliance for Patient Safety and is called on to address the U.S. Congress on patient safety issues. Dr. Pronovost regularly writes columns for the Wall Street Journal and U.S. News and World Report and has published over 800 peer reviewed publications. He also is a founder of Doctella, a health information platform for quality of care. A graduate of Fairfield University in Connecticut, Dr. Pronovost graduated from medical school at The Johns Hopkins University, where he also completed his internship, residency and fellowship in critical care medicine and his Ph.D in clinical investigation.

All faculty are cordially invited to attend the Hooding Ceremony and join the academic processional.The Class of 2019 would appreciate seeing the individuals who have been instrumental in helping them reach this special day. Regalia for this event is required and is approximately a $50 personal expense. Additional information about the event is forthcoming from the Curriculum Office. Please let us know you are attending by completing the online Google form by April 29, 2019.

We appreciate all the demands on your time and are grateful for your support and commitment to our students. In 2018, 70 faculty attended the hooding ceremony. Feedback from faculty attendees is uniformly that this is a worthwhile and memorable event, celebrating our students and the educational excellence of our school. I hope you will join us to hear Dr. Pronovost’s inspiring message to our graduating students and celebrate their accomplishments in one of the highlights of our academic year.

With appreciation for all you do,

Peter F. Buckley, M.D.
Dean, VCU School of Medicine
Executive Vice President for Medical Affairs, VCU Health System