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Education / Graduate Medical Education / Prospective Fellows / Vascular Neurology Fellowship / About the Program / Quality Improvement and Patient Safety

Quality Improvement and Patient Safety

Debra Roberts, M.D., Ph.D. is the Associate Chair of Quality and Safety for the Department of Neurology at URMC.  Patrick Gilson, D.O., M.H.A. serves as the Director of Quality Improvement for Outpatient Neurology & Residency Education.

Dr. Roberts received her MD-PhD from Boston University, then completed her training in Neurology and Neuro-Critical Care at Washington University in St. Louis.  She joined our Department in 2015.  She is currently the Medical Director of the Neuro-Critical Care Unit at Strong Memorial Hospital, and Academic Chief of the Neuro-Critical Care Division.  She has quickly become an institutional and national leader in critical care and quality improvemement.

Dr. Patrick Gilson received his undergraduate degree from Cornell University. He received both his DO and MHA from Des Moines University in Iowa where developed a special interest in health policy & advocacy. He then completed neurology residency at Cleveland Clinic, serving as chief resident and resident chair of the quality improvement & patient safety committee. He then came to University of Rochester in 2024 to complete his movement disorders fellowship, staying on as faculty after graduating in 2025. His efforts focus on advancing quality improvement & patient safety initiatives in outpatient neurology and residency education. 

Together, Drs. Roberts and Gilson lead the Neurology Department Quality Improvement/Patient Safety Working Group.  The group features members with varied levels of training and experience, representing multiple inpatient and outpatient subspecialties.  The Working Group Charter is to develop and maintain a cohesive departmental approach to patient safety, quality, and process improvement across all clinical areas.  The Working Group is responsible for numerous objectives, including:

  • Departmental QA and PI plans

  • Event reporting and monitoring of morbidity/mortality data

  • Patient/family satisfaction

  • Joint Commission OPPE/FPPE processes

  • Review of metrics linked to quality and safety, including hospital-acquired conditions, length of stay, readmission rates, etc.

  • Development of relevant educational programs for house staff and faculty

  • QI project facilitation

Drs. Roberts, Gilson, and the Quality Improvement/Patient Safety Working Group have created a model emulated by other departments at URMC and beyond.  This ambitious initiative is yet another example of how the Department of Neurology at the University of Rochester continually strives to be “ever better.”