Program Director, Patient Safety

Overview

The Program Director, Patient Safety, will work to establish Dartmouth Health as a leader in safety performance in accordance with the organization's core mission, vision, and values. The Program Director will facilitate system-wide efforts to implement High Reliability Organization (HRO) principles as the operating model across administrative, nursing, and medical leadership. The Program Director will lead the development and implementation of Dartmouth Health's vision to achieve best-in-class safety performance across all care delivery locations.

Responsibilities

Promotes awareness of safety improvement needs by educating others on HRO principles and identifying opportunities to prevent patient and workplace harm.

Supports the analysis of events involving harm to patients, families, and team members; develops proactive strategies to address root causes and communicates improvement and prevention efforts across the health system.

Collaborates with risk management and legal teams to oversee event reporting, apparent and root cause analyses, participation in the Patient Safety Organization (PSO), and the proactive identification of organizational safety vulnerabilities. Promotes improved recognition and reporting of harm events and robust action plan management.

Expands the Dartmouth Health's vision to prioritize safety as a foundation of patient-centered care, leveraging HRO strategies to improve quality of care and the overall patient experience.

Leads the Dartmouth Health Safety Committee, consisting of leaders from clinical and non-clinical operations, including the Office of Graduate Medical Education.

Oversees system-wide HRO implementation, including confirming resource availability, identifying competing organizational priorities, and developing an implementation timeline. Oversees the design, development, and deployment of HRO leadership skills and a universal behavior toolkit for clinical and non-clinical employees.

Serves as a subject matter expert in patient safety and shares expertise during orientation, management training, and formal educational settings, as requested.

Establishes strategies to improve the quality of event reporting and strengthen patient safety culture through safety stories, shared learning, transparency, and effective communication across the health system.

Partners closely with Dartmouth Health Marketing and Communications and oversees patient safety communications during morning safety huddles, apparent and root cause analyses, and network leadership forums.

Collaborates with leadership teams across the organization to drive compliance with Joint Commission standards, with a focus on National Patient Safety Goal (NPSG) requirements. Identifies and develops strategies to address compliance gaps and coordinates system-wide policies, procedures, and practices to maintain alignment with current standards.

Performs other duties as assigned or required.

Qualifications

Advanced/graduate Degree in a clinical discipline.

Experience in building and coordinating a highly competent team focused on patient safety.

10 years minimum experience leading organization/system-wide patient safety programs

Strong communication skills, both oral and written.

Excellent organizational, motivational and interpersonal skill, capable of interfacing well at multiple levels within a large organization.

Professional and positive approach to building relationships and gaining credibility with senior executives.

Experience with the Press Ganey High Reliability Platform (HRP) desired.

Required Licensure/Certifications

Certified in Patient Safety (CPPS)