The Doctors Company Foundation Announces 2009 Grants and Provides Strategic Vision for 2010
Napa, California—December 15, 2009—The Doctors Company Foundation, the nonprofit foundation dedicated to supporting patient safety research, forums, and pilot programs; physician education programs; and medical liability research, today announced it has awarded nine grants in the amount of $194,170.50.
“During our first full year of operation, The Doctors Company Foundation supported physician education and important research projects in the patient safety area,” said Leona Egeland Siadek, executive director of The Doctors Company Foundation. “We will continue to fund this work and are particularly interested in seeing patient safety receive more recognition in the medical school curricula.”
The Doctors Company Foundation 2009 Grants Awarded:
• The Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation received the second of five annual grants to sponsor the Ann S. Lofsky, MD, Research Award. This research award was established in memory of Ann S. Lofsky, MD, a former board member of The Doctors Company.
• The California Medical Association Foundation received a grant for its 2009 Ethnic Physicians Leadership Summit to support sessions related to patient safety.
• The American Academy of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery Foundation (AAO-HNSF) received a grant to sponsor eight mini-seminars on patient safety at its Annual Meeting in October 2009.
• The Medical Society of Virginia Foundation received a grant to underwrite an annual Salute to Service Award for Advancing Patient Safety and Quality Improvement to a Virginia physician.
• Tulane University School of Medicine was awarded a grant to support a project entitled “Simulation Analysis of Adverse Outcomes: Determination of Root Cause.” Simulation analysis of selected malpractice claims will determine the root causes of adverse outcomes involving systems, health care delivery methods, team interactions, and communication. This data will be used to develop a training and education curriculum for health care providers.
• The University of Washington Department of Medicine received a grant to support a project entitled “Talking with Parents About Birth Injuries.” The research will conduct four focus groups with parents who have experienced adverse events resulting in birth injuries and four focus groups with pediatric and obstetric physicians in order to enhance disclosure communications following adverse birth outcomes.
• The Doctors Company Foundation Ann S. Lofsky, MD, Research Award was presented by the Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation to Guy L. Weinberg, MD, for his study, “Developing an Educational Tool for Managing Local Anesthetic Systemic Toxicity.” Dr. Weinberg is in the Department of Anesthesia at the University of Illinois in Chicago.
• James P. Bagian, MD, was awarded the Vanguard Award for the Advancement of Patient Safety for his development and implementation of systems-based approaches to prevent adverse medical events. Dr. Bagian is director of the National Center for Patient Safety in the Department of Veterans Affairs.
About The Doctors Company Foundation
The Doctors Company Foundation (www.tdcfoundation.com) is committed to advancing and protecting the practice of good medicine. Founded by The Doctors Company in 2008, the Foundation focuses on promoting and supporting research that will enhance patient safety, physician education and legal reform.
