A Focus on Improving Care: The Chessare Lecture Series

A new lecture series, launched in April, brought an internationally respected health care leader to GBMC HeathCare. Donald M. Berwick, MD, MPP, FRCP, KBE, the President Emeritus and Senior Fellow at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) was the first speaker of the John B. Chessare, MD, MPH, Quality and Patient Safety Endowed Lecture. 

The Chessare Lecture series was founded last year in honor of Dr. Chessare’s retirement after 15 years as GBMC HealthCare’s President and Chief Executive Officer. Each year, GBMC HealthCare will invite a national leader to advance best practices, share new insights and strengthen the pursuit of safe, equitable care for all. 

“When I retired from GBMC HealthCare, some very kind people gave me some very nice gifts,” Dr. Chessare told those attending the inaugural lecture. “And when I learned that a group of tremendous supporters of GBMC had donated to create a lecture series in Quality that would bear my name, I was truly humbled. “I have spent my career working to improve the quality of care, so it is very exciting to me to come together with all of you annually to hear from experts in the field.” 

Dr. Berwick is among IHI’s founders and is one of the nation’s leading authorities on health care quality and improvement. Among the many accolades he has earned is the title of Honorary Knight Commander of the British Empire, awarded in gratitude for his contributions to England’s National Health Service. 

In introducing the series, Paari Gopalakrishnan, MD, MBA, GBMC HealthCare President and CEO noted that the inaugural speaker was setting a high bar for the series, saying, “The fact that a policy leader of Dr. Berwick’s stature said yes to Dr. Chessare’s invitation and is here today speaks volumes about his reputation as a health care chief executive who understands that medical care should not only be excellent, it should also be delivered with compassion and accessible to everyone in the community.” 

The John B. Chessare, MD, MPH, Quality and Patient Safety Endowed Lecture is an annual event, scheduled for spring.