BOSTON – Boston Medical Center (BMC) is creating its first endowed chair for Quality and Patient Safety to continue to enhance expert patient care through the generosity of a longtime BMC supporter who is making an anonymous, $4 million donation to the academic medical center.
Jodi Larson, MD, Vice President and Chief Quality Officer at BMC, is the first chair holder, building on her record of sustained improvement in quality and safety at BMC and other organizations. The chair will support BMC’s further development of cutting-edge initiatives to use data and analytics to improve patient care.
Today’s announcement comes as the hospital kicks off national Healthcare Quality Week with a series of events aimed to recognize the innovative work of staff members and the organization. BMC will host the 19th annual Raphael Miara Patient Safety Symposium on Monday, as well as poster presentations on quality and safety initiatives.
BMC received an “A” Hospital Safety Grade from The Leapfrog Group this year, in recognition of the hospital’s commitment to protecting patients from harm and providing expert care.
“Patient quality and safety is central to BMC’s mission to provide clinically excellent, equitable and accessible care that allows our patients, families and communities to thrive,” said BMC President Anthony Hollenberg, MD. “We’re extremely thankful to a longtime supporter of BMC for this generous gift. This major investment will allow Dr. Larson and her team to drive to an even higher level of excellence, using data and analytics to improve patient care and drive operational, research, and clinical advances.”
Larson was appointed Chief Quality Officer at BMC in 2021. Larson and her team have driven the hospital’s quality and patient safety priorities, identifying opportunities to strengthen BMC’s culture of safety and implement systems and processes to safeguard against human error.
Prior to joining BMC, Larson held educational, clinical care and administrative leadership roles at Mass General Brigham’s Newton-Wellesley Hospital, where she served as chief quality and experience officer and senior vice president. Larson received her medical degree from the Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine and completed her internal medicine residency at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. She currently serves as a hospitalist at BMC and is on the Betsy Lehman Center’s Communication, Apology and Resolution (CARe) Advisory Board.
“This investment shows BMC’s deep commitment to strengthening our systems, holding each other accountable, and doing the hard work necessary to become one of the highest rated academic medical centers in the country,” Larson said. “All of us have been working tirelessly to advance our quality and patient safety goals because we know it’s what our patients deserve.”
About Boston Medical Center
Boston Medical Center models a new kind of excellence in healthcare, where innovative and equitable care empowers all patients to thrive. We combine world-class clinicians and cutting-edge treatments with compassionate, quality care that extends beyond our walls. As an award-winning health equity leader, our diverse clinicians and staff interrogate racial disparities in care and partner with our community to dismantle systemic inequities. And as a national leader in research and the primary teaching affiliate for Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, we’re driving the future of care.