This unique fellowship program created by Penn Surgery with the collaboration of The Wharton School and the Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics is designed specifically for faculty, nurses, residents, physician assistants, and clinical pharmacists in surgery.  The overall mission of the fellowship is to provide an intensive leadership education program that will enable clinicians to exact change and improve patient safety.   Never before has there been more critical evidence that communication among caregivers should be a national patient safety goal.  Atul Gawande, in his recent book Complications, states that "doctors are seldom outraged when the press reports yet another medical horror story. They usually have a different reaction; that could have been me."  The recent transplant event at Duke University confirms this and demonstrates the patient safety issues surrounding effective communication.  Do we as a multi-disciplinary team demonstrate optimal communication patterns that protect our patients from harm? Can we communicate emotionally charged issues like patient safety to the senior leadership team to enact positive changes?  In the PSLA Executive Program, participants will have the unique opportunity to learn and work with some of the world’s most renowned leaders in business education, communication and patient safety.  

Those who successfully complete the program will acquire a fellowship from the Penn Medicine Patient Safety Leadership Academy, a certificate of completion of Wharton courses, and continuing education credits. Tuition, course materials and meals are covered by a generous unrestricted grant from the Philadelphia Health Care Trust.

The sessions will be held in the new state-of-the-art Penn Surgery Theatre. Located on the ground floor of the White Building this unique conference facility offers innovative technological advances such as audience instant voting, three 61 inch plasma screen televisions, direct OR visual and audio communication, speaker symposium and more.

The program will be limited to 40 clinicians to allow the time and attention required for the best learning outcomes. To apply, please return the application, with a copy of your curriculum vitae, by September 2, 2003 to:

Kathy Pearson, Ph.D
Academic Director
The Wharton School
215.573.3804
215.573.2789  fax
kpearson@wharton.upenn.edu

A Selection Committee will review all of the received applications and determine the Fellows for the inaugural PSLA class.  The Selection Committee is comprised of a multi-disciplinary leadership group from Penn as well as Wharton faculty.