Meet Our Staff
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) (formerly Bethany Higgins), CPHQ, CPPS is the Executive Director for the Oregon Patient Safety Commission. In 1997, Bethany accepted an opportunity with a small community hospital and, over the past 16 years, has led numerous patient safety and quality improvement efforts across the continuum of care, which includes inpatient, ambulatory, and health plan experience. Before moving to Portland in 2010, Bethany was the Director of Quality and Patient Safety for Kaiser Permanente, Atlanta, GA. She is certified in both healthcare quality and patient safety, and has a passion for implementing the changes necessary to support a strong culture of patient safety to reduce preventable harm. Phone: 503.224.9226 |
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.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address), PhD, RN, is a Patient Safety Consultant; current responsibilities include consultation with hospitals about reporting and implementing patient safety strategies, and development of the community pharmacy adverse event reporting program. As part of her consultation work, Leslie presents quality/safety trainings, and supports the expansion of a statewide network for patient safety among IHI and non-IHI hospitals. Leslie came to the Commission from Oregon Health & Science University where she was a faculty member in the School of Nursing. As part of her role, Leslie worked with the Center for Ethics, serving on the OHSU Institutional Ethics Committee and Conflict of Interest in Research Committee. She attended UCSF for her undergraduate work in nursing and the University of Washington, Seattle for her MA in Community Health Nursing as a Nurse Practitioner. Her doctorate is from the Anderson Graduate School of Management at UCLA. Phone: 503.224.9227 |
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.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) directs the Commission’s Quality Improvement Collaboratives. She has worked extensively in the areas of clinical improvement and health research, most recently managing the UCLA/RAND TCAB Phase III Evaluation. While working at Group Health Cooperative of Puget Sound as the Diabetes Clinical Improvement Coordinator, Melissa worked with the MacColl Institute on the development and implementation of the Chronic Care Model. In addition to her work on the administrative and research sides of healthcare, she has also worked as a Child and Family Therapist in community mental health. Melissa holds a BA in Theater & Women’s Studies from Dartmouth College and an MA in Applied Behavioral Science from LIOS/Bastyr University. Phone: 503-224-5034 |
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.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) joined the Commission in 2011 as Patient Safety Consultant for nursing homes and ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs). A lifelong Oregonian, Valerie holds an MPH from Oregon State University in Health Management & Policy. Much of her background is in the long-term care industry, where she has served both as a nursing home administrator and as an assisted living administrator, among other roles. Before joining the Commission, Valerie worked with providers on the application of quality improvement principles and techniques, with an emphasis on the culture of patient safety. Phone: 503.227.2632 |
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.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) has been with the Commission since January 2010 as Data Analyst for the reporting programs; she also provides analytical support for the Quality Improvement Collaboratives. Her background is in medical discourse and the visual display of information; she holds a BA in Anthropology and French from University of Oregon and an MS in Linguistics from Georgetown University. Sydney’s previous work included the building and management of clinical registries, development of quarterly reporting dashboards, and cognitive interviewing for clinical form improvement. Phone: 503-224-5047 |
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.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address), RN, MS, CNS, CIC is the Commission’s Infection Prevention Specialist, charged with developing and coordinating a model infection control program for ambulatory surgery centers. She has over 20 years’ experience in infection prevention, is a past president of the local APIC chapter, and recently sat on the Hospital Associated Infections Reporting Advisory Committee for Oregon. Mary’s BSN is from the OHSU School of Nursing and her MS in Nursing is from Ohio State University Graduate School. Phone: 503.227.3059 |
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.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) joined the Commission in August 2011 as Project Manager. Her initial work at the Commission will focus on website and communication development. Carrie’s background includes coordinating a medical liability and patient safety planning grant for the State of Oregon, and serving as a performance evaluator for the Idaho Legislature. She holds a BA in Social Work from Augustana College in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and a Masters of Health Science from Boise State University. Phone: 971.266.8079 |
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.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) joined the Commission in September 2011 as the Logistics Coordinator for the Commission’s Quality Improvement Collaboratives. She has an extensive background in patient care and program coordination. Prior to joining the Commission, Jessica was the Office Manager for the Epilepsy Program at Oregon Health & Science University. She holds a BS from Pennsylvania State University in Health and Human Development and is working toward degrees in both Website Design and Business Administration. Phone: 503.477.7380 |
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.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) joined the Commission in January 2012 to coordinate the Finance and Human Resource functions of the organization. She holds a BA in Business Management from Concordia University and has many years of experience in non-profit accounting and HR coordination. Megan also serves as Treasurer on two non-profit boards in the Portland area. Phone: 503.224-9307 |
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.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) joined the commission in June 2012 as the logistics coordinator for infection prevention education programs. She has worked in direct patient care and is passionate about preventive health and patient safety. Rebecca holds a BA in English Literature from the University of Nevada Reno and a Masters in Public Administration from Portland State University. Phone: 503.719.4647 |
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