"Rescuing U.S. Health Care: Principles for Redesign"

In-Person and Virtual Event

Speaker:

Don Berwick, M.D.
President Emeritus and Senior Fellow
Institute for Healthcare Improvement

About Don Berwick:

Born in New York and raised in Connecticut, Dr. Berwick holds a bachelor’s degree from Harvard College and a medical degree from Harvard Medical School. He also earned a master’s degree in public policy from the John F. Kennedy School of Government. His early clinical experiences, including a personal encounter with unnecessary surgery, sparked a lifelong commitment to improving healthcare delivery through evidence-based practices and systemic reform.

He served on the faculty of the Harvard Medical School and Harvard School of Public Health, as well as the staffs of Boston’s Children’s Hospital, Massachusetts General Hospital, and Brigham and Women’s Hosptial.

In 1991, Dr. Berwick co-founded the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI), where he served as President and CEO for nearly two decades. Under his leadership, IHI became a global force in promoting patient safety, reducing medical errors, and advancing quality improvement initiatives. His work earned him international recognition, including an honorary knighthood from Queen Elizabeth II for his contributions to the British National Health Service.

In July 2010, President Barack Obama appointed Dr. Berwick as Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) through a recess appointment. His tenure coincided with the rollout of the Affordable Care Act, placing him at the helm of one of the most significant healthcare transformations in U.S. history. At CMS, Dr. Berwick oversaw a vast bureaucracy insuring over 100 million Americans and managed a budget larger than the Pentagon’s. He focused on implementing reforms that emphasized patient-centered care, cost efficiency, and improved outcomes.

During his distinguished career, Dr. Berwick also served as vice chair of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, the first independent member of the American Hospital Association Board of Trustees, and as chair of the National Advisory Council of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Additionally, he served two terms on the Institute of Medicine’s Governing Council, was a member of its Global Health Board, and served on President Bill Clinton’s Advisory Commission on Consumer Protection and Quality in the Healthcare Industry.