Nationally Recognized Patient Safety Expert Kenneth P. Rothfield Joins Physician-Patient Alliance for Health & Safety Advisory Board

CHICAGO, Sept. 30, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- The Physician-Patient Alliance for Health & Safety announced today that Kenneth P. Rothfield, MD, MBA has joined the PPAHS Board of Advisors. Currently serving his last month as Chairman of the Department of Anesthesiology at Ascension Health's Saint Agnes Hospital (Baltimore) and Adjunct Associate Professor of Nursing at the University of Maryland, Dr. Rothfield will be assuming the role of System Chief Medical Officer at St. Vincent's Healthcare—Ascension Health's three hospital system in Jacksonville, Florida.

"On behalf of PPAHS, I'm tremendously pleased to welcome Ken Rothfield to our Board of Advisors," said PPAHS Executive Director Michael Wong, JD. "Nationally recognized for his tireless work and numerous achievements in patient safety – especially in the fields of emergency airway management, opioid safety and respiratory monitoring – Dr. Rothfield brings unparalleled expertise to PPAHS.  By joining our Board of Advisors, he makes an already passionate and knowledgeable group of patient safety experts even stronger."

A graduate of Harvard College, Dr. Rothfield holds a medical degree from the University of Rochester and an MBA from the Johns Hopkins Carey Business School.  After completing his training in anesthesiology at the University of Pittsburgh, he was appointed to the university's anesthesia faculty.  He went on to serve as Chairman of Anesthesiology at two Maryland hospitals before re-entering academic medicine at the University of Maryland.  Dr. Rothfield was recruited to his current position at Saint Agnes Hospital in 2008.

The recipient of a "Health Care Heroes Award" from The Daily Record (Baltimore), as well as a "Circle of Honor Award for Innovation in Patient Safety" from the Maryland Patient Safety Center, Dr. Rothfield has published research on a wide variety of patient safety issues and is frequently asked to speak on these issues at medical conferences across the nation.

"I am absolutely delighted to join the Board of Advisors at the Physician-Patient Alliance, an organization with a mission I wholeheartedly embrace," Dr. Rothfield said.  "Along with my new colleagues on the Board, I look forward to advancing the key initiatives of the Physician-Patient Alliance – and in so doing, helping to protect the lives and safety of thousands of patients."

About Physician-Patient Alliance for Health & Safety

Physician-Patient Alliance for Health & Safety is an advocacy group whose mission is to promote safer clinical practices and standards for patients through collaboration among healthcare experts, professionals, scientific researchers, and others, in order to improve health care delivery. For more information, please visit the Physician-Patient Alliance website.

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SOURCE Physician-Patient Alliance for Health & Safety