Board of Directors

 As part of our mission to engage a diverse stakeholder coalition, MAPS is proud of its Board of Directors. The Board of Directors leads the development of MAPS' work and strategy.

 

Kannan Ramar, MD

Chair, Minnesota Alliance for Patient Safety

Patient Safety Officer, Mayo Clinic

Assistant Dean, Mayo Clinic School of Graduate Medical Education

Dr. Kannan Ramar is the Patient Safety Officer for Mayo Clinic and serves as the Assistant Dean for Clinical Learning Environment Optimization at the Mayo Clinic School of Graduate Medical Education (MCSGME). He is a Professor of Medicine in the division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine (PCCM), Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN. He is the past president of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) and the Associated Professional Sleep Societies (APSS). He serves as a member of the Leadership Consortium of the National Quality Forum (NQF) since 2020, and served as the member of the Virtual Healthcare Quality action team of NQF in 2021. Dr. Ramar serves as the Pulmonary Section Editor for the Mayo Clinic Proceedings journal. 

Dr. Ramar serves as the chair of Mayo Clinic Patient Safety Subcommittee, servers on the Graduate Medical Education Committee, and Mayo Clinic Proceedings Editorial Board. He serves as the Chair of the Minnesota Alliance for Patient Safety (MAPS). He is board-certified in Critical Care Medicine, Pulmonary Disease, and Sleep Medicine and is the recipient of many notable awards, including the Diamond Lifetime Achievement Award for Quality Improvement, Teacher of the Year by the Mayo Fellows' Association 2015, Teacher of the Year 2013 for Inpatient Education, and the MCSGME Program Director Recognition Award 2018-2019.

Jennifer P. Lundblad, PhD, MBA

Vice Chair, Minnesota Alliance for Patient Safety

President and CEO , Stratis Health

Dr. Lundblad leads Stratis Health, an independent non-profit quality improvement organization based in Bloomington, Minnesota, that leads collaboration and innovation in health care quality and patient safety.  She has an extensive background in leadership, organization development, and program management in both non-profit and education settings.

Jennifer has a BA in speech communication and economics from Macalester College, an MBA in public and non-profit management from Boston University, and a PhD in Education with a focus on organization development from the University of Minnesota.  Her dissertation research was “Teamwork and Safety Climates in Small Rural Hospitals,” and she has published articles in peer reviewed journals and is a frequent speaker on topics related to health quality and organizational change. She is a member of the boards of directors the Minnesota Alliance for Patient Safety (MAPS) and Superior Health Quality Alliance. She serves as a member of the national RUPRI (Rural Policy Research Institute) Health Panel, the Minnesota e-Health Advisory Committee, and many local and national committees and workgroups. She is Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Division of Health Policy and Management at the School of Public Health at the University of Minnesota.

 

Patti Cullen

Past Chair, Minnesota Alliance for Patient Safety

President and CEO, Care Providers of MN

Patti Cullen has worked at Care Providers of Minnesota since 1986 in a variety of positions over the years—as chief lobbyist, vice president, and her current position as president/CEO. Ms. Cullen has been a certified association executive (CAE) since 2006. Her educational background includes a master’s degree in mass communication and political science. Prior to joining Care Providers of Minnesota, Ms. Cullen worked as a provider of long-term care services in a variety of positions and as a political organizer. Ms. Cullen serves on a variety of state-based community boards in the healthcare and social services professions and is active on committees for her national organization—the American Health Care Association/National Center for Assisted Living.

Janet Silversmith

Board Member, Minnesota Alliance for Patient Safety

Chief Executive Director, Minnesota Medical Association

Janet Silversmith is the CEO of the Minnesota Medical Association.  Prior to her appointment as CEO, she served as the MMA’s Director of Health Policy. In that position she was responsible for providing leadership for MMA advocacy strategy as well as the analysis and development of MMA policy. She has over 25 years of experience in health policy and has also conducted research on health disparities. She holds a master's degree from the University of Minnesota's Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs. 

Brooke Cunningham, MD, PhD

Board Member, Minnesota Alliance for Patient Safety

Commissioner of Minnesota Department of Health

Brooke Cunningham was appointed assistant commissioner for the Health Equity Bureau in 2022 by Commissioner Jan Malcolm. As assistant commissioner, Cunningham is responsible for overseeing the Center for Health Equity, the Office of American Indian Health, the COVID-19 Health Equity Team, and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. She also works closely with leaders and staff in MDH’s other bureaus to advance health equity in their work.

Dr. Cunningham is a general internist, sociologist, and assistant professor in the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health at the University of Minnesota. Prior to joining MDH, her research focused on developing strategies to reduce racial disparities in health, including addressing the adverse impacts of exposure to racism. She also co-directed the University of Minnesota Medical School’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Thread in medical education. In 2021, she was selected as one of four inaugural recipients of the University of Minnesota’s Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) Award. Cunningham is a primary care provider at the Community-University Health Care Clinic (CUHCC), a federally qualified health clinic in Minneapolis that serves a diverse patient population.

Cunningham received her doctorates in medicine and sociology from the University of Pennsylvania. After completing residency in internal medicine at Duke University, she completed fellowships in health services research, health policy, and bioethics at Johns Hopkins University and an AcademyHealth Delivery System Science Fellowship at the Medica Research Institute. She received her bachelor’s degree in history and African American studies from the University of Virginia.

Melissa Fritz, MS, RN, ACNS-BC, CENP 

Board Member, Minnesota Alliance for Patient Safety

Vice President Patient Care Services & Chief Nursing Officer, Methodist Hospital

Melissa Fritz is currently the vice president of patient care and chief nursing officer for Methodist Hospital, part of Health Partners. She provides administrative oversight and direction to inpatient nursing and all patient care services. Melissa is a strategic healthcare leader and change agent with experience in the clinical setting, operations, nursing leadership, administration, quality improvement, and professional development. She is passionate about ensuring the delivery of the optimal patient experience, developing relationships, and building trust within teams and has a goal of creating a culture where everyone feels welcomed, valued and included.

Melissa received her master’s degree from the University of Minnesota and her bachelor’s degree from Marquette University. She is currently working toward her doctorate in nursing practice at Baylor University. Melissa and her husband, Pat, have three children: 11-year-old twins Brooke and Bryce and 9-year-old Maddy. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, running, and gardening.

David J. Satin MD

Board Member, Minnesota Alliance for Patient Safety

Associate Professor

Compliance Officer & Risk Management Leader

Department of Family Medicine and Community Health

Faculty Advisor & Director of Courses in Ethics & Law, Public Health & Policy, Quality Improvement & Patient Safety

 Dr. Satin completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Minnesota’s Center for Bioethics following his residency in the University’s Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, medical school at the University of Western Ontario (Canada), a Robert Jones Scholarship in Philosophy to the University of St. Andrews (Scotland), a philosophy degree from the University of Western Ontario, and a health sciences degree from Marianopolis College in his hometown of Montreal, Canada.

Dr. Satin is a practicing physician and associate professor in the University of Minnesota’s Department of Family Medicine and Community Health. Within the Medical School, he directs the core courses in Ethics, Law, Policy, Healthcare Finance, and Quality Improvement. He has served on several AMA workgroups making quality measures for CMS and has consulted internationally on issues in Pay-for-Performance. He currently chairs the Risk adjustment and Segmentation Committee of Minnesota Community Measurement and serves on its Measurement and Reporting Committee. He also serves on the boards of his Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, Stratis Health, and the Minnesota Alliance for Patient Safety.

Dr. Satin’s research interests span the field of health systems science, with publications on quality improvement, public health, behavioral economics, shared decision-making, and topics in bioethics.

Terra Carey

Board Member, Minnesota Alliance for Patient Safety

Chief Quality Officer for Direct Care and Treatment, Minnesota Department of Human Services

Terra serves as the Chief Quality Officer for Direct Care and Treatment. Terra holds a Master’s in Public Health from the University of Minnesota, certifications from national quality, business systems, and healthcare safety organizations, Business Performance Improvement training from Johns Hopkins University, and holds a Master Black Belt in Lean Six Sigma. Terra has worked as an independent consultant for a quality measurement oversight organization and was employed by a Minneapolis based Federally Qualified Healthcare Center. In addition to work, Terra enjoys traveling (having traveled to more than 40 countries and six continents), spending time with family and friends.

Jenny Schoenecker

Board Member, Minnesota Alliance for Patient Safety

Associate Vice President of Quality and Safety, Minnesota Hospital Association

Jenny is the Associate Vice President of Quality and Safety where she leads the Minnesota Hospital Association's quality and safety division and staff to develop, implement, and facilitate hospital and health system quality and safety initiatives to help achieve the quadruple aim for communities across MN. Jenny provides MHA members with technical and implementation support, including consults, training/education, on-site visits, and assistance with quality and safety action plans.

Jenny is a Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality and has a passion for positioning Minnesota’s hospitals and health systems as demonstrated national leaders in all aspects of quality, safety and mental health. Jenny also enjoys interacting with upcoming healthcare leaders in a healthcare quality improvement and patient safety course that she teaches to undergrad students at the University of Minnesota.

Abraham Jacob, MD, MHA

Board Member, Minnesota Alliance for Patient Safety

Chief Quality Officer, M Health Fairview

Abe Jacob serves as Chief Quality Officer (CQO) for M Health Fairview and is an Associate Professor at the University of MN.  He has served in the role of CQO since 2019 and oversees quality and patient and employee safety for M Health Fairview. Prior to becoming CQO, Abe served as Chief Medical Officer at MHFV University of MN Masonic Children’s Hospital, a role he had held since 2012.  He previously practiced primary care at MHFV Eagan Clinic from 1998-2005, then came to the University to start the Division of Pediatric Hospital Medicine (Pediatric Hospitalists).  He completed a master’s in healthcare administration in 2012 at the U of M School of Public Health.   He continues to practice clinically in Internal Medicine and Pediatrics at the Clinics and Surgery Center, MHFV University Children’s Clinic and Masonic Children’s Hospital.  He and his wife Christy have 7 children and have called MN home for their entire marriage spanning over 27 years. 

Abigail Greenback

Board Member, Minnesota Alliance for Patient Safety

Group Senior Vice President, Beehive Strategic Communication

Abigail serves as group senior vice president of Beehive Strategic Communication. In this capacity, she supports strategic communication initiatives, including internal communication and employee engagement programs within the health care industry. Moreover, she partners with clients to develop context-specific and multi-channel strategies for engaging key audiences, including underrepresented populations. As a staunch advocate for all patients, Greenheck intentionally supports safety in health care practices.

Kari Thurlow

Board Member, Minnesota Alliance for Patient Safety

President and Chief Executive Officer, LeadingAge Minnesota

Kari is the President and CEO of LeadingAge Minnesota. She took the role at the beginning of 2022 after 15 years leading the Association's advocacy efforts. Kari came to LeadingAge Minnesota with a strong background in law and public policy. Kari worked for several years at Flaherty & Hood, P.A., where she had the opportunity to provide legislative representation to clients on a variety of issues including bonding, property taxes, environmental and land use. Kari holds a J.D. from Mitchell Hamline School of Law and a B.A. in political science and communications from Concordia College.

Gary Bougie

Board Member, Minnesota Alliance for Patient Safety

Gary Bougie is a retired sales and marketing consultant who has been married for 47 years to his high school sweetheart.  He has 3 children and 4 grandchildren.  After losing his son to a medical error in 2014, he was in a dark place and knew he had to make a choice; either stay in the dark hole and wallow in self-pity OR climb out, get involved and Make A Difference. 

For the last 8 years, Gary has met yearly with the system leaders for patient safety at the organization where his son died. He has been an “Ambassador of Life” for LifeSource since 2016 and was named Ambassador of the year in 2019.  He has shared his story multiple times with MAPS, MHA and LifeSource audiences. He serves on the quarterly review board for the “good catch” award program. Gary Sr is committed to continue this work under the umbrella of “Continuous Improvement;” with a cultural focus on patient care/safety and embracing patient family inclusion. Gary Sr has a BA in economics from the University of Minnesota. He enjoys spending time with family and friends at his lake cabin in Wisconsin.

Lisa Juliar

Legacy Board Member, Minnesota Alliance for Patient Safety

Director of Patient and Family Engagement, Minnesota Alliance for Patient Safety

Following a series of adverse events, Lisa became passionate about sharing her personal story to make positive changes and presented her story at the MAPS Conference in 2008. In 2011, she became the first consumer board member for MAPS.  Lisa worked for the Minnesota Hospital Association as a Patient/Family Engagement Consultant and Co-chair of their first Patient and Family Advisory Council from 2013-2017.  Lisa aspires to bring consumers and healthcare organizations together as equal partners.