8th Annual Unified Quality Improvement Symposium
9th Annual ECU Health Quality Improvement Symposium
January 29, 2025
Eastern AHEC and Virtual
Registration now open
The symposium is a showcase of initiatives happening throughout East Carolina University’s Health Sciences Campus and ECU Health related to quality improvement, patient safety, population health, and interprofessional practice. The goal of the symposium is to provide academic and community physicians, health professionals, health care teams, residents, fellows, and students the opportunity to present their work in systems improvement and practice redesign to an audience of peers and health system leaders.
Registration
Advanced registration is required. Registration will close at noon the day before the program on Tuesday January 28th. Registration is online only at https://www.easternahec.net/courses-and-events/73541 and requires a current MyAHEC account. If you do not have a MyAHEC account, you will create one during the registration process. There is no fee for registration. If you have any questions regarding registration, please contact BSOM CME at cme@ecu.edu.
Symposium Objectives
At the end of this symposium, participants will be able to:
- Explain the quality improvement process as illustrated through inpatient, acute care, ambulatory practice and interprofessional improvement projects.
- Describe how the quality improvement process can impact clinical care and system’s based practice.
- Provide a platform for participants to describe how they would change rules, habits, policies, or procedures to improve care delivery.
Agenda
8:00-8:30 Check-in at Eastern AHEC for in-person attendees – or – Sign-in to Zoom for virtual attendees
Eastern AHEC Lobby
Coffee and light refreshments provided
8:30-8:40 Welcome and Opening Remarks
Conference Room A & B
8:40-9:45 Podium Session— IN-PERSON & VIRTUAL LIVE WEBINAR
Conference Room A & B
9:45-9:55 Break
9:55-11:15 Quick Shot Podium Session—IN-PERSON & VIRTUAL LIVE WEBINAR
Conference Room A & B
11:15-12:00 Poster Session IN-PERSON ONLY
Session presenters listed below
Further opportunity for symposium attendees to view the quality improvement work that is being conducted throughout ECU’s Health Science Campus and ECU Health System. We encourage you to visit with the poster presenters and engage in learning about their projects. ******No CME credit for this session*******
12:00-12:30 Break and Pick up Lunch
Conference Room TBD
12:30-1:30 Lunch and Keynote Session—Rooted in Rural: Enhancing Patient Care and Quality Improvement by Valuing the Rural Context
Conference Room A & B
Speaker: David Tillman, PhD, Chair, Department of Public Health, Campbell University, College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences
This presentation focuses on the critical role of community context in improving patient care and driving effective Quality Improvement (QI) initiatives in rural areas. Participants—including health science students and faculty from medicine, nursing, public health, dentistry, and other disciplines, as well as healthcare providers from local clinical care systems—will explore how deep engagement with rural communities provides essential insights for effective and empathetic healthcare. We will discuss methods for educators and practitioners to understand the unique social, cultural, and environmental factors that shape health outcomes in rural settings. By integrating these insights, attendees can enhance the quality of patient care and QI efforts within their respective fields and communities.
1:30-1:45 Awards IN-PERSON & VIRTUAL LIVE WEBINAR
Conference Room A & B
Podium, Quick Shot Podium, and Poster Session awards announced
*****No CME credit for this session*****
1:45-1:55 BREAK
1:55-2:55 Concurrent Education Sessions
1. Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills for Medical Providers IN-PERSON ONLY Conference Room A
Presenters: Erika Taylor and Patricia Huerta
The purpose of this session is to provide participants with information about and opportunities to engage in a variety of coping skills to support their mental health and the mental health of their patients. During this session, participants will be introduced to Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) and various coping skills presented in this model. More specifically, this experiential training will offer participants the chance to learn about and practice DBT distress tolerance and emotion regulation skills in a novel way, aiding them in identifying skills that they personally find effective during moments of distress and ways to effectually communicate the skills to their patients. At the end of the session, participants will be encouraged to consider how they can utilize these skills in their personal lives and in their interactions with patients.
2. Leading Change: Two Success Factors IN-PERSON & VIRTUAL LIVE WEBINAR Conference Room B & C
Presenter: Randy Cobb, DSL, ACC, CPCC, Director of Talent Development, ECU Health
Successfully and efficiently leading change requires an intentional focus on both people and process dimensions. In this session participants explore the importance of leading people through change using the works of William Bridges and Elisabeth Kűbler-Ross, and the importance of leading a proven process for change through John Kotter’s 8-step model. Participants craft and prepare to implement a change plan through this interactive experience.
2:55 Adjourn
For more information, contact Jess Day-Brinkley daybrinkleyje15@ecu.edu or Jenna Garris garrisj15@ecu.edu