Together we are stronger – Statement from ISQua’s President

During this unprecedented time ISQua remains here for you and continues to share our work and help improve your knowledge and expertise in whatever way we can. To assist you with the latest KNOWLEDGE, we have developed a dedicated COVID-19 Resource Page with information and links.

Dear Colleagues

During this unprecedented time ISQua remains here for you and continues to share our work and help improve your knowledge and expertise in whatever way we can. To assist you with the latest KNOWLEDGE, we have developed a dedicated COVID-19 Resource Page with information and links. This will be regularly updated.  It also is a place to NETWORK with others and give yourself a VOICE to share what you have learnt so that others can also learn. Please send your stories and resources to Sinead at [email protected].  

We are continuing with all of our other activities, such as knowledge management (e.g. webinars and the Fellowship Programme); networks – enabling dialogue, which is so important at this time of social distancing; and external evaluation – updates are available on the ISQua External Evaluation page.  We continue to liaise with our external partners such as WHO and will keep you informed on any initiatives in that regard.

ISQua has an amazing team in Dublin that continues to keep programmes on schedule, now working virtually from home.  Our team is strong, and we are proud of their work and contribution to the realization of our mission and vision.

In this unprecedented time, a time when social distancing may lead to feelings of isolation, it is even more important to keep in touch with colleagues, friends and family virtually.  In fact, rather than the usual reliance on email, pick up the telephone or skype.  Real conversation with someone will be even more effective and ease stress at the same time.  We are all experiencing this reality.  No one is spared.  Thus, we all truly understand.

We welcome any suggestions you may have for other ways in which ISQua might assist or support you in your endeavours.  Please reach out to us at any time.  

In the meantime, the Board, Peter, and the team, are continuing to ensure ISQua makes a difference, in your professional life and in contributing to the quality of health and care globally – which is even more important today then yesterday.

Thank you for being on our team, wherever you are located.  Together we are stronger and more effective.

Good health…. and take care, Wendy

Wendy Nicklin

ISQua President

Recent Blog Articles

Adverse Events Outside Direct Care

Nominations for 2026 PROMS

ISQua EEA call for tenders

Celebrating ISQua’s Women Leaders on International Women’s Day

Afcop Members Have Spoken: Just Culture Is Our Shared Priority

Stay in Touch

We bring you the latest research, expert opinions, and industry updates in healthcare safety and quality – so you’re always in the know.

Follow us on social media

Nourhan Kawtharani

Nourhan, a quality and safety coordinator with eight years of experience in ambulatory healthcare in Lebanon, aims to deepen her understanding of the systemic and holistic approach to healthcare through this fellowship.

She aims to identify gaps and develop tailored interventions that address specific contexts rather than applying general solutions. Engaging with diverse professionals and perspectives during this educational journey will expand the application of these concepts across different cultural settings.

Nourhan emphasizes the importance of promoting a culture of continuous learning and improvement within healthcare institutions, considering it a vital leadership responsibility to integrate quality and safety initiatives into the organizational culture.

Nourhan's commitment to patient safety and quality management includes sourcing practical resources and transforming insights into actionable knowledge to drive continued progress in healthcare practices and outcomes.

This will close in 0 seconds

Elom Otchi

Elom is passionate about improving quality of care and patient safety outcomes.

In view of this, he has had the opportunity to work in various capacities with various organisations including AfIHQSA, WHO, UNICEF and others undertaking research, supporting the development of national quality policies and strategies, facilitating the establishment of quality governance systems across all the levels of the health sector and building capacity of national and sub-national quality leads/teams to institutionalize the practice of quality and patient safety across the continent.

He has also worked extensively across all levels of care in the health sector of Ghana, including leading the Quality & Patient Safety program in its largest teaching hospital.

I would like to use this Fellowship as a learning platform and an opportunity to acquire the requisite knowledge, skills and competencies to complement ongoing efforts by like-minded individuals and organizations to continuously advance improve the quality and patient safety in Ghana and the continent.

This will close in 0 seconds

Stephen Taiye Balogun

Stephen is a Senior Programme Officer at the Institute of Human Virology in Nigeria as well as Country Representative for Health Information for All (HIFA).

Stephen plans to use this opportunity to maximise his impact by championing the cause of patient safety and quality in Nigeria and across Africa.

Stephen says "Quality and safety is a major wheel through which universal healthcare coverage can be achieved. The goal is to be a bridge in the gap between the International Quality Improvement and Patient Safety community and my country to ensure rapid spread, adoption, implementation and practice."

We are looking forward to working with both Stephen and our 2020 winner Rhoda Kalondu over the next year.

This will close in 0 seconds

Dr Rhoda Kalondu

Rhoda is the Head of the Patient Safety Unit at Kenyatta Hospital in Nairobi and wants to use this Fellowship to learn how to establish a culture of safety and develop systems for assessment and analysis at her institution, and more widely. As well as this, Rhoda intends to develop and execute an intervention to improve patient safety in Kenyatta National Hospital.

It is one thing to institute measures and processes for improvement, but quite another to change the culture of an environment. Rhoda's ambition to lead others in this change inspired the panel.

This will close in 0 seconds

Dr Subhrojyoti Bhowmick

I am an MBBS graduate from Calcutta University with a Gold Medal in Gynecology & Obstetrics.

I have completed M.D in Pharmacology from IPGME& R, Kolkata and have over 12 years of experience in the field of Clinical Research, Pharmacovigilance and Medication management in Hospitals.

I have completed certification in Clinical Research Administration & Project Management from Stanford University, USA and in Patient Safety from Johns Hopkins University, USA.

I am an Assessor for National Accreditation Board for Hospitals & Health care providers (NABH), India assessing hospitals for medication safety and clinical quality standards and NABH Assessor for Ethics Committee Accreditation program in India as well.

I serve as the Chairperson, Institutional Ethics Committee of Health Point Hospital, Kolkata and am associated with 2 other Hospital ethics committees as a member.

I finished my Fellowship in Healthcare Quality from the International Society of Quality in Healthcare (ISQua) from Ireland in 2017.

I have published several research articles and have also authored a chapter on “Regulations governing Clinical Trial” in the book “Fundamentals of Clinical Trial & Research”.

I am a peer reviewer for prestigious international journals like the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, CNS Drugs and Drug Safety case reports.

I am the recipient of the UK Seth Oration Award for Best Clinical Pharmacology paper by the Indian Pharmacological Society in 2009 and the “Most promising Healthcare professional in Patient Safety in India” award by the Asian African Chamber of Commerce and Industry in October 2018.

Recently in April 2019, I received the Young Quality Achiever award by Consortium of Accredited Healthcare Organizations (CAHO), India for 2019 for my work in the field of medication safety and clinical research.

I have a keen interest in teaching and am visiting adjunct faculty of Pharmacology at KMC, Mangalore, India and for Healthcare technology at MAKAUT, Kolkata, India.

I was associated with Stanford University School of Medicine, in the USA as a Senior Clinical Research Associate from 2015 to 2017 and have certification in Biostatistics, Evidence-based Medicine and Medical Writing from Stanford University.

Currently, I am working as the Clinical Director of Academics, Medical Quality and Clinical Research at Peerless Hospital and B K Roy Research Centre, Kolkata.

I am very happy and thrilled to receive the prestigious ISQua Lucian Leape Patient safety Fellowship Award for 2019 and I look forward to honing my skills further in the field of healthcare quality and patient safety through my experiences during this fellowship.

I sincerely believe that successful completion of this fellowship will help me evolve as a more confident Patient safety leader in India who in turn can provide significant inputs on policy changes through NABH for the Indian healthcare system.

This will close in 0 seconds