Emerson Receives Excellence in Quality and Safety Award

Beth L. Emerson, MD, MBA, is assistant professor of pediatrics (emergency medicine) and of emergency medicine. She serves as the medical director for the Children’s Emergency Department and the deputy quality and safety officer at Yale New Haven Children’s Hospital. Emerson received her MD at the University of Rochester School of Medicine & Dentistry. She completed he residency in pediatrics, where she served as chief resident, followed by a fellowship in pediatric emergency medicine at Yale New Haven Hospital (YNHH). Emerson is a leader in creating quality improvement (QI) initiatives. Examples of her leadership include leadership in the CHIRAL initiative that measurably improved transitions of care in the adult population, developing the curriculum and leading the YNHH Children’s Hospital Quality Improvement Boot Camp to provide education to residents and staff on QI techniques, and leadership in the Children’s Hospital Emergency Response Committee and our site for IPSO (sepsis collaborative).

Currently, Emerson leads the robust MOC Part 4 ABMS Portfolio Program for the Children’s Hospital and is directing and mentoring projects to improve safe sleep practices on the inpatient unit, pneumonia management and infant pain management in the Pediatric Emergency Department, and the screening and reporting of child abuse. Not only is Emerson a leader at Yale, but she is being sought after to promote quality and safety on a national level. Emerson serves as a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics planning group for Education in Quality Improvement for Pediatric Practice, promoting improvement projects across the country for all pediatricians.

She also works extensively with the Children’s Hospital Association on national issues such as sepsis outcomes, appendicitis initiatives, and emergency airway safety. Emerson has published a number of manuscripts, book chapters, and review articles related to her work in quality improvement. She has shared her work through presentations at conferences throughout the United States and Canada. Emerson has also been the principal investigator or co-investigator on several grants spanning the last five years. Her work has been recognized through the Eastern Society for Pediatric Research Fellow Award and the Friends of Yale New Haven Children’s Hospital Young Investigator Award.

Award Description

In support of Yale Medicine’s comprehensive commitment to providing medical care of exceptional quality, the annual Yale Medicine Excellence in Quality and Safety Award was established in 2013. This award recognizes a physician who has demonstrated significant contributions to improving the quality and safety of patient care, creating a positive and collaborative culture, and for providing exceptional patient experiences at Yale Medicine.

Past Recipients

• 2014 - Grace Y. Jenq, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine (Geriatrics)

• 2015 - Christian M. Pettker, MD. Associate Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology, & Reproductive Sciences

• 2016 - Marc Auerbach, MD, MSc., Associate Professor of Pediatrics (Emergency Medicine) and Emergency Medicine

• 2017 - Matthew R. Grossman, MD, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics

• 2018 - Jonathan M. Siner, MD. Associate Professor of Medicine (Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine)