Armstrong Award for Excellence in Quality and Safety
The Armstrong Award for Excellence in Quality and Safety award is presented to the physician who partners with patients, families, colleagues and staff members to optimize patient outcomes and eliminate preventable harm.
Anna Varughese, M.D., M.P.H.
Professor of Anesthesia and Critical Care
Director of Perioperative Quality & Safety, Department of Anesthesia
Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital
As a pediatric anesthesia clinician-researcher, Dr. Ana Varughese integrates front-line care with improvement science to embed safety-focused and evidence-based practices in the perioperative setting. This has led to measurable improvements in patient comfort and outcomes. Her efforts were key to obtaining Level 1 Pediatric Surgical Center verification for the hospital. Varughese models excellence in daily clinical care — proactively identifying safety considerations, mentoring junior staff members and fostering psychological safety so that all team members feel empowered to voice concerns.
As an educator, Varughese has integrated patient safety principles into residency electives, coordinated quality improvement seminars and led the annual anesthesia patient safety and quality conference. She is also leading a patient safety and quality program in the neonatal intensive care unit that includes identifying quality metrics, strengthening handoffs and improving discharge planning processes — an example of her impact in driving systemwide quality initiatives across the hospital.
Varughese’s ability to translate complex data into actionable improvements has made her a respected voice in the field. She is the immediate past president of Wake Up Safe, The Pediatric Anesthesia Quality Improvement Initiative, and is the medical director of the American College of Surgeons child anesthesia verification program. A colleague noted, “I can think of no one more deserving of recognition for advancing the care of children, improving perioperative safety and inspiring her colleagues to reach even higher.”
Melinda Kantsiper, M.D.
Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine
Medical Director of Quality
Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center
As associate vice chair of inpatient quality and safety for the Department of Medicine, Dr. Mindy Kantsiper is focused on reducing complications during hospitalization, such as central line-associated blood stream infections (CLABSI) and sepsis. She brings together insights from root cause analyses, case reviews and quality trends to help improve patient care. Examples of her work include efforts to improve documentation of lines and catheters and discontinuing these devices when less invasive options are possible.
Kantsiper is an active member of various patient safety-related councils and committees, including but not limited to Johns Hopkins Bayview’s clinical practice committee, CLABSI steering committee, geriatric trauma case and care review, and daily safety and risk huddle. At the health system level, she serves on the CLABSI prevention committee and Post-Acute Care Team care transformation workgroup.
As her colleague noted, “Excellence in clinical care and safety is woven into the fabric of Mindy’s professional work.”
Jill Troilo, M.D.
Office Medical Director, Rockville Pediatrics
Johns Hopkins Community Physicians
Dr. Jill Troilo is an outstanding leader who truly embodies a commitment to quality and safety every day. She led the Johns Hopkins Community Physicians (JHCP) Rockville Pediatrics practice efforts to improve depression screening for all patients. She also implemented the JHCP pediatric initiative of chlamydia screening for all patients, ensuring that preventive care is delivered consistently and thoughtfully across all age groups.
Troilo engages her entire team by listening to everyone’s ideas, valuing each person’s expertise and fostering a sense of shared purpose in quality improvement. Her thoughtful leadership, collaborative spirit and dedication to making quality and safety part of taking care of the whole patient make her an inspiring example of excellence in both quality and safety.
Adds one parent, “Dr. Troilo is the kindest, most well-informed and compassionate physician. She takes time to discuss our concerns, and I learn so much every time we come to see her. Our kids love seeing her.”
Julia Kim, M.D., M.P.H.
Division Director, Eudowood Division of Pediatric Academic Quality and Safety
The Johns Hopkins Hospital
Dr. Julia Kim is a dedicated institutional and national leader in pediatric quality and safety whose clinical work and research improves health care delivery in the outpatient setting. With a collaborative and engaging approach, Kim develops and evaluates health care delivery models for vulnerable patients and families, resulting in measurable improvements in primary and specialty care access.
Kim has led multiple team-based initiatives addressing critical health equity gaps. Together with community health workers and clinic and health system leaders, Kim has changed lives by increasing access to primary care for children with disabilities whose families receive supplemental security income. This work has successfully spread to other clinics. Also, Kim and her team from language access services, ambulatory operations and quality successfully improved access to in-person interpreters in pediatric ambulatory clinics.
Colleagues recognize Kim’s inclusive leadership and sustained commitment to improving health care for all. A colleague of Kim’s wrote, “She works tirelessly on behalf of patients, families, colleagues and staff to optimize patient outcomes and eliminate preventable harm.”
Jeffrey Pinco, M.D., and the Blood Management Committee
Jeffrey Pinco, M.D.
Clinical Associate, Department of Pathology
Medical Director and Chair of Pathology
Credentials Chair
Johns Hopkins Howard County Medical Center
Under the guidance of Dr. Jeffrey Pinco, members of the Blood Management Committee implemented changes that significantly reduced the time it takes for massively bleeding patients to receive lifesaving blood products. These changes have improved health outcomes and introduced a new process for the use of blood containers when massive transfusion protocols (MTP) are activated.
Pinco and committee members Tammy Heacock (blood bank), Christine Raymer (emergency department), Dr. Lori Suffredini (anesthesia), Dr. Mayuri Patel (emergency department), Basia Atkinson-Barr (ICU) and Chelai Green (OR) partnered to implement the use of blood containers for MTPs.
Together, they’ve created a clear process with handoffs to ensure rapid delivery of blood products to patients with life-threatening hemorrhages.
Jason Rose, M.D.
Medical Director, Intensive Care Unit
Sibley Memorial Hospital
As the medical director of the intensive care unit at Sibley Memorial Hospital, Dr. Jason Rose has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to patient safety. His leadership has been instrumental in optimizing patient outcomes by fostering a culture of partnership among families, staff and clinicians to eliminate preventable harm. Most notably, Rose’s rigorous focus on the removal of central lines and Foley catheters has led to extraordinary clinical milestones — 18 months with zero central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs) and 22 months with zero catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs). Beyond these metrics, he personally reviews every mortality to identify opportunities for systemic improvement and better care delivery.
By leading from the front lines and educational rounds, Rose ensures the entire ICU team remains at the forefront of evidence-based practice. His dedication truly embodies the spirit of patient safety, placing Sibley at the top of high-quality, compassionate intensive care.
Jerome A. Byam, M.D.
Acute Care Surgeon
Assistant Professor
Department of Surgery
Suburban Hospital
Dr. Jerome Byam, an acute care surgeon, joined Suburban Hospital in 2020 as a moonlighter. His clinical excellence and outstanding professionalism led to his recruitment by the Johns Hopkins Division of Acute Care Surgery, with an academic appointment at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Recognized by his Suburban peers with the Surgeon of the Year Award in 2022, he has since gained additional expertise in minimally invasive and robotic surgery.
Byam is a “remarkable team player,” inspiring physicians and nurses with his deep commitment to Suburban’s trauma center and to offering highly effective, less invasive treatment options to patients who have complex clinical problems. “He does so while delivering exemplary patient care and taking all the necessary steps to keep the patient’s and family’s emotional needs front and center,” a colleague writes.
