Kathryn K. Leonhardt

Background

Dr. Kathy Leonhardt is the Principal Consultant for International Quality & Patient Safety at Joint Commission International. She is a preventive medicine/public health physician with over 30 years of experience as a physician executive in public, private and academic health care organizations.

Dr. Leonhardt has held leadership roles in quality, patient safety and patient experience. Her research, publications and presentations have included epidemiologic investigations, Phase III clinical trials, and quality improvement projects in both ambulatory and hospital settings. Dr. Leonhardt was the Principal Investigator and author of an Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)-funded research project on patient advisory councils. Her patient safety initiatives have been recognized nationally, including the Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP) Cheers Award. Recent publications include “The Joint Commission Big Book of Performance Improvement Tools” and “Leadership Matters: A Roadmap Toward Effective Governance of Quality and Safety”, published by the American Hospital Association. As the leader of the JCI training program on Quality Management and Patient Safety, Dr. Leonhardt has provided education to almost 4,000 health care professionals across 80 countries.

Professional Experience

• Leadership roles including Patient Safety Office, Vice President, Clinical Quality and Patient Experience
• Academic appointments in schools of medicine and health care sciences
• Physician executive in government and non-profit agencies

Professional Affiliations

• Editorial Board, Journal of Patient Experience
• Clinical Assistant Professor - Marquette University, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA 
• International Society for Quality in Health Care (ISQua) Expert

Professional Certifications

• Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality (CPHQ)
• Certified Professional in Patient Safety (CPPS)
• Certified Six Sigma Green Belt
• TeamSTEPPS Master Trainer

Education

• Doctor of Medicine, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
• Master of Public Health in Epidemiology, Univ. of California, Berkeley, California, USA
• Bachelor of Arts with Honors, Williams College, Williamstown, Massachusetts, USA