Professor Najmedin Meshkati Joins ECRI Board to Enhance Patient Safety

Professor Najmedin Meshkati, a renowned expert in systems safety, has joined the board of trustees of ECRI, a global authority on healthcare safety and quality. Meshkati, who has spent nearly four decades researching risk reduction and reliability in complex systems, including aviation, nuclear, and industrial operations, will bring his extensive expertise to ECRI's mission of improving patient safety.

Meshkati's career has been marked by his investigation of significant system failures. He has studied the BP Texas City Refinery explosion, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster. He has also testified before the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation as part of the FAA's independent Expert Panel on Boeing, examining safety management systems and safety culture at the company.

In addition to his extensive work in industry, Meshkati has held various leadership positions. He served as a Commissioner of The Joint Commission from 2016 to 2024 and currently serves on the Governance Board of the Patient Safety Movement Foundation. He is a member of the Quality Committee of the Hospital Governing Boards at the University of Southern California and is active in the World Health Organization and Imperial College of London Global Patient Safety Collaborative. Meshkati is also an elected Fellow and inaugural "Titan" of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society.

Professor Meshkati's appointment to ECRI's Board of Trustees is seen as a strategic move to enhance the organization's ability to help hospitals and health systems design safer care. "Professor Meshkati has spent his career studying why complex systems fail and what it takes to make them consistently safer," said Marcus Schabacker, MD, PhD, President and CEO of ECRI. "His appointment on our Board of Trustees strengthens our ability to help hospitals and health systems proactively design safer care."

Schabacker noted that ECRI is currently deepening its focus on SafeSystem Solutions, which are powered by human factors engineering and a safety-focused culture for the workforce. "Patient harm rarely stems from a single incident; it is often the result of a causal chain shaped by the culture, systems, technology, and human factors in the care environment," Schabacker added. "Healthcare must move beyond looking at safety failures in isolation to better understand the conditions that allow harm to occur. Professor Meshkati brings critical systems-thinking expertise to ECRI that will help us scale a more holistic approach to safety."

ECRI, established in 1968, is committed to creating resilient and safe healthcare systems and assessing technologies used in those systems. The organization's services are backed by new investments and a commitment to transformative change. With Meshkati's addition, ECRI is well-positioned to further its mission of improving patient safety and quality in healthcare settings.