BOSTON–The Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) announced today that Susan Ehrlich, MD, MPP, has joined its Board of Directors. Dr. Ehrlich is the Chief Executive Officer of Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center (ZSFG), and a Professor of Medicine with the University of California, San Francisco. She is also a practicing primary care physician at the Richard Fine People’s Clinic on the ZSFG campus.
“Susan is a well-respected leader of one of the nation’s top hospitals, and she has brilliantly applied improvement science principles to her work,” said Dr. Kedar Mate, President and CEO of IHI. “Susan’s experience at the helm of a major safety net hospital will be incredibly valuable for IHI, which has emphasized health equity as a strategic imperative for quality and safety leaders. This is a critical segment of the health care infrastructure, and with Susan’s leadership, IHI can bring the needed resources to strengthen and support our safety net.”
ZSFG is considered one of the finest public hospitals in the US. As the only Level 1 Trauma Center in San Francisco and Northern San Mateo counties, ZSFG offers the latest medical technology and world-class care to its trauma patients. As a safety net hospital, ZSFG provides equitable high-quality primary, specialty, and hospital care focused on social determinants of health for vulnerable populations in more than 20 languages, regardless of their insurance or immigration status or ability to pay.
Prior to her appointment at ZSFG, Dr. Ehrlich held multiple leadership positions at the San Mateo Medical Center, the San Francisco Department of Public Health and the California State Legislature. She has an extensive background in and knowledge of public health policy and finance at all levels of government. She is a Lean-certified physician executive with extensive expertise leading and transforming public health care organizations serving diverse populations.
”I look forward to serving with the Institute for Healthcare Improvement and promoting safe, high quality and equitable health care throughout the world, especially with health care systems serving vulnerable populations,” said Dr. Susan Ehrlich, CEO of ZSFG. “Data-driven improvement strategies have helped us engage our teams to create better, safer, and higher quality care for our patients at ZFSG and a more joyful caring experience for our exceptional team.”
Dr. Ehrlich received her BA in Public Policy Studies from Duke University, her master’s from the Goldman School of Public Policy at the University of California, Berkeley, and her MD from the University of California, San Francisco. She is board-certified in Internal Medicine and completed her primary care internal medicine residency at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, a Harvard University-affiliated training hospital.
