Thomas H. Gallagher, MD
Thomas H. Gallagher, MD, is a general internist who is Professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of Washington, where he is Associate Chair for Patient Care Quality, Safety, and Value. He is also a Professor in the Department of Bioethics and Humanities. Dr. Gallagher received his medical degree from Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, completed his residency in Internal Medicine at Barnes Hospital, Washington University, St. Louis, and completed a fellowship in the Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholars Program, UCSF.
Dr. Gallagher’s research addresses the interfaces between healthcare quality, communication, and transparency. Dr. Gallagher has published over 100 articles and book chapters on patient safety and error disclosure, which have appeared in leading journals including JAMA, New England Journal of Medicine, Health Affairs, Surgery, Journal of Clinical Oncology, Archives of Internal Medicine, Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, and the Joint Commission Journal. His work in error disclosure received the 2004 Best Published Research Paper of the Year award from the Society of General Internal Medicine, as well as the 2012 MITSS Hope Award. He also received a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Investigator Award in Health Policy Research. He has been the principal investigator on multiple grants from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the National Cancer Institute, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and the Greenwall Foundation. He is senior author of the book Talking with Patients and Families About Medical Errors: A Guide for Education and Practice, published in 2011 by The Johns Hopkins University Press. At the University of Washington, he directs the UW Medicine Center for Scholarship in Patient Care Quality and Safety. He also is Executive Director of the Collaborative for Accountability and Improvement, an organization dedicated to advancing the spread of Communication and Resolution Programs. He served on the Institute of Medicine Committee on Diagnostic Error in Healthcare, and was an appointed Commissioner on the National Commission on Physician Payment Reform.
Dr. Gallagher is an active member of many professional organizations, including the American College of Physicians (Fellow), and is President of the Society for General Internal Medicine.