MedStar Health Patient Safety Leader Honored with First Lifetime Achievement in Patient Safety Award

Laura Lee, BSN, recognized for her work in advancing patient safety.

Columbia, Md – Laura Lee, BSN, assistant vice president, Patient Safety at MedStar Health is the first recipient of the Lifetime Achievement in Patient Safety Award by the Mid-Atlantic Patient Safety Center (MPSC).

MPSC’s Lifetime Achievement in Patient Safety Award recognizes an individual whose career reflects sustained and exceptional contributions to advancing patient safety at the organizational, regional, or national level.

“Laura’s career has left an enduring mark on patient safety, on the people she has mentored, caregivers, and most importantly on the countless patients who are safer because of her work,” said Rollin J. (Terry) Fairbanks, MD, senior vice president and chief quality and safety officer, MedStar Health and chair of the MPSC Board of Directors.

Lee was nominated for nearly four decades of leadership advancing patient safety at both the national and system level. Her work has consistently focused on building systems that are not only safer, but more just, more transparent, and more responsive to both patients and the workforce.

“Laura’s work exemplifies the very essence of this award—an unwavering commitment to safer care, stronger systems, and better outcomes for patients,” said Stephanie Peditto, President & CEO of MPSC. “Laura’s Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes a career defined not only by longevity, but by lasting impact on how patient safety is understood and practiced.”

Lee’s work began at MedStar Washington Hospital Center as a clinical nurse, then continued at the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center where she spent four decades helping to build the foundation of modern patient safety practice in one of the most complex care environments and largest research hospital in the world.

“In her career at the NIH Clinical Center, Laura was known for transforming safety from a regulatory requirement into a deeply embedded organizational value through daily huddles, executive rounds, and systems designed for learning, transparency, and accountability,” Fairbanks said.

“As the system leader of Patient Safety at MedStar Health for the past five years, she has moved our innovative safety program to the next level and influenced other systems in her national work.”

The independent nonprofit Mid-Atlantic Patient Safety Center serves patients, families, and the healthcare workforce by leveraging collective professional expertise to advance safety science, system-wide learning, and empowering organizations to achieve meaningful, lasting outcomes.