Congratulations to Lakshman Swamy, MD, MBA, whom IHI selected to help plan its 27th Annual National Forum this December. Dr. Swamy, who led the Wright State University IHI Open School Chapter in medical school and is now a resident at Boston Medical Center, is the first Open School student to serve as one of four Forum Co-Chairs. “I’m so excited to represent the Open School and all it has achieved, and especially the potential that we all see for the future. It’s amazing to be part of Dr. Don Berwick’s army.” Watch this video interview to learn more about Dr. Swamy, or click here to learn about how you can get involved in the IHI Open School Chapter network.

If you’re embarking on an improvement project, it’s common to want to start testing changes right away. You have an aim, and you want to achieve it! But how do you know the change you are making will help you achieve your aim? In a new video, Don Goldmann, MD, IHI’s Chief Medical and Scientific officer, explains a simple visual tool that can help you achieve any goal — from losing weight to protecting your patients from infection. Watch Dr. Goldmann’s Open School Short on driver diagrams here, and use the discussion questions at your next Chapter meeting.

In the New England Journal of Medicine, New York City Health Commissioner Mary Bassett, MD, MPH, reflects on the recent violent deaths of several young black men, including Eric Garner. "There is great injustice in the daily violence experienced by young black men. But the tragedy of lives cut short is not accounted for entirely, or even mostly, by violence,” she writes, noting the dramatic disparities in health outcomes between black and white Americans. “Common medical conditions take lives slowly and quietly — but just as unfairly." Dr. Bassett argues that providers have a responsibility to treat not only the direct causes of illness in individual patients but also to work toward eliminating the institutional and interpersonal racism that creates barriers to good health. Read her challenge here, and learn more about health equity in our new course.