Through CIR we’ve been able to sponsor many QI projects in my hospital, many of which are still ongoing, such as Improving Transitions of care in psychiatry. I’ve also made recommendations to CIR for Residents Appreciation Day in my hospital, and it was adopted and celebrated in a big way in 2015.  In addition, we won pay raise and educational and travel reimbursements in our recent contract negotiations, and have a great Patient Care Trust Fund to access in order to make improvements at the hospital.

I am a co-chair of the Patient Safety Council at Harlem Hospital, and we have fought and won a number battles with regards to safe delivery of care.

I’ve learned a lot during residency and as a CIR member, including the ins and outs of contract negotiation, tactics for networking, how to empower women in medicine,how to advocate during residency, developing Quality Improvement projects, information on family leave entitlements, and to “never say never” and not to quit before you start.

Going forward I would like to help CIR develop process groups for residents because of risk of suicides.

As a member of the Executive Committee and Regional Vice President for New York, I would like to continue contributing in our PAC fund to keep up our political action work; keep volunteering and serving where needed; continue speaking up as an advocate for patients’ and residents’ safety, and motivate new people to join and be as excited as I am about being a CIR member.