Leadership Committee

Helen Haskell, MA

Founder & President, Mothers Against Medical Error

Since the medical error death of her young son Lewis in 2000, Helen Haskell has devoted herself to healthcare safety and quality advocacy in a variety of fields including diagnostic error reduction, disclosure of errors and adverse events, rapid response, and infection prevention, among others.  In her home state of South Carolina, she was the architect of the … Read More

Lisa McGiffert

Past Director, Consumers Union Safe Patient Project

Lisa McGiffert is the former Director of Consumers Union Safe Patient Project, a project of Consumer Reports. This national project worked on state and federal policies to end medical harm, focusing on healthcare-acquired infections, medical device safety, medical errors, and physician accountability. Beginning in 2003, the campaign developed a model law and initiated state laws … Read More

Yanling Yu, PhD

Co-founder & President, Washington Advocates for Patient Safety

Yanling learned about patient safety the hard way, when her father died after being given an off-label medication that was contraindicated for his medical conditions and caused fatal adverse reactions. Following two deficiency reviews, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services determined that the care provided to her father violated patients’ rights, failed to recognize … Read More