NAHQ RECOGNIZES BERT THURLO-WALSH WITH AWARD

Newton-Wellesley Hospital VP for Quality and Patient Safety Bert Thurlo-Walsh, RN, MM, CPHQ, was recently honored by the National Association for Healthcare Quality (NAHQ) with the 2015 Rising Quality Star Award.

“Being part of NAHQ has afforded me the opportunity to grow as a healthcare quality professional and leader through active participation at the State Leaders meetings and on NAHQ teams. In addition, I have provided the opportunity to work with some of the most talented healthcare quality professionals nationally and internationally, as well as utilize my quality experience to promote the healthcare quality profession,” said Thurlo-Walsh.

Thurlo-Walsh is an active volunteer leader as a member of NAHQ’s Education Commission and is the Past- President of his state affiliate, the Massachusetts Association for Healthcare Quality. He joined Newton-Wellesley Hospital in 2007 as Quality Improvement Manager and in 2011 was promoted to Director of Quality and Patient Safety. Last January, Thurlo-Walsh was named VP for Quality and Patient Safety.

Thurlo-Walsh earned his Masters in Management from Cambridge College, his BSN from UMass Lowell, and his BA in Natural Science from Bradford College. He is a member of the National Association for Healthcare Quality, the Massachusetts Association for Healthcare Quality, the American Society of Professional in Patient Safety, and the American Assembly for Men in Nursing. He also serves as a consultant for Partners Healthcare International where his expertise has been sought by leaders of healthcare systems outside the United States in quality, patient safety, and accreditation.

Thurlo-Walsh has presented breakout sessions and posters, both nationally and internationally, on readmissions, patient experience, and the use of safety events in quality improvement. In addition, Thurlo-Walsh co-authored an article on the use of safety event data to drive culture.

He resides in Tewksbury with his husband and two miniature schnauzers, Milo and Liesel.