The Joint Commission Names New President

August 1, 2007 - The Board of Commissioners of The Joint Commission announced the appointment of Mark R. Chassin, M.D., M.P.P., M.P.H., as The Joint Commission’s new president, effective Jan. 1, 2008.
Dr. Chassin is the Edmond A. Guggenheim Professor of Health Policy and Chairman of the Department of Health Policy at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, NY, and Executive Vice President for Excellence in Patient Care at The Mount Sinai Medical Center. Prior to joining Mount Sinai, Dr. Chassin served as Commissioner of the New York State Department of Health. He is a board-certified internist and practiced emergency medicine for 12 years. His background also includes service in the federal government and many years of health services and health policy research. He is a member of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences and co-chaired its National Roundtable on Health Care Quality.
“Mark Chassin is a leading force in patient safety and quality as demonstrated in his long, distinguished career in the public and private sector,” said David L. Nahrwold, M.D., Chairman of the Joint Commission Board of Commissioners. “The Board of The Joint Commission has the utmost confidence in his ability to lead The Joint Commission with intelligence and vision as the organization continues its mission to continuously improve the safety and quality of care provided to the public.”
“I am very excited about the opportunity to lead The Joint Commission because of my life-long passion for quality improvement and patient safety,” said Dr. Chassin. “The Joint Commission is transforming healthcare through its accreditation process and other programs to help healthcare organizations provide safe, high quality care for all Americans.”
Dr. Chassin received his undergraduate and medical degrees from Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, and a master’s degree in public policy from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard. He also holds a master’s degree in public health from the University of California at Los Angeles.
Dr. Chassin will replace current Joint Commission President Dennis S. O’Leary, M.D. who becomes President Emeritus on Jan. 1, 2008.
For more information: www.jointcommission.org