This program highlights the partnership between Novant Health and UNC Chapel Hill School of Medicine in Southeastern North Carolina. We’ll share how collaborative strategies expanded access to care, strengthened regional research infrastructure, and shaped our mission to improve health for everyone who lives, works, and plays in the region.
Speaker:
Kara Lyven, MBA, CPPS is the Executive Director of Patient Safety at Duke University Hospital, where she provides strategic leadership and operational oversight for the hospital’s patient safety program. Since joining Duke in 2016, she has led initiatives that advance a culture of safety and support the organization’s commitment to zero harm.
Before her current role, Kara served as Senior Associate, Patient Safety at Duke University Health System, and previously as Director of the North Carolina Hospital Association’s (NCHA) Patient Safety Organization. She also spent over a decade as a patient safety and quality improvement specialist at a 452-bed hospital in upstate New York, and has experience as a regulatory safety associate at Pfizer in New York City.
Kara holds a Bachelor of Arts in Neuroscience from Bowdoin College and a Master of Business Administration from Fairleigh Dickinson University. She is a Certified Professional in Patient Safety (CPPS), a TeamSTEPPS® master trainer, and holds Green Belt certification in Six Sigma. She is also a faculty member with the Institute for Health Improvement (IHI).
Her career spans healthcare quality leadership, performance improvement, and patient safety education, with a focus on systems thinking, behavioral safety, and fostering a culture of trust and accountability. She is recognized for her ability to translate complex safety concepts into actionable strategies for healthcare teams
Topics covered:
Understand how behavioral choices, workplace conditions, and organizational systems influence patient safety outcomes
Explore Just Culture principles, accountability, and strategies to strengthen safety culture
Apply lessons learned from the Safe Choices program to improve patient safety education initiatives
CE: This program is approved for 1.0 CEUs from the National Association for Healthcare Quality
Program Fee:
▪ FREE for OrAHQ, AzAHQ, FAHQ, MAHQ, OAHQ, NEAHQ, TGCHQA, UAHQ & NCAHQ Members;
▪ $15 for Non-Members
Deadline for registration is September 28, 2026 at 5:00 PM EDT