CMS Faculty Member Awarded Jeffrey B. Cooper Award for Patient Safety in Anesthesia

Blog - CMS Faculty Member Awarded Jeffrey B. Cooper Award for Patient Safety in Anesthesia

Rebecca Minehart, MD, MSHPEd was awarded the Jeffrey B. Cooper Award for Patient Safety in Anesthesia at the Massachusetts General Hospital’s Department of Anesthesia, Critical Care and Pain Medicine (MGH DACCPM) Graduation and Awards Ceremony!

Dr. Minehart is an Obstetric Anesthesiologist at MGH as well as the Program Director of the MGH Obstetric Anesthesia Fellowship. She is also an Assistant Professor of Anesthesia at Harvard Medical School and Director of Anesthesia Programs at the Center for Medical Simulation.

The Jeffrey B. Cooper Award for Patient Safety in Anesthesia is given to an individual that embodies the patient safety work of Dr. Jeffrey Cooper, founder and Executive Director emeritus of the Center for Medical Simulation.

May Pian-Smith, MD MS, Chief of the Division of Quality and Safety at the DACCPM of MGH addressed the eight nominees for the Jeffrey B. Cooper Award during a virtual graduation and awards ceremony:

This person helps us overcome assumptions and fears that might be barriers to safety. They strengthen understanding, trust, and collaboration between providers. These elements are at the core of building relationships and resiliency. They are exemplary and they exemplify the values of Dr. Cooper.”

 “At first when I heard May [Pian-Smith] speak, I thought, ‘Who is that person who’s doing all the things I feel passionate about?? I have to hang out with them!’ And then when it dawned on me that she was describing me”, says Dr. Minehart,

“This person not only provides a spark for doing our best, she is the Olympic flame and a real fireball at that. She is Rebecca Minehart.”

“…I got a bit teary-eyed because it’s such an honor and a privilege to win this award named for one of my absolute favorite people, someone I completely look up to and who has taught me, by example, how to be a better human,” explains Dr. Minehart. “Especially with the fatigue and sadness from COVID setting in, it brought a burst of joy to me.”

The Center for Medical Simulation is beyond fortunate to have a leader like Dr. Minehart on our team and we are so proud of her most recent accomplishment. Congratulations, Dr. Minehart!