The UNC Institute for Healthcare Quality Improvement (IHQI) supports the strategic goals of the UNC Health System and the UNC School of Medicine through its Clinician Leadership in Quality and Safety (CLQS) Scholarly Concentration program. This program provides a unique opportunity for both medical students and faculty mentors to collaborate on meaningful quality improvement (QI) initiatives that enhance patient care and hospital operations.
Through the CLQS program, faculty clinicians develop and lead QI projects within their departments or service lines, receiving support from a highly motivated medical student—known as a CLQS Scholar—who helps drive the project forward. Over the course of eight months, CLQS Scholars gain hands-on experience applying QI methodology to real-world challenges. They receive structured training through five dedicated learning sessions, key deliverables, and ongoing mentorship from their faculty mentor and the CLQS team, led by Dr. Casey Olm-Shipman.
On March 4, 2025, ten medical students presented their projects at the CLQS Symposium, showcasing how they applied QI tools to improve healthcare delivery and patient outcomes.
A list of the presentations featured at the Symposium is below:
- Improving Door to EKG time in the E.D. by Shantanu Srivatsa
- Revamping Prostate Cancer Screenings to Improve Shared Decision-Making Conversations and Enhance Equitable Care by Caroline Walton
- Cultivating Culture Culture in the UNC PICU by Elgin Yalin
- Connecting Families: Optimizing Proxy MyChart Access for Older Inpatients by Kainat Aslam
- Promoting Equitable Care for Hispanic, Latinx, and/or Spanish speaking Patients with Diabetes at UNC Internal Medicine Clinic at Panther Creek
- Improving Home Blood Pressure Documentation at UNC Family Medicine by Anna Caffrey-Bottoms
- Combatting Food Insecurity to Improve Hypertension Control in Black Patients by Ria Das
- Data-Driven Approach to Increase Utilization of Oncology Pathways by Maxwell Finkelstein
- Increasing Social Drivers of Health (SDOH) Screenings at UNC OB-GYN and Maternal Fetal Medicine Clinics by Korene Gbozah, MPH
- Implementing Video Review to Develop High Quality Trauma Care by Priya Vasan
You can view the 2025 CLQS Symposium here.