Two faculty of the BerbeeWalsh Department of Emergency Medicine have been selected for the 2022-2023 cohort of the UW Health Physician Leadership Development Program.
Joshua Gauger, MD, MBA, assistant professor of emergency medicine, and Nicholas Kuehnel, MD, assistant professor of emergency medicine and pediatrics, will be part of the 27-member cohort taking part in the year-long program, in which participants learn valuable leadership skills, including how to work in cross-functional teams, manage change and communicate effectively. Each physician will attend 11 courses and work on a group leadership project using A3 thinking.
Dr. Kuehnel has held several leadership roles throughout his time with the Department of Emergency Medicine, initially holding the position of Medical Director of Pediatric Emergency Medicine. Given his strong interests in quality improvement and experience work he has additionally served as Medical Director of Quality and Experience as well as led the resident quality rotation and department Administration and Quality Fellowship program, as well as served as a QI Coach for the quality improvement thread through the medical school Forward curriculum.
In 2021, Dr. Kuehnel began leading the UW Health Kids quality program as the inaugural Medical Director for Quality and Safety. In this role, he strives to work collaboratively with leaders and staff across the pediatric system of care while also integrating safety, quality, and experience efforts related to pediatric patients closely with the broader UW Health system.
Dr. Gauger serves as Medical Director for the BerbeeWalsh Emergency Department at UW Health’s University Hospital, where he focuses on maintaining an efficient and productive care team to provide outstanding emergency care to every patient. Dr. Gauger also leads the quality improvement and patient safety curricula for the emergency medicine residency program within the Department of Emergency Medicine.