Gerald Hickson, M.D. 

Vanderbilt University Medical Center.  He is Professor of Pediatrics and Associate Professor of Family and Health Systems Nursing at Vanderbilt.  Dr. Hickson received his B.S. degree from the University of Georgia and his M.D. from Tulane University School of Medicine.  He completed his pediatric residency and a Fellowship in General Academic Pediatrics at Vanderbilt Children's Hospital.  Currently, Dr. Hickson serves as a member of the National Patient Safety Foundation Board of Governors. He has served as Chairperson of the Quality Care Committee for the National Association of Children's Hospitals and Related Institutions (NACHRI) and also was a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics’s Committee on Quality Improvement.  His research has focused on understanding why families file suit, why certain physicians attract a disproportionate share of malpractice claims, and how to develop strategies for identifying and intervening on high malpractice claims physicians.

E-mail: gerald.hickson@vanderbilt.edu, phone: 615-343-4500  fax: 615-343-8580

James W. Pichert, Ph.D.
CPPA Co-Director

James W. Pichert (Pronounced Pick-ert), of Nashville, TN, is an educational psychologist with special interests in learning and instruction.  He is a Professor of Medical Education and Administration at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, where he has been a faculty member since 1979.  His M.S. and Ph.D., both in education, were earned at the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana.  He received a B.S. in educational research from Bucknell University in Lewisburg, PA.

Jim has published more than 150 articles in education and health-related journals, has presented his research at many scientific meetings, and has received several awards.  He has presented many workshops on 'Effective Patient Teaching,' 'Promoting Patient Adherence,' “Communication Skills for Difficult Situations,” and “Identifying and Intervening with Physicians at High Risk of Lawsuits.” throughout the United States, Canada, New Zealand and Australia.  He has been active in research on racial health disparities in diabetes, and he has been an educational consultant to various health care institutions.

Jim works with faculty members associated with Vanderbilt's Office of Risk Management to develop and test programs on quality care, error reduction and risk management for health professionals.  Along with Dr. Hickson, Jim is a co-director of Vanderbilt’s Center For Patient and Professional Advocacy.  Together they develop strategies for identifying and intervening with health professionals who are associated with high numbers of patient and professional complaints. Jim and Dr. Hickson have presented many workshops for physicians and healthcare executives throughout the United States on strategies for addressing patient dissatisfaction with medical services and communicating about unexpected adverse outcomes and errors.