A Community of Concern: The Massachusetts Coalition for the Prevention of Medical Errors

One day in January 1997, John Noble, an internist from Boston City Hospital who I knew from somewhere—perhaps residency days—walked into my office and said, “We should form a state coalition for the prevention of medical errors.” His idea was to bring to the table the key players in health who tended not to talk much with one another—regulators and the regulated, academics and practitioners, etc.

Pathology at Boston City Hospital

This chapter discusses Fisher’s experiences as a neuropathologist and neurologist in training at the Boston City Hospital during 1949. This training propelled Fisher into a career in the field of stroke and cerebrovascular disease. The vigorous academic milieu implemented by the director of Boston City Hospital, Derek Denny-Brown, and the work ethic on the neurological unit were new experiences for Fisher. There, he contacted individuals who would prove to be role models, mentors, and colleagues during much of his later career. The neurology and pathology departments at the hospital are described in this chapter, as are the background and major characteristics of Drs. Derek Denny-Brown and Raymond Adams, the key physicians who trained Fisher at Boston City Hospital. Early discoveries about brain embolism are mentioned.