Yael K. Heher: Rethinking M&M - Practical Quality & Safety Strategies to Improve Surgical Care

Morbidity and Mortality (M&M) conferences have long been a cornerstone of surgical education and quality improvement. Yet many institutions continue to struggle with transforming case discussions into meaningful, measurable improvements in patient care.

In this session, Dr. Yael Heher will explore how M&M conferences can evolve from retrospective case reviews into powerful tools for advancing quality, safety, and system-wide learning. Drawing on her extensive experience in patient safety, quality improvement, and healthcare leadership, she will present practical strategies for identifying system vulnerabilities, fostering a culture of psychological safety, and translating lessons learned into sustainable improvements.

Participants will learn how high-performing organizations use structured analysis, transparency, teamwork, and accountability to improve outcomes while maintaining an environment that encourages learning rather than blame. Through real-world examples and actionable frameworks, this lecture will provide tools that can be immediately applied in surgical departments, training programs, and healthcare organizations.

Whether you are a trainee, surgeon, educator, or healthcare leader, this session will offer valuable insights into creating safer systems and more effective quality improvement processes.

SPEAKER

Yael K. Heher, MD, MPH is an internationally recognized leader in healthcare quality, patient safety, and systems improvement. She serves as Chief Medical Officer of the Center for Quality and Safety at Massachusetts General Hospital and is an Associate Professor at Harvard Medical School.

Board-certified in Obstetrics and Gynecology, Dr. Heher has dedicated her career to improving healthcare systems through evidence-based quality improvement, patient safety initiatives, leadership development, and organizational learning. Her work focuses on creating cultures of safety, advancing high-reliability healthcare practices, and translating quality science into meaningful improvements in patient outcomes.

She is a frequent national and international speaker on healthcare quality, patient safety, leadership, and systems-based approaches to clinical excellence. Through her leadership roles at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, she has helped shape innovative programs that promote transparency, accountability, teamwork, and continuous learning across healthcare organizations.

Selected Areas of Scholarship and Leadership

• Patient Safety and Quality Improvement

• High Reliability Organizations

• Morbidity and Mortality Conference Innovation

• Systems-Based Learning

• Healthcare Leadership and Culture

• Team Performance and Communication

• Organizational Learning from Adverse Events

Professional Websites

• Beth Israel Lahey Health Leadership Profile – Chief Quality Officer, Beth Israel Lahey Health.

• Harvard Catalyst Faculty Profile – Harvard-affiliated faculty and research profile.

• Boston Children's Hospital Faculty Profile – Professional biography, education, and clinical appointments.

• ResearchGate Publications Profile – Publications in patient safety, quality improvement, diagnostic error, root cause analysis, and healthcare systems improvement.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

By the end of this event, participants will be able to:

1. Understand the evolving role of M&M conferences in quality and safety improvement.

2. Identify common barriers that prevent effective organizational learning from adverse events.

3. Apply structured approaches to event analysis and systems-based improvement.

4. Foster a culture of psychological safety and constructive discussion.

5. Translate lessons from complications into measurable improvements in patient care.

TARGET AUDIENCE

• Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons

• Surgeons of All Specialties

• Surgical Residents and Fellows

• Quality and Safety Leaders

• Department Chairs and Program Directors

• Healthcare Administrators

• Medical Educators

• Health Policy Leaders

FREE ONLINE LIVE EVENT

San Francisco: Monday, July 20, 2026 at 4:00 pm

Mexico City: Monday, July 20, 2026 at 5:00 pm

New York: Monday, July 20, 2026 at 7:00 pm

Rio de Janeiro: Monday, July 20, 2026 at 8:00 pm

London: Tuesday, July 21, 2026 at 12:00 midnight

Berlin: Tuesday, July 21, 2026 at 1:00 am

Johannesburg: Tuesday, July 21, 2026 at 1:00 am

Cairo: Tuesday, July 21, 2026 at 2:00 am

Dubai: Tuesday, July 21, 2026 at 3:00 am

Delhi: Tuesday, July 21, 2026 at 4:30 am

Manila: Tuesday, July 21, 2026 at 7:00 am

Sydney: Tuesday, July 21, 2026 at 9:00 am

LANGUAGE: The event language is English.

CE ACCREDITATION : surgeON is an ADA CERP Recognized Provider. ADA CERP is a service of the American Dental Association to assist dental professionals in identifying quality providers of continuing dental education. ADA CERP does not approve or endorse individual courses or instructors, nor does it imply acceptance of credit hours by boards of dentistry. surgeON designates this activity for 1 credit hour of continuing education credits.

DECLARATION

In accordance with criterion 13 of document UEMS 2023.07.rev “EACCME® Criteria for the Accreditation of Live Educational Events (LEEs)” and the Standard v. Commercial or Promotional Conflict of Interest, published by the American Dental Association Continuing Education Recognition Program (ADA CERP), all surgeON presenters sign a Conflict of Interest form to document all perceived or actual conflicts of interest for the last 3 years, whether due to a financial or other relationship. This document can be viewed at the beginning of the event or on request by emailing info@surgeon-events.org No fee, honorarium or arrangement for re-imbursement of expenses in relation to the this event has been provided to the speaker.