Building a Culture of Continuous Improvement Through Education and Teamwork

Cathy Coleman, DNP, RN, MSN, CNL, CPHQ, is an associate professor in the RN-MSN Program within the Graduate Nursing Department at the University of San Francisco School of Nursing and Health Professions. With experience spanning clinical practice, quality improvement, and academic leadership, Coleman enrolled in the Safety, Quality, Informatics, and Leadership certificate program at Harvard Medical School to deepen her expertise in health care quality and patient safety, strengthen her leadership skills, and further advance her teaching in these areas. What she found was a rigorous, transformative experience that reshaped both her professional practice and her approach to leadership education.

A Career Grounded in Quality and Improvement

Coleman’s career began in nursing more than five decades ago, with early clinical work spanning emergency care and oncology. Over time, she built a deep expertise in oncology nursing, spending nearly 30 years in the field and becoming nationally recognized for her work in breast center development. These experiences shaped her understanding of how interprofessional teams, systems, and leadership directly influence quality and patient outcomes.

“Nursing gave me really strong skills,” Coleman explains, “and allowed me to use my profession as a stepping stone for many different roles, jobs, and organizations.”

After years of clinical practice and consulting, Coleman transitioned fully into quality improvement, working with organizations focused on advancing care delivery and performance. She later earned her Master of Science in Nursing and Doctor of Nursing Practice, with doctoral work centered on team building and leadership. Today, she teaches in both master’s and doctoral programs, specializing in quality improvement and patient safety.

Deepening Expertise in Quality, Safety, and Leadership

Coleman was inspired to enroll in the Safety, Quality, Informatics, and Leadership certificate program after completing a prior executive course at Harvard Medical School focused on clinical operations and quality. That experience reinforced both the rigor of the instruction and the practical relevance of the content, prompting her to pursue a more comprehensive program.

As the subject-matter expert for quality education in her school’s master’s program, Coleman sought to deepen her expertise in several key areas: staying current with emerging approaches to quality and safety, strengthening her understanding of systems-level improvement, and gaining new tools that she could translate directly into her teaching and curriculum development. She was also motivated to learn from faculty and peers working at the forefront of quality improvement across diverse health care settings.
“I was very impressed with the breadth of knowledge, the innovation, and the reputations of the speakers and faculty,” Coleman says. “I wanted to stretch myself, and I think many people in my cohort felt the same way.”

She also valued the program’s global perspective. Her cohort included clinicians, quality leaders, and educators from around the world, all united by a shared commitment to advancing health care quality and patient safety.

Learning Through Teams, Reflection, and Rigor

From the outset, Coleman was struck by the program’s intensity and structure. “I didn’t realize how rigorous it was going to be,” she admits. “It turned out to be very time intensive, but absolutely worthwhile.”

Team-based learning played a central role. Working in a small group of six participants from organizations such as the Cleveland Clinic, Duke University, UCLA, and international institutions, Coleman engaged in deep collaboration and reflection.

“One of the most important takeaways was the team guide we completed early on,” she recalls. “It forced us to be honest with ourselves, our personalities, how we work, and how we collaborate.”

That tool proved so impactful that Coleman later adapted it for her own teaching, with permission from faculty. “Teams are so important,” she says. “That first assignment created the foundation for trust, honesty, and real collaboration.”

From Capstone Project to a New Academic Course

Coleman’s capstone project became one of the most tangible outcomes of her experience. She focused on an educational challenge: designing a doctoral-level course that would prepare future nurse leaders to approach quality, safety, and performance improvement through a systems lens.

With guidance from faculty mentors, Coleman refined an initially broad concept into a focused, achievable course. “This course was developed entirely through my capstone,” she says. The result was Quality, Safety, and Performance Improvement: A Systems Approach, a two-unit doctoral-level course now taught at the University of San Francisco, integrating concepts such as learning health systems, systems thinking, and innovative teaching strategies.

“As an academic educator, watching how the program was organized, the sequence, the flow, and the learning activities was incredibly valuable,” Coleman adds. “I learned not just new content, but also new ways to teach.”

Advice for Future Participants

For those considering the Safety, Quality, Informatics, and Leadership certificate program, Coleman offers encouragement grounded in experience.

She notes that the program is designed to engage participants deeply, while providing the structure and support needed to succeed. “This certificate program is a challenge and requires commitment,” she says, “but one that’s incredibly rewarding, meaningful, and worth investing in.”

Reflecting on the experience, Coleman describes it as both personally inspiring and professionally transformative. “We all need to continuously improve, no matter where we are in our careers,” she says. “This program truly creates a culture of continuous learning, and that’s something I carry with me every day.”