Abrahamson Family Quality Improvement Fund

The Abrahamson Family Quality Improvement Fund was established by Carol Kirsh to support ongoing hospital quality improvement research. Carol and her late husband Roy Abrahamson shared a passion for Michael Garron Hospital – which is also shared with Roy’s son Dr. John Abrahamson, the Chief of Medicine and Program Medical Director at the hospital. As a way to celebrate John’s dedication and commitment to MGH as well as to acknowledge Roy’s legacy and the important role of the hospital in the life of her family, Carol established The Abrahamson Family Endowment Fund to support ongoing hospital research and innovation in the area of quality improvement.

Dr. John Abrahamson will match donations up to $25,000 per year made to this fund.

Donate to the Abrahamson Family Quality Improvement Fund 

The statistics are alarming:

• 1 in 10 adults contract an infection in the hospital
• 1 in 10 patients receive the wrong medication or the wrong dose
• More deaths after experiencing adverse events in the hospital occur than deaths from breast cancer, motor vehicle accidents, and HIV combined

Why invest in quality initiatives?

• Reduces opportunity for patients to be harmed by care delivery
• Creates a culture fostering patient safety
• Changes outdated practices and promotes innovation
• Encourages collaboration amongst physicians, administration, allied health providers, and community partners
• Validates new patient care protocols and ensures consistent care delivery
• Identifies simpler practices that increase efficiency and reduce the cost to the health-care system
• Creates a new generation of physicians dedicated to quality and patient safety through education initiatives

Recognizing excellence in quality improvement

Every year, the Abrahamson Family Quality Improvement Fund recognizes a student for their exceptional work to improve the quality of health care delivery. As the fund grows, it may be used to fund research projects conducted by medical learners.

• In 2017, the Abrahamson Award recognized LeRon Best for his work as research coordinator on a study called “Evaluating the efficacy of E-cigarette use for smoking cessation E3 trial.” This 5-year, multi-site project is investigating whether or not e-cigarettes can be effective smoking cessation tools to help smokers quit the habit.

• In 2016, the award recognized Mark Daubaras, one of ten Irish medical students who spent the summer working with clinicians at MGH as part of the John Bradley Clinical Research Certificate Program (JBCRCP), a collaboration between Michael Garron Hospital, the University of Toronto, and the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland supported by Michael Garron Hospital Foundation.

About Dr. John Abrahamson

Dr. John Abrahamson is Chief of Medicine and Program Medical Director at Michael Garron Hospital. He lives in the East Toronto community; both his daughters were born at MGH. He considers it a honor and privilege to serve his community. He has developed many care delivery programs and quality improvement projects that have improved patient care and outcomes at MGH.  A passionate educator, he also has fostered a supportive culture that has led it to maintain its status as the number one destination amongst family practice residents at the University of Toronto. He is passionate about educating learners in patient safety to improve care delivery and patient outcomes, and believes that our current and future success depends on improving care systems through quality improvement research.