Tag Archive for: ENT

Diego Preciado

Diego Preciado, M.D., Ph.D., named division chief of Otolaryngology

Diego Preciado

“It is the privilege of a lifetime for me to be able to continue my service to Children’s National in this leadership role,” said Dr. Preciado.

Children’s National Hospital has named Diego Preciado, M.D., Ph.D., as its new chief of the Division of Pediatric Otolaryngology. Dr. Preciado joined Children’s National in 2006 where he has practiced for the past 16 years.

“It is the privilege of a lifetime for me to be able to continue my service to Children’s National in this leadership role,” said Dr. Preciado. “Every otolaryngologist in the world knows of the extraordinary work and tradition of excellence established by my predecessor Dr. George Zalzal. I will work with the surgeon-in-chief to accelerate our mission by engaging our diverse and loyal faculty to become the global leader for complex pediatric otolaryngology care, research, education and advocacy.”

Dr. Preciado is a professor with tenure of Surgery and Pediatrics, Genomics and Precision Medicine at Children’s National and George Washington University. He holds the Joseph E. Robert Endowed Chair in Pediatric Otolaryngology, has served as the vice chief of the Division of Pediatric Otolaryngology for the past seven years, and the program director of the ACGME accredited Pediatric Otolaryngology fellowship since 2009. His clinical practice interests are primarily focused on pediatric airway reconstruction, childhood hearing loss/cochlear implants and velopharyngeal insufficiency.

Dr. Preciado’s translational research lab has been funded over the years through various awards including R01, U01 and R21 National Institutes of Health grants. He has authored over 130 peer-reviewed manuscripts, 20 book chapters, and has been an invited speaker regionally, nationally and internationally. In 2020, he received the Robert Ruben Scientific Achievement Award from the Society for Ear Nose and Throat Advances in Children.

He served as past president of the American Society of Pediatric Otolaryngology (2020-2021) and currently serves as president of the International Society for Otitis Media (2019-2023). He is a senior examiner for the American Board of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery where he also serves on the Complex Pediatric Otolaryngology Steering Committee.

“Given Dr. Preciado’s superb clinical, research and leadership background, we know the division is well-positioned for continued growth under his guidance,” said Dr. Anthony Sandler, M.D., senior vice president and surgeon-in-chief of the Joseph E. Robert Jr., Center for Surgical Care at Children’s National.

Electronic medical record on tablet

Combating ENT wrong patient errors

Electronic medical record on tablet

A recent article published in ENTtoday highlights specific ways ENT physicians can improve quality and care for patients to work towards eliminating wrong patient errors and achieving a zero-harm environment.

In the article, Rahul Shah, M.D., Vice President and Chief Quality & Safety Officer at Children’s National Health System, points out that ENTs are especially vulnerable to wrong patient errors (WPEs) due to the wide variety of settings in which they see patients. He asserts that with this knowledge in mind, ENTS can find ways to “block and tackle” to prevent WPEs from occurring. Key to success is the development of a supportive culture of reporting where all staff are encouraged and empowered to speak up.

“With any size of practice, you need to talk about safety and quality. If doesn’t have to be formal, and don’t overthink it. Something as easy as a safety huddle a couple of times a week goes a long way toward shaping the culture.”

Read the full article here.