James P. Bagian on patient safety initiatives. Interview by Deborah Mears

James P. Bagian, MD, is director of the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) National Center for Patient Safety (NCPS). With a focus on systems and an emphasis on "prevention not punishment," NCPS is working to improve patient safety, prevent health care errors, and nurture a culture of safety throughout the 173 VHA medical centers. Previously, Dr. Bagian served as deputy director of the Regional and State Programs Division, Office of Mobile Sources, Environmental Protection Agency. From 1980 to 1995, Dr. Bagian served as a NASA astronaut. He took part in both the planning and provision of emergency medical and rescue support for the first six Space Shuttle flights. In 1986, Dr. Bagian served as an investigator for the Space Shuttle Challenger accident. A veteran of two space flights (STS-29 in 1989 and STS-40 in 1991), Dr. Bagian has logged more than 337 hours in space. Dr. Bagian is currently an adjunct assistant professor of military and emergency medicine at the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences at F. Edward Herbert School of Medicine and also a clinical assistant professor of preventive medicine and community health at the University of Texas Medical Branch. He is a Colonel in the U.S. Air Force Reserve where he is a pararescue flight surgeon with the 920th Air Rescue Group. He has received the American Medical Association's Nathan S. Davis Award for outstanding public service in the advancement of public health. The NCPS received the 2001 Innovations in American Government Award given by the Institute for Government Innovation at the John F. Kennedy School of Government of Harvard University. The NCPS was the only federal organization to be so identified in 2001.