The Drexel University School of Public Health recently extended its contract with the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) to analyze and evaluate its new data system, the National Firefighters Near Miss Reporting System (NFFNMRS) . The database has been modeled after the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) Aviation Safety Reporting System which has been a leading tool in the analysis of key safety errors that predict aviation incidents.
Dr. Jennifer Taylor, an assistant professor at the School of Public Health, is serving as the principal investigator. Dr. Taylor will explore the NFFNMRS to identify sentinels that indicate system redesign and educational opportunities to improve firefighter health and safety. Special emphasis will directed toward assessing the organizational climate in which firefighters work.
Dr. Taylor has been trained in the field of injury prevention and control, and uses its principles to address healthcare safety and quality issues. Her research focuses on system design for patient safety surveillance and the association between organizational culture and injuries to patients and nurses.
In addition to her scientific training, Dr. Taylor has extensive experience in state government, hospital quality management, and the basic sciences. She welcomes queries from, and extends mentoring to, students who are considering careers in these environments. Examples of past positions include: the Chief of Health Statistics and Data Management for the State of New Hampshire, and director of a CDC-funded program to establish emergency department data systems for injury surveillance at the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.
Dr. Taylor received her MPH in Health Services from the Boston University School of Public Health and her PhD from the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health.