This presentation is the 2013 Richardson Memorial Lecture at the school of medicine. Since its creation in 1998, the annual Richardson Memorial Lecture has sparked and sustained conversation at UVA on the sensitive subject of medical error. The annual lectures have brought to UVA noted experts on medical mistakes, communication about error, and the importance of clinicians' attending carefully to patients as persons. The 2013 Richardson Lecturer is internationally known patient safety expert Peter Pronovost, whose scientifically validated checklist protocol that was developed at The Johns Hopkins University is improving patient safety in health care institutions across the U.S. and the world.

Co-presented with the Patient Safety Committee, UVA Health System