The Bergendahl Institute was established to transfer to the Healthcare Industry, 25 years of proven human error management techniques from the U.S. Nuclear Power Industry. The Institute’s mission is to reduce medical errors, improve patient safety programs and strengthen safety cultures.
The techniques used were developed through the sharing of experiences, best practices and lessons learned with other industries such as the Aviation and the Petrochemical Industries. Our experience has shown that these proven human error management techniques are easily applied and integrated into hospital processes and ambulatory care procedures such as radiation therapy.
The Institute team is made up of nuclear power and healthcare executives, managers and performance improvement professionals dedicated to rapid improvement in patient safety without the trial and error period that was required to attain advances in other industries.
Bergendahl Institute Bios
Howard W. Bergendahl, JD, MS, CPPS – President of The Bergendahl Institute, LLC
For more than 20 years Howard Bergendahl achieved excellent results in the commercial Nuclear Power Industry while holding various technical and management positions with responsibility for Plant Operations, Training programs, Quality Assurance, Regulatory Affairs and Safety. In his most recent position as Vice President – Nuclear, he served as an Officer for a large, mid-western Nuclear Operating Company, which, during his tenure set both safety and production records. Since forming the Bergendahl Institute in 2003, Howard’s efforts have been focused on transferring best practices from the Nuclear Industry to various health care organizations with an emphasis on human error reduction and safety culture improvement initiatives.
Howard Bergendahl holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology with a minor in Chemistry from the State University of New York, a Master of Science degree in Health Physics from the University of Florida and a Juris Doctorate degree from the Delaware Law School of Widener University. Howard is a licensed attorney, a Certified Professional in Patient Safety, a registered patent attorney and has been licensed by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission as a Senior Nuclear Reactor Operator.
Richard E. Lockwood, MA, CPHQ, CQA, RAB-IATCA – Associate
Richard is an experienced Performance Improvement Professional. For 25 years he has designed and implemented benchmark programs in Laboratory Services, Safety, Quality, and Process Reengineering. He held the position of Performance Improvement Manager at a large nuclear power generation company and has consulted with many others nationally and internationally. As a manager responsible for implementation, Richard successfully developed and implemented an integrated Performance Improvement Program that resulted in effective “error reduction management” and now serves as an industry model. In the Healthcare Industry, Richard has provided a wide range of services in the areas of quality, regulatory readiness, PI and Risk Plans, Medical Executive and Board presentations, incident investigation, risk analysis, core measure compliance, clinical and organizational improvement initiatives, Tracers, EOC and Emergency Preparedness, patient safety strategies, risk analysis, medical staff peer review, OPPE, process reengineering, and patient perception strategies. As a consultant and as a hospital employee Richard has lead improvement initiatives at the program development level, through implementation and as a member of the executive team. Richard has authored numerous articles, ASTM and ANSI Standards in the fields of Radiochemistry, Laboratory Services, and Quality and he has served in a leadership role on a number industry standard steering committees, including the founding of the NIST Laboratory Measurement Assurance Program. Richard has also authored numerous white papers covering root cause investigation and human performance in the acute care hospital environments.
Richard holds a Bachelor and Masters degree in Environmental Science – Human Ecology. Further studies include course work in public health. Richard is a Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality, Certified Patient Safety Officer, Certified Incident Investigator and Incident Investigation Trainer, Certified Team Facilitator, Certified SafeStart Trainer, RAB-IATCA, and received Six Sigma Black Belt training.
Connie M. Lincoln, M.Ed. – Associate
Connie has developed and executed successful organizational development interventions and training and development programs since 1979. Her skills in organizational and individual assessment, team building, leadership coaching and strategic planning have helped her clients to meet and exceed corporate objectives. Connie’s experience includes a variety of fields including health care, manufacturing, service, energy and agriculture. Connie led a team that exclusively worked on the recovery of a troubled nuclear power station and focused in particular on resolving Safety Culture issues. The American Society of Training and Development has recognized Ms. Lincoln’s achievements with a variety of awards including “Region 3 Professional of the Year” and “Executive of the Year.”
Prior to consulting, Connie worked in healthcare holding various management positions including Director of Education at a mid-size hospital in the Midwest. Ms. Lincoln’s graduate training is in Educational Technology and Human Resource Development.
Dee Haskins – Associate
Dee Haskins holds a bachelors degree in organization development and human resource management. She has over twenty-four years of experience in organization development, training, and human resource management. She has spent the past thirteen years focused on improving performance in the nuclear power industry. She has additional experience working with the leaders of various companies ranging from the newspaper industry to not-for-profit organizations. She is qualified to use many different tools for both individual assessments and organization culture assessments and to determine the appropriate interventions to improve performance. Dee is also an accomplished and respected instructor certified in Achieve Global, Franklin Covey, Innovations, Lominger, and Myers-Briggs, among others.
Robert W. Pell, MS, CIH, CHP, SRO – Associate
Bob’s extensive experience covers a broad range of Operational and Management experience focused on implementing excellent human performance. He has held various management positions including Operations Manger, Radiation Protection Manager and Chemical Operations Manager. As a Manager of various programs in high-reliability environments, in both the chemical and nuclear industries, he has developed and implemented highly successful programs. With experience in both government and private sector activities in multiple industries, Bob provides a wealth of experience to our clients. Bob is also a Certified Industrial Hygienist, a Certified Health Physicist and a has been a Licensed Senior Nuclear Reactor Operator responsible for oversight and operation of control room activities at one of the largest operating nuclear plants in the country. Bob has hands on experience in perfecting the successful error reduction tools advocated by the Institute.
Bob has a Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering from Northwestern University and a Master of Science degree in Environmental Engineering from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Additional Associates
The Institute works with a staff of Senior Associates, which primarily includes professionals who are active experts in their fields. Each member has 20 or more years of experience in their area of expertise and is carefully matched to the organizational needs of our clients. Our Associate members include specialists from various disciplines of Healthcare, Nuclear Power, Quality and Performance Improvement, Organizational Development, Education and Training. The right person is available to meet your short term or long term needs. Detailed resumes and Bios are available on request. We design your support team to provide maximize results and full implementation by ensuring you work with someone who has personally achieved the results you are seeking