Dennis S. O’Leary, M.D. served as President of The Joint Commission from 1986 to 2007. Under his leadership, The Joint Commission successfully transformed its accreditation process to make it patient-centered and to emphasize evaluation of actual organization performance. The transformation set the stage for the progressive introduction of outcomes measures and national patient safety goals into the accreditation  process. Dr. O’Leary also spearheaded the launch of the Joint Commission’s public policy initiatives. The latter have addressed emergency preparedness, health professional education reform, and tort resolution and injury prevention, among others. Prior to joining The Joint Commission, Dr. O’Leary served as Dean for Clinical Affairs at the George Washington University Medical Center and Medical Director of its University Hospital.