ASHRM Advisory Board Biographies
The ASHRM Advisory Board comprises a distinguished group of health care risk management leaders dedicated to advancing patient safety, reducing risks and fostering innovation across the health care continuum. Each member brings a wealth of expertise, diverse perspectives and a shared commitment to empowering professionals across the field. Explore their bios below to learn more about the individuals guiding ASHRM's mission and shaping the future of health care risk management.
Chris Allman, JD, CPHRM, DFASHRM
ASHRM Board President
Director of Compliance & Privacy, Medically Home
Christopher Allman, JD, CPHRM, DFASHRM, is the Director of Compliance & Privacy for Medically Home, a national Hospital at Home Provider located in Boston, Massachusetts. During his more than twenty-eight years as an attorney, Mr. Allman has focused his career on general health law, including all areas of regulatory compliance on the federal and state levels, health care risk management, and litigation. More specifically, Mr. Allman’s has provided expertise in areas of strict government regulation, such as Stark, Anti-Kickback Statute, False Claims Act and HIPAA, as those matters become increasingly complex in today’s environment. Mr. Allman is the co-author of “Case Law Update”, a column that appears in the quarterly American Society for Health Care Risk Management (ASHRM) Journal of Health Care Risk Management. He has also published articles and spoken on a variety of health care topics, including enterprise risk management, HIPAA, licensing matters, risk management in long term care facilities, and was a contributor to the ASHRM Healthcare Claims and Litigation Playbook, the ASHRM Leadership Playbook and an associate editor of the ASHRM ERM Playbook. Mr. Allman is a Certified Professional in Health Care Risk Management (CPHRM), a Distinguished Fellow of the American Society for Health Care Risk Management (DFASHRM), a Past President of the Michigan Society of Healthcare Risk Management, has served as the Chair of the ASHRM Advocacy Task Force from 2012-2014 and on the ASHRM ERM Task Force and as an ASHRM Advisory Board Member from 2020-2022. In addition to his current activity with the ASHRM, he is also an active member of the State Bar of Michigan – Health Law Section and the American Health Law Association. Mr. Allman graduated from Wayne State University Law School in 1996 and Hope College in 1992.
Katie DuFresne, RN, MSN, CPHRM, FASHRM
ASHRM Board President Elect
Executive Director of Clinical Risk Management, Indiana University Health
Katie Du Fresne, RN, MSN, CPHRM, is the Executive Director of Clinical Risk Management at Indiana University Health. She has been a registered nurse for over 20 years, having gained her clinical experience in inpatient hematology/oncology nursing. In 2003 Katie began working in health care risk management and in 2008 she earned the Certified Professional in Health Care Risk Management designation.
Katie completed the Charles Warren Fairbanks Fellowship in Clinical Ethics in 2011-2012, and she continues as a volunteer member of the IU Health clinical ethics consultation service and co-chairs the committee. She has previously served as an Adjunct Lecturer in the Department of Community and Health Systems at the Indiana University School of Nursing, teaching Applied Health Care Ethics to second-degree nursing students.
Katie served on the ASHRM Advocacy Task Force for four years and chaired the committee for two of the terms. She will serve on the ASHRM board starting in 2022.
Katie earned a Master’s Degree in Nursing and Health Systems Leadership from the University of Indianapolis in May 2015. She received a Bachelor’s Degree from Ferris State University in Big Rapids, Michigan, in 1997.
Tatum O’Sullivan, RN, BSN, MHSA, CPHRM, DFASHRM, CPPS, CHSP
ASHRM Board Immediate Past President
Senior Consultant – Health Care, Aon Global Risk Consulting
Tatum O’Sullivan, RN, BSN, MHSA, CPHRM, DFASHRM, CPPS, CHSP, is currently a Senior Consultant - Healthcare for Aon, with the Aon Global Risk Consulting team. She was previously the Director of Safety, Risk, and Patient Family Relations at Mass General Brigham Medical Group in Massachusetts. She has held various leadership roles, including Director of Risk Management at an HCA hospital in New Hampshire.
She is a Certified Professional in Health Care Risk Management (CPHRM) and Distinguished Fellow of the American Society for Health Care Risk Management (DFASHRM). Tatum is a dedicated member of the American Society for Health Care Risk Management (ASHRM), where she has served and chaired committees. She was previously elected to the advisory board and nominating committee and was the 2024 President of ASHRM.
She has been on the Board of the Northern New England chapter, which is affiliated with ASHRM, serving as Secretary and later as President in 2014 and 2017. She also served on the Board of the Massachusetts chapter as Secretary and as President in 2018. She has chaired and volunteered for various committees for the local chapters.
In 2016, Tatum received the Paulette L. Gagnon Award from the Northern New England Society for Healthcare Risk Management. This is the chapter’s highest honor and goes to members who have distinguished themselves in promoting the chapter, the profession of risk management, and in the development of other risk professionals.
Tatum is a Certified Professional in Patient Safety (CPPS) and a Certified Healthcare Safety Professional (CHSP). She is a faculty member for the ASHRM patient safety certificate program since 2017. She has presented on risk management and patient safety strategies locally, nationally, and internationally. She was a contributor on a publication for Health Care Management Review in 2017 and is a contributor to ASHRM’s Leading Health Care Risk Management Workbook and the Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA) Playbook. She is a registered nurse and holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and a Master in Health Services Administration.
Carolyn Bailey, B.S., CPHRM, CHSP
ASHRM Board Member
Director of Risk Management, Blessing Health System
Carolyn Bailey, B.S., CPHRM, CHSP, is the Director of Risk Management for the Blessing Health System located in Quincy, Illinois and has held this leadership position since 2008. The Blessing Health System consists of two hospitals, two large physician groups, a number of clinics, a four-year nursing and health sciences college, a captive, a foundation, TPA service for area employers who are self-insured, a CIN, and a group of medical specialty businesses (such as a linen company, durable medical equipment, retail pharmacies, etc.) all within a tristate region. Carolyn has oversight for the Risk Management Department on behalf of all the entities within the system and helped to create and sustain the system’s Enterprise Risk Management program. Prior to Blessing, Carolyn worked in the field of Risk Management for over twenty years. Carolyn has experience in all aspects of enterprise risk management, strategic planning, process improvement, safety and security, including co-chair of the health systems Workplace Violence Prevention Committee and Employee Safety Committee, business continuity and disaster preparedness, claims and litigation, loss control, insurance and risk financing. She has presented at various conferences, podcasts and was a contributor to ASHRM’s new ERM Playbook. She is also an instructor for ASHRM’s ERM Certificate Program. She currently holds the position of Vice President of ISHRM and has recently been appointed to serve on ASHRM’s Advisory Board. She is also completing her Master’s in Management and Leadership.
Janell Forget, RN, BSN, JD, CPHRM, FASHRM
ASHRM Board Member
Associate Vice President, Risk Management, UMass Memorial Health System
Janell Forget is currently the AVP of Risk Management for UMass Memorial Health and is responsible for all Risk Management activities for the UMass system which includes 5 acute care hospitals on 9 campuses, multi-specialty ambulatory clinics and a large behavioral health organization that provides both inpatient and outpatient behavioral health. Janell has over 30 years of pediatric critical care nursing experience and over 20 years of experience in Medical Malpractice defense as an attorney and risk manager and both acute and ambulatory Risk and Compliance Management.
In her 9 years with UMass Memorial Health, Janell has redesigned the risk management program into an enterprise program with close interaction with claims and the self-insurance program. Through her efforts and the change in process, department design and staffing models the system has moved from reactive to proactive risk management. Her approach to risk management focuses on culture, relationship development and education using data to reinforce change and process improvement.
Janell is also the past president of the Massachusetts Society for Health Care Risk Management (MSHRM), former Board Member of the Northern New England Society for Health Care Risk Management, Event Chair for the New England Regional Conference in 2023 and the former chair of the MSHRM Collaborative Call.
Janell received a Distinguished Service Award from the Massachusetts Society for Health Care Risk Management in 2021 for her efforts in re-establishing the MSHRM Collaborative call. She received Risk Professional of the year from the MSHRM Chapter in 2023. Janell is also a member of the ASHRM Faculty who assists with the teaching the HRM 3 curriculum.
Jose Guzman, MS, RN, CPHRM, DFASHRM
ASHRM Board Member
Vice President & Director, Risk Management, Hudson Insurance Group and Napa River Insurance Services, Inc.
Jose focuses on health care client services, organizing risk management processes and expanding the online risk management platform for Hudson Insurance Group and Napa River Insurance Services, Inc.
He has spent over 30 years working within the health care industry, over 14 of which were spent focusing on risk management and patient safety. He began his career as a registered nurse working in the Aging Service industry as well as in the acute care and public health settings. His clinical experience is diverse and includes familiarity with; medical –surgical and orthopedic care, critical care, renal transplant/dialysis services, pediatrics, disability management and public health. As well, he has held various nursing leadership positions. He is experienced in developing and performing clinical and operational risk assessments, supporting patient safety principles, and developing quality management programs.
Jose was elected to the American Society for Health Care Risk Management (ASHRM) Advisory Board for the 2023-2025 term, and since 2003, has been active on various ASHRM task forces and committees. Jose has been a principle guest lecturer during ASHRM’s annual conferences for more than ten engagements. Further, he is on the Board of Directors for The Association for Health Care Risk Management of New York (AHRMNY) since 2007.
In addition to being a national speaker on risk, quality and patient safety practices, Jose is also a published author on various clinical risk management and patient safety issues relating to the acute care, health care operations, and pediatrics and aging services sectors. Along with support from ASHRM, Jose republished and was a contributing author of Risk Management Pearls for Long-Term & Continuing Care and Aging Services, 3rd Edition in October 2015. He also authored a book chapter in Medical Malpractice Claims Investigation: A Step-by-Step Approach on defending negligence claims in the aging services environments.
Jose has maintained his license as a Registered Professional Nurse and holds a B.S. in Social and Behavioral Sciences, summa cum laude, and an M.S. in Health Services Management; with a minor in Human Resource Management, with Distinction. He was awarded the Distinguished Fellow American Society of Health Care Risk Management (DFASHRM) designation and is a Certified Professional in Health Care Risk Management (CPHRM).
Jean Hood, RN, MSN, CPHRM, CPPS, DFASHRM
ASHRM Board Member
Corporate Executive Director, Clinical Risk Management, AdventHealth
Jean B. Hood, RN, MSN, CPHRM, CPPS, DFASHRM, is the Corporate Executive Director of Clinical Risk Management for AdventHealth, a large not-for-profit, faith-based health care system that provides care across nine states. Jean oversees risk management strategies for the West Florida Division of AdventHealth.
Jean is an active member the American Society for Health Care Risk Management (ASHRM). She has earned the designation of Certified Professional in Health Care Risk Management (CPHRM) and the designation as a Certified Professional of Patient Safety (CPPS). She is recognized as a Distinguished Fellow of the American Society for Health Care Risk Management (DFASHRM). Jean received the award of ASHRM’s Risk Management Professional of the Year in 2021. The Clinical Risk team at AdventHealth, under her leadership, received ASHRM’s Patient Safety Innovation award in 2018. Jean has volunteered her time on many ASHRM committees and is currently on the ASHRM Advisory Board. Jean is a faculty member for ASHRM’s Risk Management Essentials team.
Jean is also very active in the Florida Society for Healthcare Risk Management and Patient Safety (FSHRMPS). Jean is a Past-President of FSHRMPS and has held several Board positions previously for the society. Jean coordinates a Florida state specific Risk Management 101 program for FSHRMPS and is a previous recipient of the society’s Professional Recognition Award in 2015.
Jean is a registered nurse with past roles that include critical care, nursing management, and performance improvement before becoming a leader in health care risk management.
Josh Hyatt, DHS, MBE, MHL, DFASHRM, CPHRM, HEC-C, CPPS
ASHRM Board Member
Director, Risk Education and Strategy, Med-IQ
Dr. Josh Hyatt is a Director of Risk Education and Strategy at Med-IQ and an adjunct professor at the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, teaching in various graduate programs. He is a Harvard Medical School graduate with a Master’s in Bioethics and received both a Doctor of Health Science and a master’s in health law from Nova Southeastern University. He is currently a Post Graduate Certification and Master’s degree candidate in Patient Safety at the University of Oxford. Dr. Hyatt achieved the designation of Distinguished Fellow of the American Society for Health Care Risk Management (DFASHRM). He maintains multiple professional certifications: Certified Professional in Health Care Risk Management (CPHRM), Certified Professional in Patient Safety (CPPS), and Healthcare Consultation in Ethics (HCE-C). He has worked in health care risk management and bioethics for over 30 years in a variety of clinical and regulatory settings. He speaks internationally on a variety of risk management, patient safety, leadership, social justice, and ethics topics. He is well-published in a variety of peer-reviewed journals, white papers, and books. He currently serves as the Editor for the American Society of Health Care Risk Management (ASHRM) Journal, a peer-reviewed periodical geared towards health care risk management and patient safety, and is a member of the 2024-2027 ASHRM Advisory Board of Directors. He has been recognized as one of America’s Leading Risk Managers and received numerous awards and citations for his commitment and contributions to health care.
Karen Markwith, RN, MJ, CPHRM, CPPS, CHSP, FASHRM
ASHRM Board Member
Division Director of Risk Management, Virginia Mason Franciscan Health System, Pacific Northwest Division
Karen Markwith, RN, MJ, CPHRM, CPPS, CHSP, FASHRM, is Division Dir. of Risk Management for Virginia Mason Franciscan Health System, Pacific Northwest Division, and a part of Common Spirit Health located in Tacoma, WA, experience includes National Dir. of Enterprise Risk Management for Catholic Health Initiatives with multistate responsibilities. Previously the Dir. of Risk Services for Franciscan Health System well as the Dir. of Provider Services for Franciscan Medical Group. Received graduate degree in Master of Jurisprudence in Health Law from Loyola Law School in Chicago and undergraduate degree in Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Pacific Lutheran University. Co-authored ASHRM 2016 Physician Office Risk Management Playbook as well as the Claims Management chapter for the 2017 Health Care Risk Management Fundamentals. Co-chair of ASHRM Annual Conference Committee for 2021, Chair of ASHRM Annual Conference Committee for 2022.
Myka Whitman, CPHRM
ASHRM Board Member
Lead Senior Patient Safety and Risk Solutions Consultant, MedPro Group
Myka leads the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic consultant teams at MedPro Group, the national leader in health care liability coverage. With over 25 years of experience in health care, her focus for the past 15 years has been on advancing health care risk management and patient safety. She has served as the chief risk officer and patient safety executive for three large, complex health care systems.
In 2017, Myka led a medical multidisciplinary team that was awarded the 2017 Showcase Champion Award by Florida Sterling Council. Study published in the Journal of Oncology Practice.
A registered nurse with a clinical background in emergency medicine and trauma services, she holds a master’s degree in health care administration. Myka is also a TeamSTEPPS® Master Trainer, Just Culture Certified, and has published articles focused on risk management and patient safety.
In addition to her professional role, Myka serves on the ASHRM Advisory Board and is a member of the ASHRM National Teaching Faculty. She is also a Director on the Florida Society Health Care Risk Management and Patient Safety (FSHRMPS) Board of Directors and actively participates in several ASHRM and FSHRMPS committees.