The Emily Jerry Foundation

The Emily Jerry Foundation The Emily Jerry Foundation is determined to help make our nation’s, world renowned, medical facilities safer for everyone, beginning with our children.

The Emily Jerry Foundation works passionately to help prevent and protect our loved ones from experiencing a medication error, like the one which tragically took the life of two-year-old Emily and unfortunately is very common, with medical errors the third leading cause of death in the U.S., and medication mistakes contributing to 43% of these deaths. How we are striving to achieve this is outline

d below and on our website at https://emilyjerryfoundation.org. EJF Objectives:

- To create an awareness of the prevalence and alarming rate of medication errors, medical procedure mistakes and lack of reporting by hospitals, medical caregivers and healthcare providers.

- To create an extensive and collaborative education program to benefit the entire healthcare community, government agencies, medical schools and pharmacy, professional organizations and general public.

- Help support, endorse and work in a collaborative spirit with medical device manufacturers to assure the production and placement of the technologies that provide needed safeguards.

- Work with existing organizations dedicated to enhanced medical safety systems to promote awareness, education, legislation, etc.

- Lobby to establish state and federal legislation that assures strict controls in professional training, education, testing and professional code of ethics for professionals engaged in medicine compounding, and to assure optimum medical safety delivery for all.

- Work for mandated error reporting systems within the entire healthcare industry where errors are reviewed, scrutinized and solutions shared and implemented.

- Create and implement a supportive counseling and therapeutic movement to assist those victimized and traumatized by medical error.

- Develop collaborations with select organizations devoted to grief counseling.

- Create a counseling program for medical practitioners responsible for medical mistakes. Most often, these individuals are also victims of an ineffective patient safety system.

- Create a collaborative association with medical and pharmaceutical professional organizations.

Twenty years ago, I lost my daughter Emily to a preventable medication error.The week before last, I stood on Kiawah Isl...
03/23/2026

Twenty years ago, I lost my daughter Emily to a preventable medication error.

The week before last, I stood on Kiawah Island delivering the keynote at the South Carolina Society of Health-System Pharmacists (SCSHP) 2026 Annual Meeting…surrounded by clinicians who have dedicated their lives to making sure tragedies like hers don’t happen again.

That’s something I don’t think I’ll ever stop pausing to reflect on, because this work was never part of the plan.

And yet, over the past 17 years, I’ve been given the extraordinary privilege of walking alongside a community of clinician caregivers who refuse to accept preventable harm as inevitable. What I’ve come to realize is something incredibly powerful and encouraging…I’m not alone in this work.

All the healthcare professionals I met at SCSHP embody that in every sense. These are not just experts in their field—they are people who feel a deep sense of responsibility for the safety of every single patient they serve. People who are actively redesigning systems, strengthening processes, and building safeguards so that human error never reaches the bedside.

And what continues to inspire me, every single time, is this:
They are just as passionate about this mission as I am.

Over the years, I’ve had the opportunity to see Emily’s legacy take shape in ways I never could have imagined, in classrooms, in legislation, in safety initiatives, and in the hearts and minds of clinicians across the country.

Moments like this past week are a powerful reminder of that.
Her story is no longer just my story...it lives on through all of you.
-Through your work.
-Through your commitment.
-Through the lives you protect every single day.

To the entire SCSHP community, thank you...not just for the opportunity to speak, but for the work you do day in and day out to strengthen systems, improve care, and prevent the preventable.

I am so incredibly grateful to be on this journey with you!

Together, we are turning tragedy into purpose, saving countless lives in the process…and moving closer and closer to zero preventable harm.

Emily Jerry Foundation SCSHP Social Account

Last week I had the honor of delivering the opening keynote at the Pacific Coast Patient Safety Conference in beautiful ...
03/06/2026

Last week I had the honor of delivering the opening keynote at the Pacific Coast Patient Safety Conference in beautiful Monterey, California, hosted by the California Society of Health - System Pharmacists and Chapman University School of Pharmacy.

Each time I’m invited to speak at events like this, I’m reminded how deeply meaningful this journey has become.

Sharing Emily’s story during my presentation, “From Tragedy to Triumph: Mitigating the Risk of Human Error to Save Lives,” is never easy. But being in a room filled with clinician caregivers who dedicate their lives to protecting patients, ensuring the best possible outcomes, and improving medication safety makes these moments incredibly powerful.

Seventeen years ago, after the loss of my daughter Emily due to a preventable medication error, I could never have imagined that this would become my life’s work. Yet through the Emily Jerry Foundation, I’ve been given the profound privilege of collaborating with some of the most dedicated clinician caregivers in healthcare…people who show up every day with a shared commitment to one simple goal: preventing the preventable.

I was also honored to participate in a Regulatory Panel discussion with Anne Sodergren from the California Board of Pharmacy and Rita Jew from the Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP). Conversations about how regulation, culture, and system design intersect are essential as we continue working toward safer healthcare.

My sincere thanks to the California Society of Health - System Pharmacists, Chapman University School of Pharmacy, and everyone who helped make this conference such a meaningful experience.

If sharing Emily’s story helps even one clinician pause, rethink a process, or strengthen a safety system, then her legacy continues…moving us one step closer to preventing tragedies like hers from ever happening again.

Preventing the preventable! Patient safety is a responsibility we all share on every level!

Tomorrow, I’m really looking forward to heading to Monterey, California to speak on behalf of the Emily Jerry Foundation...
02/24/2026

Tomorrow, I’m really looking forward to heading to Monterey, California to speak on behalf of the Emily Jerry Foundation at the Pacific Coast Patient Safety Conference, hosted by the California Society of Health - System Pharmacists.

But today is even more meaningful, in that its caused me to really reflect on this journey I've been on for so many years.

Today we celebrate Emily’s heavenly birthday. She would be 22 years old. Seventeen years ago, when I first established the Emily Jerry Foundation, I never imagined this would become my life’s work. It’s certainly not a conventional career path. Yet I have been given the profound privilege of collaborating with some of the most dedicated clinician caregivers in the world, pharmacists, technicians, nurses, physicians, safety leaders, all united by one shared mission: preventing the preventable.

On Thursday, I’ll be sharing Emily Jerry’s story in my presentation, “From Tragedy to Triumph: Mitigating the Risk of Human Error to Save Lives,” and participating on a regulatory panel discussion examining the role regulations play in advancing patient safety across our healthcare systems.

Human error is inherent in healthcare. It is also at the root cause of virtually every preventable medication error, including the one that took Emily’s life in 2006.

The solution is not perfection from people. The solution is building high reliability systems, processes, and protocols that protect both patients and caregivers.

This work certainly hasn’t been easy. But if there is just one more student, one more pharmacist, one more clinician caregiver who needs to hear Emily’s story and the valuable lessons learned, I will keep showing up. Because this isn’t just another job....It’s a calling!

To learn more about the Emily Jerry Foundation and to consider making a charitable contribution to support our mission to improve medication safety please visit: www.emilyjerryfoundation.org

Happy 22nd Heavenly Birthday, my beautiful Emily!Today, you would be 22 years old.No matter how much time passes, you wi...
02/24/2026

Happy 22nd Heavenly Birthday, my beautiful Emily!

Today, you would be 22 years old.

No matter how much time passes, you will always be my baby girl.

This day has always been bittersweet. I still remember the joy of hearing you were cancer-free after five months of treatment. We believed we were preparing to bring you home to begin the rest of your beautiful life. Instead, just days later, we lost you to a preventable medication error.

There was a time when all I could see was complete devastation. I cried out to God in confusion and heartbreak. But over time, through faith and grace, I’ve come to understand something so much deeper.

As Romans 8:28 reminds us:
"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose."

I could never have imagined anything “good” that might come from such an unimaginable loss. Yet for the past 17 years, I have witnessed it first-hand.

I’ve seen it in the eyes of so many PharmD students who tell me they now feel “responsible” for the safety of their future patients.

I’ve seen it in clinician caregivers and medication safety leaders who are laser focused on designing and implementing systems so that human error does not reach the bedside.

I’ve seen it in pharmacy technician reforms, in CE-accredited education programs, in the Medication Safety Scholars who are dedicating their careers to preventing harm.

And I’ve seen it in the incredible medication safety community I’ve been so blessed to work alongside… pharmacists, technicians, nurses, physicians, engineers, administrators, regulators, educators, and industry innovators…who refuse to accept preventable harm as inevitable.

Emily, your two short years on this earth continue to ripple outward in ways I never could have imagined.

To all my friends and colleagues in the patient and medication safety community…thank you from the bottom of my heart. Thank you for honoring her life not just with words, but with action. Thank you for strengthening systems, improving processes, embracing transparency, and protecting patients and families you may never even meet.

If Emily’s story has impacted your work in any way over the years, I would be honored if you shared how. Her legacy continues to live on through all of you!

Sweetheart, I miss you every single day, but find great comfort in knowing I'll see you again one day.

Happy Birthday, my precious girl!

Until we meet again.
Love you always,
Daddy

The week before last truly meant a great deal to me. I was honored to be invited back to Touro College of Pharmacy to de...
02/05/2026

The week before last truly meant a great deal to me. I was honored to be invited back to Touro College of Pharmacy to deliver another Dean’s Hour lecture, after having the privilege of speaking there last April.

Spending time with PharmD students and faculty in this setting is always deeply humbling. These students aren’t simply earning a degree, they are preparing to assume an enormous responsibility as future leaders in medication safety. Very soon, patients and families will place their trust in them during some of the most vulnerable moments of their lives.

When I share Emily’s story and the lessons learned from it, my hope is never to instill fear. It’s to help students understand the very human side of healthcare…to recognize that we all become patients at some point, as do the people we love, and that medication safety must be intentionally designed into every system, process, and decision they make.

What stood out during this Dean’s Hour was the thoughtfulness with which these students engaged. Their questions reflected not just curiosity, but true ownership of the responsibility they are preparing to carry.

That's what gives me real hope!

I’m incredibly grateful to my friend, Batoul Senhaji-Tomza, PharmD, MPH for welcoming me back and for her continued commitment to shaping pharmacists who understand that preventing harm is not optional, it is foundational to their profession.

Every time I speak with pharmacy students, I leave encouraged. They are our future leaders in medication safety, and Emily’s legacy will live on through the patients they protect and the systems they improve.

To learn more about the Emily Jerry Foundation and to consider making a charitable contribution to support our mission to improve medication safety please visit: www.emilyjerryfoundation.org

Photo credit: Rebecca Rosen

I’m still reflecting on what an incredibly meaningful experience it was, the week before last, to be invited to speak on...
02/04/2026

I’m still reflecting on what an incredibly meaningful experience it was, the week before last, to be invited to speak on behalf of the Emily Jerry Foundation at the New York City Society of Health-system Pharmacists (NYCSHP) Winter Exhibit, hosted at Touro College of Pharmacy in Times Square.

I am deeply grateful to the NYCSHP leadership and membership for the opportunity to share Emily’s story and to spend time with such an engaged, thoughtful community of pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, students, and health-system leaders. The conversations, reflections, and messages shared afterward were truly humbling and affirming.

It’s been such an awesome privilege over the years, to be immersed alongside the clinician-caregiver experts, especially those in pharmacy leadership, who are relentlessly committed and just as passionate as I am about collaborating together to improve medication safety. Our missions are perfectly aligned: modifying core systems, processes, and protocols to reduce the risk of human error, preventing the preventable, and ultimately saving lives.

Thank you for welcoming me so warmly and for the important work you do every single day. Together, we truly do move closer to zero preventable harm!

To learn more about the Emily Jerry Foundation and consider making a charitable contribution to support our mission to improve medication safety please visit: www.emilyjerryfoundation.org

I’m really looking forward to heading to New York City this morning for two very meaningful speaking engagements at Tour...
01/21/2026

I’m really looking forward to heading to New York City this morning for two very meaningful speaking engagements at Touro University’s College of Pharmacy.

This journey began with an invitation to deliver a CE presentation at the NYCSHP Winter Exhibit, which is an annual professional gathering hosted by the New York City chapter of the New York State Council of Health-System Pharmacists. I’m deeply grateful to Marina Barsoum, PharmD, BCOP, President of NYCSHP, and Tamara Oz (Hernandez), President-Elect, for reaching out and giving me this wonderful opportunity. This event brings together pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, student pharmacists, and health-system professionals with a shared commitment to learning, collaboration, and, most importantly, improving medication safety.

Once the faculty at Touro University’s College of Pharmacy learned I would already be on their Times Square campus, they asked if I would also be willing to provide a Dean’s Hour lecture for their P1 PharmD students. I didn’t hesitate
for a second. I’m especially thankful to my friend Batoul Senhaji-Tomza, PharmD, MPH, who is an Associate Dean and Professor at Touro, for inviting me back once again. Being welcomed to lecture to their students for a second year is truly an honor.

I feel incredibly privileged to spend time with our future healthcare leaders and to continue sharing Emily’s story and the lessons learned through the work of the Emily Jerry Foundation. Opportunities like these just reinforce why this mission matters so deeply: modifying core systems, processes, and protocols to reduce the risk of human error, working together to prevent the preventable, and ultimately saving countless lives.

Grateful to Touro University’s College of Pharmacy, NYCSHP, and to all the dedicated clinician-caregivers committed to advancing medication safety and moving us closer and closer to zero preventable harm.

To learn more about the Emily Jerry Foundation and consider making a charitable contribution to support our mission to improve medication safety please visit: www.emilyjerryfoundation.org

I was very grateful for the opportunity to speak at the Clara Maass Medical Center Leadership Retreat at Glen Ridge Coun...
12/17/2025

I was very grateful for the opportunity to speak at the Clara Maass Medical Center Leadership Retreat at Glen Ridge Country Club in New Jersey the week before last. Sharing Emily’s story, and the valuable lessons learned from her tragic and preventable medication error is never easy, but it remains the work I feel profoundly called to do.

There was something especially fitting about doing this work with an institution named after Clara Maass. A nurse whose legacy embodies extraordinary courage and selflessness, Clara volunteered in 1901 for medical research aimed at better understanding yellow fever, ultimately giving her life in service to advancing patient care and saving others. Her story is a powerful reminder that healthcare has always demanded bravery, humility, and an unwavering commitment to learning to improve patient care and prevent harm.

For more than 16 years, my work with the Emily Jerry Foundation has been guided by a simple truth: safer care is not achieved through individual vigilance alone, but through strong systems and committed leadership. I am continually inspired by frontline clinicians, the pharmacists, nurses, physicians, and technicians, who dedicate themselves every day to protecting patients, saving lives, and improving the quality of lives of people diagnosed with all kinds of various chronic disease states. Equally critical is the role of healthcare executives and system leaders who really understand that safety begins at the top. Culture, resources, and thoughtful system design are not optional; they are absolutely essential.

What stood out during this retreat was the shared recognition that while human error is inevitable, harm is not. When organizations truly invest in building highly reliable systems focused on safety, that support learning, transparency, and accountability, real and sustainable change becomes possible.

I am deeply grateful to the Clara Maass leadership team for their openness, engagement, and commitment to advancing a true culture of safety. Through partnerships like these, Emily’s legacy continues to live on, making a huge difference that is ultimately helping to save countless lives.

To learn more about the Emily Jerry Foundation and consider making a charitable contribution to support our mission to improve medication safety visit: www.emilyjerryfoundation.org

I was truly honored to represent the Emily Jerry Foundation last week at Mount Sinai Health System, where I had the priv...
11/25/2025

I was truly honored to represent the Emily Jerry Foundation last week at Mount Sinai Health System, where I had the privilege of delivering the keynote address to kick off their Medication Safety Together – An Interdisciplinary Summit for Shared Learning and Safer Systems. It was an extraordinary day, one I will remember for a very long time.

What made this presentation so meaningful for me wasn’t just the summit itself, it was the incredibly heartfelt response from the clinicians in attendance. Receiving a standing ovation for Emily’s story, and for the work I’ve been doing so passionately in medication safety for more than 16 years, was profoundly humbling. One nurse kindly shared, “There were no dry eyes in the room for our dear Emily.” Hearing dedicated caregivers refer to my beautiful daughter as “our dear Emily” touches me more than I can express. I often remind the healthcare teams I work with that the guardian angel in the EJF logo, designed in Emily’s likeness, wasn’t chosen because I see her only as my guardian angel… she is theirs as well.

Moments like this remind me of the very unconventional path I’ve been on since 2006, when I lost my beautiful daughter to a tragic and preventable medication error on what should have been her last day of treatment. It’s a path I never would have chosen, but one that God has continued to guide with purpose. Through Emily’s legacy, He has opened doors to work alongside remarkable clinicians, educators, and healthcare leaders across the country, all striving toward the same shared mission of zero preventable harm.

What struck me most at Mount Sinai was the deep commitment their entire team has to fostering a true culture of safety. The thoughtful posts shared afterward by leaders across the system, expressing their dedication to transparency, learning, and supporting their teams, were all incredibly inspiring. Their passion for improving systems, processes, and protocols, aligned perfectly with everything the Emily Jerry Foundation advocates for.

A heartfelt thank you to the outstanding team at Mount Sinai who made this summit such a tremendous success. People like, Joe Pinto, Beth Oliver, David Reich, Mackenzy Scott,MBA,RN, Kim Zammit, Isabella Royes, Simone Muller, and so many others whose hard work and vision made this event possible.

I genuinely look forward to continuing this life saving work together improving medication safety and preventing the preventable!

Learn more about the Emily Jerry Foundation and consider making a charitable contribution to support our mission to improve medication safety visit: www.emilyjerryfoundation.org

I’m really looking forward to heading to New York City today, where I’m deeply grateful for the opportunity to give an i...
11/17/2025

I’m really looking forward to heading to New York City today, where I’m deeply grateful for the opportunity to give an important keynote address at Mount Sinai Health System's “Medication Safety Together: An Interdisciplinary Summit for Shared Learning and Safer Systems.”

It’s so humbling to have been given the opportunity to help kick off such an important program that brings together so many incredible clinician caregiver experts from all modalities who have the exact same goal and vital mission…preventing the preventable and ultimately saving lives!

Over the past 19 years, my career has taken a very unconventional path, one I never could have imagined before losing my beautiful daughter Emily in 2006 to a tragic but preventable medication error. Out of that heartbreak, the Emily Jerry Foundation was born, and since then I’ve had the incredible privilege of working side by side with some of the most passionate and brilliant caregiver experts across every healthcare modality.

Together, we’ve focused on what truly matters: modifying core systems, processes, and protocols to reduce the inherent risk of human error and strengthen the reliability of care delivery. Every conversation, every collaboration, and every opportunity like this reminds me how much I love this calling and how grateful I am for the clinicians who share this mission.

To everyone attending the summit tomorrow, a heartfelt thank you for your dedication to safer systems and to advancing this shared journey toward Zero Preventable Harm. It’s through partnerships like these that we continue turning tragedy into purpose, and purpose into lasting change.

To learn more about the Emily Jerry Foundation and consider making a charitable contribution to support our mission to improve medication safety visit www.emilyjerryfoundation.org

Celebrating 12 Years of Progress in Pharmacy Technician Oversight and Overall Medication Safety Improvement!What began w...
10/16/2025

Celebrating 12 Years of Progress in Pharmacy Technician Oversight and Overall Medication Safety Improvement!

What began with unspeakable heartbreak after Emily’s preventable medication error has grown into a lifelong mission: ensuring no other patient or family ever endures a similar tragedy.

Over the past 16+ years, I’ve had the privilege and the immense blessing of working alongside incredible clinician leaders, educators, and industry innovators to advance safer systems, strengthen processes, and inspire the next generation of healthcare professionals who share the same passion for preventing the preventable.

When the Emily Jerry Foundation launched the National Pharmacy Technician Initiative and Interactive Scorecard in 2013, our goal was simple yet ambitious: to raise awareness and drive reform in how pharmacy technicians are trained, certified, and overseen across the U.S.

This interactive map, developed by EJF and powered by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP), was designed to highlight disparities among states and promote stronger, safer standards for IV medication preparation in hospitals and health systems nationwide.

Today, I’m proud to share that our 2025 update marks another major step forward:
✅ 17 states improved their overall
scores this year.
✅ In 2013, five states had a “0”
score—no oversight of pharmacy technicians. Today, we’re down to just one.
✅ 22 states now earn a “B” score or
higher, compared to just 13 in 2013.

This progress reflects more than a decade of collaboration and shared commitment to patient safety. It shows what’s possible when foundations, clinician caregiver experts, healthcare organizations, regulators, and policymakers unite to drive lasting change.

A sincere thank-you to Doug Scheckelhoff and his outstanding team at ASHP for their partnership, data, and dedication to fairness and transparency, each vital to this initiative’s success.

Looking ahead, I’m excited to continue collaborating with the ASHP state affiliates who recognize the vital importance of having well-educated, career-oriented pharmacy technicians on their teams to ensure medication safety. The Emily Jerry Foundation and I personally stand ready to support and collaborate in any way possible to advance technician oversight and these vital medication safety initiatives.

Let's keep fighting the good fight and keep this positive momentum moving forward…until one day, our nation achieves straight “A”s across the board!

Learn more about this important initiative at www.emilyjerryfoundation.org

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23220 Chagrin Boulevard , Suite 476
Beachwood, OH
44122

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+14402898662

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