Sara Toomey

Sara Toomey is an Associate Professor at Harvard Medical School and holds leadership roles at Boston Children’s Hospital (BCH), including Chief Safety and Quality Officer, Senior Vice President, and Chief Experience Officer. She directs the federally-funded Center of Excellence for Pediatric Quality Measurement (CEPQM) and oversees experience efforts at BCH, focusing on patient safety, staff engagement, and organizational culture. Dr. Toomey’s research emphasizes pediatric care quality, disparities in healthcare outcomes, and interventions to improve care. She completed her MD and MPH at Harvard, residencies at Boston Children’s Hospital and the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, and a fellowship in Pediatric Health Services Research at Harvard.

Education: Holy Cross College (BA, 1993), Oxford University (MPhil, MSc, 1996 as a Rhodes Scholar), Harvard Medical School (MD, 2000), and Harvard School of Public Health (MPH, 2008). Professional highlights include developing pediatric quality measures, leading the Child HCAHPS survey project, and investigating racial/ethnic disparities in care experiences.

Research Interests: Dr. Toomey’s work focuses on measuring pediatric care quality, reducing disparities, and improving patient/family experiences. Key areas include patient safety reporting systems, health insurance gaps, and interventions addressing care coordination challenges. Her studies often bridge clinical practice and policy, such as optimizing transitions between care sites and evaluating electronic consultation systems.

Grants and Projects: Principal Investigator on NIH-funded grants and AHRQ/CMS-funded projects, including the CEPQM. Active in developing quality measures for pediatric transitions of care and disparities in inpatient experiences.

Labs/Teams: Leads the CEPQM and collaborates with BCH’s Center for Pediatric Primary Care. Engaged in multidisciplinary teams focused on improving care for children with disabilities and complex medical needs.