Patients for Patient Safety US Welcomes Charity Watkins and Vonda Vaden Bates to Its Board of Directors

Two nationally recognized patient safety advocates join PFPS US as the organization expands its work in diagnostic excellence and patient and family engagement

ATLANTA, GA, UNITED STATES, September 30, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — Patients for Patient Safety US (PFPS US) today announced the appointment of Dr. Charity S. Watkins and Vonda Vaden Bates to its Board of Directors.

Both bring lived experience of diagnostic errors together with perspective on the role of bias as a contributor to avoidable harm in health care. Their appointments strengthen PFPS US leadership as it drives change, including expansion of research and measurement of diagnostic accuracy and timeliness, effective use of patient reported outcomes and experience measures, and a nationwide effort to harness the power of AI to prevent patient harm.

Dr. Charity S. Watkins is an Associate Professor of Social Work at North Carolina Central University whose work centers patient engagement, health equity, and social advocacy in maternal health. Informed by her lived experience navigating a delayed diagnosis of peripartum cardiomyopathy, her research focuses on severe maternal morbidity and integrating social workers into obstetric care to improve outcomes. Her scholarship and leadership have contributed to national conversations on healthcare quality and safety and on equitable, patient-centered care.

Vonda Vaden Bates is an alliance builder, leadership coach, and organizational development consultant with more than 30 years of experience, and CEO and Senior Consultant of 10th Dot^®. A nationally and internationally recognized patient safety advocate since 2013, Vonda speaks from her family’s experience losing her husband to a preventable hospital-acquired venous thromboembolism (VTE). Her advocacy spans Patients for Patient Safety US, the Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation, the Patient Safety Movement Foundation, the World Health Organization, US government agencies, and the broader healthcare industry. “Charity and Vonda each know, in the most personal way, why patient safety cannot be an afterthought,” said Sue Sheridan, Chief Executive Officer of PFPS US. “Their voices, judgment, and leadership will make our board stronger and our mission sharper. We are honored to welcome them.”

“I am deeply honored to join the Board of Directors of Patients for Patient Safety US. As a heart patient, survivor of delayed diagnosis and misdiagnosis, researcher, social worker, and advocate, I believe lived experience must help shape the systems and policies that determine the safety and quality of care,” said Dr. Charity S. Watkins. I look forward to advancing safer, more equitable, and accountable healthcare alongside fellow advocates and leaders.”

“PFPS centers patient perspectives while convening all contributors in the healthcare ecosystem to ensure healthcare is safe care,” said Vonda Vaden Bates. “I couldn’t be more honored to advance this important work as a board member.”

About Patients for Patient Safety US

Patients for Patient Safety US is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2021 and based in Smyrna, Georgia. PFPS US advances patient safety through advocacy for diagnostic excellence, structural safety reform, and the authentic engagement of patients and families in healthcare policy and practice. Learn more at pfps.us.

Armando Nahum
PFPS US
email us here
+1 4045108787

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