It’s difficult to believe that the Telluride Roundtable is celebrating its 10th year anniversary. For those of us who have been attending since the early years, the journey seems somewhat surreal. My first year on faculty at the University of Illinois College of Medicine was the second year of the roundtables’ existence. Little did I know that when I was introduced to Dr. Dave Mayer, founder of the Roundtable, I would be forever changed. In 2005, I attended the second year of the roundtable and found myself at a table with some of the most well known safety and quality leaders in the world. We shared one goal, to create safety and quality educational opportunities for medical students, residents, and ultimately, all health care providers.
In reflection, those first few years of the roundtable were a labor of love. The passion, the intensity of the discussions, is almost indescribable. Our small group of experts, meeting each year in Telluride, grew to include patient advocates. Personally, I believe this was our tipping point; we found our touchstone. Together, we forged a path that has led us to the current roundtable summer camps and multiple other educational offerings across throughout the world.
As I engage once again in the Telluride Roundtable, 10 years after its humble beginning, I am convinced that the passion and intensity has not waned. Instead, it grows stronger with each resident, medical student, and nurse who joins us at the table. Each and every learner ultimately becomes a part of the solution, a reason to believe in the future of safe, quality driven healthcare. To the faculty, inaugural and current, and to the Telluride Roundtable alumni, I tip my hat to you all. Keep the Faith.