Chris is the Vice Chairman of the Emergency Department at Northwestern Memorial Hospital (NMH) in Chicago, Illinois.  NMH is the primary teaching facility for Northwestern University – The Feinberg School of Medicine where he is appointed as an Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine.  His secondary appointment is Assistant Professor of the Institute for Healthcare Studies.  He is a member of the Center for Safety in Emergency Care, a consortium of four academic emergency departments studying patient safety in emergency medicine, funded through AHRQ.  This same group has also received funding from the National Patient Safety Foundation to study transitions in emergency care.  He is the Director of Quality and Patient Safety for the emergency department at NMH.  Dr. Beach is a member of the Society of Academic Emergency Medicine, American Academy of Emergency Medicine, American College of Emergency Physicians, Chicago Patient Safety Foundation, Northwestern Institute on Complex Systems and Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society.  His research and academic interests include quality, patient safety, communication and transitions in emergency medicine.  

Dr. Beach completed a joint BS/MD degree through Rutgers University and Robert Wood Johnson Medical School-University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey in May 1994.  He completed a 7-year active duty service obligation in the United States Army Medical Corps in June 2001.  During this time he completed a four-year EM residency at Brooke Army Medical Center (BAMC) in San Antonio, Texas.  After graduating he remained as faculty at BAMC for the next three years directing the Prehospital Care and Observation Unit sections.  While there he deployed to Bosnia-Herzegovina for 8 months serving as the Chief of Emergency Care in support of Operation Joint Forge.  Prior to an honorable discharge, Dr. Beach was promoted to Major.

At Northwestern Memorial Hospital Emergency Department Dr. Beach has been involved in numerous academic and administrative projects.  He is the Chairman of the Quality Management Committee, a member of the Medical Staff and Trauma QM Committees, a member of the ED Operations and Executive Leadership Committees, and liaison to the Patient Representatives office for patient satisfaction.  He was awarded the Faculty Mentor and Role Model Award in 2001-2002 by the residents and completed the Physician Executive Management Course at the Kellogg School of Business in 2002.  Dr. Beach has numerous patient safety and operations publications in both journals and textbooks.  He has lectured at National and Regional meetings on patient safety in emergency care.  Most recently, he is a co-investigator in an AHRQ funded study evaluating an electronic handoff tool for care transitions in the emergency department.  This study evaluates the HANDOFF mnemonic for care transitions - History, Allergies/Medicines, New tests, Differential diagnosis, Ongoing Concerns, Finalizing care and Further Questions.  Refinement and validation of this tool is currently underway.

Beach C. Lost in transition. AHRQ WebM&M. February 2006. Available at: http://www.webmm.ahrq.gov/case.aspx?caseID=116

Behara R, Wears RL, Perry SJ, Eisenberg E, Murphy L, Vanderhoef M, Shapiro M, Beach C, Croskerry P, Cosby K. A conceptual framework for studying the safety of transitions in emergency care. Advances in Patient Safety: From Research to Implementation. Vol 1-4, AHRQ Publication No. 050021(1-4). Feb 2005. http://www.ahrq.gov/qual/advances

Cosby KS, Vinen J, Beach CB, Wears RL. Errors and Patient Safety: in Harwood-Nuss: Textbook of Emergency Medicine 4^th Ed. Lippincott Williams and Wilkins Publ., Apr 2005

Beach CB, Croskerry P, Shapiro M. Profiles in Patient Safety: Emergency Care Transitions. Acad Emerg Med 2003;10(4): 364-367.  PMID: 12670851