May 8, 2006

William “Bill” Dunwoody, Director of Operations for Delta Ambulance, Waterville, Maine, was selected by the leadership of the American Society for Quality Healthcare Division to take on the responsibility of representing the organization as Region 1 Councilor. In this position, Bill will be responsible for coordinating resources for ASQ Healthcare Division members in the entire Northeast Region and contributing to the management of the Division. The Region consists of the States of Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont.

Bill has a long history of contribution to the cause of quality in healthcare. He was a founding member of the Kennebec Valley EMS Council’s Quality Improvement committee and was responsible for the initial development of the process for quality improvement currently used by this committee. Bill prompted the formation of the Maine EMS Quality Improvement Committee during his tenure as a member of the Board of EMS and served as this group’s first chairperson. He has also contributed to the body of knowledge of quality improvement with several publications including a contribution to the National Association of EMS Physician’s book, “Improving Quality in EMS, Second Edition.” In addition, Bill was the leader and primary writer in the 2000 application which resulted in Delta Ambulance being recognized with the Margaret Chase Smith Maine State Quality Award, Level 1—Commitment, an award based on the Malcolm Baldrige Criteria for Performance Excellence.

As the Region 1 Councilor of the American Society for Quality Healthcare Division, Bill hopes to expand the role of the Society in the provision of resources and education in the management of quality in healthcare including patient safety initiatives and plans to expand the role and knowledge of EMS organizations and other allied health agencies in the realm of healthcare quality management.

Bill is a 1998 B.S. and 2001 M.B.A. graduate of Thomas College. He is a member of the American Society for Quality and the National Association for Healthcare Quality and holds professional certifications from the American Society for Quality as a Certified Quality Improvement Associate (CQIA) and a Certified Quality Manager (CQMgr).He is also a licensed Paramedic through the Maine Bureau of Emergency Medical Services.