Kathleen W. McNicholas, MD, JD, CHC, CCEP, led the presentation Ethics and 20 years of HIPAA at the Virtual HIPAA Privacy and Security Summit 2020 on November 12.

Dr. McNicholas earned an MD from Jefferson Medical College magna cum laude and completed general surgery training at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center and served as a surgical house officer in London at the Hospital for Sick Children, Great Ormond Street. She remained at CPMC for cardiothoracic training and chief residency then returned to GOS as a senior registrar in the cardiac unit. Dr. McNicholas was chief of pediatric cardiac surgery at Deborah Heart and Lung Center prior to starting the cardiac surgery program in Delaware. 

Seeking a hobby, she studied law at the Delaware Law School and earned a JD cum laude and an LLM in health law with honors. After retiring from clinical practice, she completed a fellowship in patient safety leadership and became the medical director of performance improvement and patient safety and led the Just Culture program and CANDOR. Currently, Dr. McNicholas is a consultant and patient advocate.