Becker’s Healthcare Podcast Advancing Professionalism and Clinical Excellence at Vanderbilt with Dr. Bill Cooper
Mar 6, 2026
Dr. Bill Cooper, Senior VP for Professionalism and Clinical Excellence at Vanderbilt and pediatrics professor, leads systemwide culture and safety work. He discusses Vanderbilt's credo and value-based evaluations. He explains brief peer 'cup of coffee' conversations, timely feedback after incidents, high success rates of peer interventions, and tiered responses for repeat issues.
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Use A Credo To Shape Professional Behavior
- Model and socialize a clear credo to set behavioral expectations for all clinicians.
- Vanderbilt embeds credo in orientation, leader evaluations (25% of leader score), and public credo awards to reinforce consistency.
Hold Leaders Accountable For Modeling Values
- Holding leaders accountable for modeled behavior amplifies culture change.
- Vanderbilt ties a quarter of leader evaluations to credo behaviors and evaluates every employee on the same standards.
Give Fast Peer Feedback With A Cup Of Coffee
- Give immediate, respectful feedback using brief peer conversations called a cup of coffee.
- Train thousands to deliver 60-second in‑the‑moment chats; 97% of issues resolved after this timely peer intervention.