CAHME Announces the Reaccreditation of Georgetown University’s Executive Master’s in Clinical Quality, Safety & Leadership

CAHMEDana [email protected]

Georgetown University School of HealthKaren [email protected]

SPRING HOUSE, Pa. (April 22, 2026) - The Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education (CAHME) Board of Directors has approved the reaccreditation of Georgetown University's Executive Master's in Clinical Quality, Safety & Leadership (EM-CQSL) for an eight-year term.

The EM-CQSL program is a collaboration between Georgetown University's School of Health and MedStar Health. The online program is designed to reflect the complex, real-world environments that healthcare providers and patients encounter every day. It combines the academic rigor of a leading research university with the operational expertise of one of the region's largest healthcare systems.

"CAHME accreditation is a noteworthy achievement for the EM-CQSL program," said Christopher King, PhD, dean of the School of Health. "It affirms our commitment to preparing healthcare leaders for a complex and rapidly changing industry. Equipped with these competencies, our alumni will catalyze innovation, advance practice, and positively impact the lives of individuals and communities across the globe."

"We are proud of our CAHME reaccreditation," said Carole Hemmelgarn, MS, MS, program director of the EM-CQSL. "It is more than a milestone; it is a reaffirmation of our commitment to excellence. Accreditation ensures that our program meets the highest standards in healthcare education. By engaging deeply in continuous evaluation and improvement, we strengthen not only our curriculum, but also our mission to prepare leaders who advance quality, safety and transformational change in healthcare."

Courses are taught by experienced healthcare leaders and practitioners, including clinicians, executives, and patient safety experts, who bring deep, real-world insight to the classroom. Through this collaboration, students benefit from exceptional faculty, exposure to health system challenges, and opportunities to build meaningful professional networks across MedStar Health and the broader healthcare community.

Brian Gay, a hospital quality assurance director and graduate of Georgetown's EM-CQSL program, emphasized the value of the accreditation for students and the healthcare field.

"Knowing that Georgetown's EM-CQSL degree program is CAHME-accredited gives me confidence that the instruction and training I received as a graduate student was top-notch. Similar to the status afforded a hospital that has achieved Joint Commission accreditation, CAHME accreditation represents a 'seal of approval' for graduate programs in healthcare education, given the rigorous standards and criteria which must not only be met, but sustained. I'm proud to have graduated from one of only four CAHME-accredited programs in Healthcare Quality and Safety and believe doing so will benefit my professional career as well as the patients and communities I serve."

"CAHME's mission is to advance the quality of healthcare management education. CAHME-accredited programs have successfully navigated a complex and careful accreditation process managed by experts in the study and practice of healthcare management," said Al Faber, interim president and CEO of CAHME. "The program meets the rigorous standards set by leading academicians and practitioners who are experts in their fields."