Teresa Frey has impeccable timing, starting her new role as regional chief quality officer in January 2020, right before the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic. She quickly realized the original goals she set for the region would have to wait. Thrown into uncharted waters, she focused on supporting caregivers working in the hospital setting by keeping them informed on constantly changing protocols and scientific guidance. Teresa became an invaluable calming force for her team during a time when there were numerous questions and concerns.
Her ability to be calm under pressure is a trait that has served her well since she began her 27-year career as an oncology nurse at St. Jude Medical Center in Fullerton. Working on the Meditech implementation spurred her interest in informatics. She learned to hardwire all the quality requirements into the EHR to support clinician workflow. The experience motivated Teresa to go back to school and earn her master’s degree in nursing informatics, leading to a new position as St. Jude’s director of clinical informatics and eventually to vice president, Clinical Excellence which blended informatics and quality oversight.
Teresa has a passion for ensuring quality at Providence hospitals. After witnessing her mother become the victim of medical error, it became her personal mission to design processes to better serve our patients. Equally important is her commitment to our clinicians, who experience stress and emotional turmoil when harmful events happen.
Teresa is a very approachable servant leader and likes having the ability to make an impact on a larger scale by serving our ministry caregivers.
Some interesting fun facts about Teresa:
- Teresa joined the U.S. Marine Corps right after high school. During her all-women boot camp at Parris Island, S.C., she was featured in a recruitment video while repelling for the first time.
- Teresa is qualified as an expert marksman with an M16 rifle.
- Teresa enjoys abstract painting, resin art and jewelry making. She likes to give her jewelry away at her neighborhood’s porch cocktail parties.
- Teresa is a grandmother! Her grandkids are 4 ½, 2 ½, and there’s one on the way.
