Diane Craig, MD

The best leaders are unafraid to make a change when a different path promises better results. Assistant Physician-in-Chief Diane Craig, MD, has that kind of courage.

In 1994, Dr. Craig became interested in the emerging concept of using hospital-based specialists, particularly as a way to improve quality and patient satisfaction.

With a remarkable blend of communication and diplomatic skills, she helped overcome myriad challenges in order to implement this revolutionary change in practice – in which inpatients are cared for by hospitalists, rather than by their primary care physicians. Her success in 1996 with this program led to Santa Clara becoming one of the country’s first major medical centers to use hospital-based specialists.

Dr. Craig’s groundbreaking work in Northern California attracted widespread admiration and an invitation to work on a national level to help forge the founding principles of hospital medicine. She also initiated major efforts to enhance inpatient safety, especially to improve processes related to medication administration. She helped change our culture by encouraging people to report medication errors and near misses, while providing the infrastructure needed to respond to such reporting.

Dr. Craig’s many innovations have been incredibly challenging, yet have always put us on the path to doing the right thing.