Meet Dr. Aarthi Vijaykumar

Where do you live?
The northwest suburbs of Chicago, Illinois

Why did you choose Jefferson?
I chose Jefferson because of its strong reputation in population health, healthcare quality, and systems improvement. The Healthcare Quality & Safety program gave me the opportunity to build skills in applied improvement science and develop interdisciplinary, team-based solutions capable of driving meaningful and measurable changes in community healthcare settings.

Describe your capstone and why you were interested in that topic.
My capstone advanced an ongoing regional quality improvement initiative focused on reducing postoperative acute kidney injury (PO-AKI) across 26 community hospitals in the Advocate Health Midwest Region. The work combined evidence-based perioperative practices, clinical decision support, and interdisciplinary implementation strategies to improve outcomes in real-world healthcare settings. I was drawn to this topic because, as a practicing nephrologist, I was often consulted after acute kidney injury had already occurred and could identify multiple opportunities where earlier intervention and system-based prevention strategies may have reduced harm. Acute kidney injury is common, costly, and often underrecognized despite its major impact on patients and health systems. My capstone reflected my interest in how applied improvement science, implementation methodology, and frontline collaboration can drive scalable improvements in patient care across complex community healthcare environments.

In what ways has the Jefferson degree facilitated your career?
The Jefferson degree in Healthcare Quality & Safety strengthened my ability to combine frontline clinical experience with applied improvement science, systems thinking, and interdisciplinary collaboration. It provided structured frameworks for advancing quality and safety initiatives while helping me develop practical strategies to design, implement, and sustain improvements in community healthcare settings. It also reinforced my interest in developing scalable, frontline-centered solutions that improve both patient outcomes and healthcare delivery systems.

What are you doing now?
I continue to lead regional work focused on reducing postoperative acute kidney injury (PO-AKI) across community hospitals. I also continue to serve as a physician leader and nephrologist in frontline community healthcare while working to design and test the feasibility of additional initiatives focused on closing chronic kidney disease (CKD) care gaps and advancing early warning systems for acute kidney injury. My work remains centered on applying improvement and implementation science to develop practical, scalable solutions that improve patient outcomes in real-world healthcare settings.

Share advice for prospective students pursuing a degree in your field.
Stay curious and invest in learning skills beyond clinical medicine. Some of the most meaningful improvements in healthcare come from frontline clinicians who are willing to ask difficult questions, collaborate across disciplines, and work toward practical solutions that improve patient care.

Describe any recognition or awards.
I was honored to lead a regional postoperative acute kidney injury (PO-AKI) initiative across 26 community hospitals that was published in the Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety in April 2026. I was also named a finalist for the 2026–2027 National Academy of Medicine Scholars in Diagnostic Excellence Program for work focused on improving diagnostic reliability and closing chronic kidney disease care gaps in community healthcare settings.

What’s something people would be surprised to find out about you?
People are often surprised to learn that my initial interest in pursuing medicine grew out of an intellectual fascination with medical anthropology. I was deeply interested in understanding how social, environmental, cultural, and systemic factors influence illness, health behaviors, and disease outcomes.

Learn more about the Master of Science in Healthcare Quality & Safety Program.