Thomas Ciesielski, MD, an associate professor in the Division of General Internal Medicine in the John T. Milliken Department of Medicine at WashU Medicine, has been named the 2026–27 Presidential Fellow in Healthcare Safety and Quality by Joint Commission. The prestigious fellowship recognizes a distinguished professional who is ascending in a career dedicated to advancing healthcare performance.
A nationally recognized physician leader, Ciesielski most recently served as vice chair of inpatient safety, quality and operations for the Department of Medicine, where he has spearheaded initiatives focused on safety and quality education and improving clinical documentation. A committed educator, he attends on the inpatient general internal medicine teaching service and is an associate program director in the internal medicine residency program. Cieselski’s leadership in clinical care, clinical operations and education during the COVID-19 pandemic were recognized with a Dean’s Impact Award.
Cieselski’s research interests include safe opioid prescribing. He has published on identifiable risk factors for developing a diagnosis of opioid abuse and has led ongoing improvement efforts in a primary care clinic for safer opioid prescribing.
Read more on the WashU Medicine website.
