faculty profile

Treasa 'Susie' Leming-Lee DNP, MSN, RN, CPHQ

Director of Organizational Performance Improvement
Associate Professor

Bio

Dr. Treasa "Susie" Leming-Lee teaches various core nursing and management courses at the MSN and doctoral graduate level and is co-designer of the Lean Methodology in Healthcare and Design Thinking and Health Innovation courses. She has an extensive background in performance improvement and process redesign and holds a certification as a Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality (CPHQ) and a certificate in Lean Healthcare. She is a nationally recognized expert and consultant in the area of assessing, developing, and implementing quality infrastructures in health care facilities. Dr. Leming-Lee has served as a Board Examiner for the state Baldrige/Tennessee Center for Performance Excellence Award. She is interested in applying knowledge from other high-risk industries and methods from human factors and systems engineering to study and improve operational efficiency and individual and team performance in complex, high-risk clinical environments.

Education

DNP, Vanderbilt University School of Nursing
MSN, Vanderbilt University School of Nursing
ADN, Middle Tennessee State University

Current Research/Scholarly Interests

The Toyota Production System Lean Methodology
Design Thinking
Improvement Science

Academic Interests

Dr. Leming-Lee teaches various core nursing and management courses at the MSN and doctoral graduate level with a focus on improvement science and is co-designer of the Lean Methodology in Healthcare and the Design Thinking and Health Innovation courses.

Representative Publications

Journals

Bradywood A, Leming-Lee T", Watters R, et al. Implementing screening for social determinants of health using the Core 5 screening tool. BMJ Open Quality 2021;10:e001362. doi: 10.1136/bmjoq-2021-001362

Leming-Lee, T. (Susie) & Watters, R. (2019). Quality improvement: Application of evidence-based practice. Nursing Clinic of North America. Manuscript in preparation.

Leming-Lee, T. (Susie), Polancich, S. & Pilon, B. (2019). The application of the Toyota Production System Lean 5S methodology in the operating room setting. Nursing Clinic of North America. Manuscript in preparation.

Gillis B. D., Holley S. L., Leming-Lee, T. (Susie), & Parish A. L. Implementation of a perinatal depression care bundle at a midwifery practice: A quality improvement Initiative. Journal of Midwifery & Women's Health. Submitted for publication.

Leming-Lee, S., Crutcher, T D., & Kennedy, B., B. 2017. The Lean Methodology in healthcare course: Application of transformational learning. The Journal for Nurse Practitioners, 13(9), e415-e421.

Gillespie, G. L., Leming-Lee, T. S., Crutcher, T., & Mattei, J. (2016). Chart it to stop it: A quality improvement study to increase the reporting of workplace aggression. Journal of nursing care quality, 31(3), 254-261.

Pilon B., Crutcher T. D., Leming-Lee S., Watters R., Wolgast K. A., Arnow, D. The Value Proposition for Graduate Education of Emerging Nurse Leaders: Immediate Benefit to Organizations. Nurse Leader 01/2014; 12(3):81-85

Book Chapters

Leming-Lee, S. & Watters, R. (2018). Quality Improvement Processes and Evidenced-Based Practice. (2018). In Christenbery, T. Editor, Evidenced-Based Practice in Nursing: Foundations, Skills, and Roles. New York: Springer Publishing Company.

Representative Presentations

Toyota Production System Lean Methodology: Basic Building Blocks (Virtual-Video). Susie Leming-Lee, DNP, MSN, RN, CPHQ, Associate Professor, Director of Organizational Performance Improvement, Vanderbilt University School of Nursing, Nashville, TN. Leadership Excellence in Advanced Practice, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN., Wednesday, July 20th, 2022. Nashville, TN.

Toyota Production System Lean Methodology: Basic Building Blocks. Susie Leming-Lee, DNP, MSN, RN, CPHQ, Associate Professor, Director of Organizational Performance Improvement, Vanderbilt University School of Nursing, Nashville, TN. Leadership Excellence in Advanced Practice, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN., Wednesday, July 21st, 2021. Nashville, TN.

Design Thinking: Unleashing Healthcare Innovation (Virtual)., Susie Leming-Lee, DNP, MSN, RN, CPHQ, Associate Professor, Director of Organizational Performance Improvement, Vanderbilt University School of Nursing. Tennessee Association of Healthcare Quality [TAHQ], October-November 2020-2022, Nashville, TN.

Toyota Production System Lean Methodology: Basic Building Blocks. Susie Leming-Lee, DNP, MSN, RN, CPHQ, Associate Professor, Director of Organizational Performance Improvement, Vanderbilt University School of Nursing, Nashville, TN. Leadership Excellence in Advanced Practice, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN., Wednesday, July 15th, 2020. Nashville, TN.

The Basics of QI for the Bedside Nurse, Treasa (Susie) K. Leming-Lee, DNP, RN, CPHQ, Assistant Professor of Nursing, Vanderbilt University School of Nursing, Nashville, TN. & Terri Davis Crutcher, DNP, RN, Assistant Professor and Assistant Dean, Clinical and Community Partnerships, Vanderbilt University School of Nursing, Nashville, TN. Tennessee Initiative for Perinatal Quality Care (TIPQC) Annual Meeting. Monday, March 6, 2017, Franklin, TN.

Continuous Quality Improvement in the Healthcare Setting. Treasa (Susie) K. Leming-Lee, DNP, RN, CPHQ, Assistant Professor of Nursing, Vanderbilt University School of Nursing, Nashville, TN. & Terri Davis Crutcher, DNP, RN, Assistant Professor and Assistant Dean, Clinical and Community Partnerships, Vanderbilt University School of Nursing, Nashville, TN Learning for Babies Conference March of Dimes, November 03, 2017, Franklin, TN.

Quality Improvement: The Toyota Production System Lean Methodology: Basic Building Blocks and Application. Treasa (Susie) K. Leming-Lee, DNP, RN, CPHQ, Assistant Professor of Nursing, Vanderbilt University School of Nursing, Nashville, TN. & Terri Davis Crutcher, DNP, RN, Assistant Professor and Assistant Dean, Clinical and Community Partnerships, Vanderbilt University School of Nursing, THA/TAHQ 78th Annual Meeting Conference, Friday, October 21, 2016, Nashville, TN.

Toyota Lean Methodology in Healthcare Course: The Use of Transformational Learning to Attract the Graduate Student. Treasa (Susie) K. Leming-Lee, DNP, RN, CPHQ, Assistant Professor of Nursing, Vanderbilt University School of Nursing, Nashville, TN. & Terri Davis Crutcher, DNP, RN, Assistant Professor and Assistant Dean, Clinical and Community Partnerships, Vanderbilt University School of Nursing, Nashville, TN. The American Association of Colleges of Nursing) Graduate Nursing Admissions Professionals (GNAP) Conference, April 7, 2015. Phoenix, AZ.

The Hand Hygiene Compliance Challenge: Going to Gemba to Prevent Health Care Associated Infections. Treasa "Susie" K. Leming-Lee, DNP, MSN, RN, CPHQ, Vanderbilt University Medical Center; Laura A. Hollis, BSN, RN, CCRN, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, MedAssets Healthcare Business Summit, April 23, 2014, Las Vegas, Nevada.

The Hand Hygiene Challenge: Going to Gemba to Protect Your Surgical Team and Patients Treasa "Susie" K. Leming-Lee, DNP, MSN, RN, CPHQ, Vanderbilt University Medical Center; Laura A. Hollis, BSN, RN, CCRN, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, 2013 AORN Congress, March 7, 2013, San Diego, CA

Poster Presentations
Improving Four Eyes in Four Hours Admission Skin Assessments Using Visual Reminders. Dr. Shana Gaynor-Champion, DNP, RN; Dr. Susie Leming-Lee, DNP, MSN, RN, CPHQ, and Dr. Richard Watters, Ph.D., RN. WOC and WCET Conference, Fort Worth, TX June 5-8, 2022.

Quality Improvement and Patient Safety: Team Work and Collaborative Approach to Student Learning. Rick Watters, PhD, RN, Associate Professor of Nursing and Susie Leming-Lee, DNP, MSN, RN, CPHQ, Assistant Professor of Nursing. QSEN Conference, Chicago, Ill. May 30th, 2017.

Application of Lean Methodology to Redesign Student Clinical Placement Work Processes in an Academic Setting. Treasa (Susie) K. Leming-Lee, DNP, RN, CPHQ, Assistant Professor of Nursing, Abby Luck Parish, DNP, AGPCNP-BC, GNP-BC, FNAP Assistant Professor, Mavis N. Schorn, PhD, CNM, FACNM, Professor, Vanderbilt University School of Nursing, Nashville, TN. AACN'S Master's Education Conference and CNL Summit, Thursday, February 23rd, 2017, Atlanta GA,

Reviewer

BMJ Open Quality Journal
The Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety

Professional Organizations

Tennessee Nursing Association, Nominating Committee Member, 2022-2024
Tennessee Nursing Association PAC Vice-Chair, 2023
Tennessee Nursing Association PAC Member, 2022-2023
Tennessee Action Coalition, Tennessee Nursing Association & Robert Woods Johnson, 40 Raising Young Nurses Committee Member & Facilitator, 2021-2023
Tennessee Nursing Association, GOVA Committee Member, 2021-2023
Tennessee Association of Healthcare Quality, Board Member, 2019- 2023
American College of Healthcare Executives, Member, 2019-2023
American Organization of Nursing Leaders, Member 2013-2023
American Organization of Nurse Executives. Member, 2013-2023
American Association of Colleges of Nursing, Member 2013-2023
National League of Nursing, Member 2015-2023
American Nursing Association, Member 2013-2023
Tennessee Nursing Association, Member 2013-2023
Tennessee Hospital Association, Member 2004-2023
National Association for Healthcare Quality, Member, 1990-2023
Sigma Theta Tau, Member 1990-2023

Honors/Awards

Vanderbilt University School of Nursing's 2020 Daisy Award
2020-2023 Elected to Vanderbilt University's Faculty Senate for a three-year term
2018 March of Dimes Nurse of the Year, Quality and Risk Management
Vanderbilt School of Nursing, VUSN Tradition Meets Innovation Award for Faculty 2018
Vanderbilt School of Nursing, VUSN Tradition Meets Innovation Award for Faculty 2016
Vanderbilt School of Nursing, Dean Colleen-Conway Welch Award for Teaching, 2015
Innovation Award, Vanderbilt University Medical Center 2005, 2006, 2007
Senior ASQ (American Society for Quality) 2007 to present