The Khan lab leads studies to improve communication, safety, partnership, and equity for hospitalized children and families, including those who speak languages other than English. Dr. Alisa Khan has led studies on family-centered rounds, family safety reporting, patient safety, and language access. The lab’s work is based on the principle that patients, families, nurses, and physicians are equal members of the care team who can coproduce safer and higher quality care together. Dr. Khan works closely with the Patient and Family-Centered I-PASS Study Group on studies around family-centered rounds and safety, including long-time collaborators Dr. Christopher Landrigan and Dr. Nancy Spector.
Dr. Khan has served as Project Lead of the Family Centered I-PASS Study and Scientific Project Lead of the Patient and Family Centered I-PASS Safer Communication on Rounds Every Time (SCORE) Study, both funded by Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI). Dr. Khan also served as the PI of the Family Activation and Communication about Errors and Safety (FACES) Study, funded by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and the Charles H. Hood Foundation.
Dr. Khan’s research has been funded by AHRQ, PCORI, the Charles H. Hood Foundation, the American Pediatric Association, Boston Children’s Hospital, and other organizations. Her research has been published in the BMJ, JAMA Pediatrics, Pediatrics, Academic Pediatrics, and featured in the Boston Globe, Stat News, and Reuters.
She is currently PI of a five-year multi-center AHRQ-funded R01 randomized controlled trial of a family safety reporting intervention known as I-SHARE (Patients and Families Improving Safety in Hospitals by Actively Sharing Experiences).
She is also PI of a 5-year multi-center PCORI-funded study to compare the safety, experience, and equity of different approaches to communicating with families who speak languages other than English. This study is called Patient and Family Centered I-PASS LISTEN (Language, Inclusion, Safety, and Teamwork for Equity Now).
In February 2024, Dr. Khan was also named the Director of the Inaugural Program for Language Equity, in the Division of General Pediatrics and Department of Pediatrics at Boston Children’s Hospital. The vision of this program is to transform research and healthcare delivery—through a combination of research, education, and advocacy—to include and prioritize individuals who communicate in languages other than English. A core guiding principle of the program is that language should be a strength, not a barrier, and that empowering communities through linguistic inclusion can lead to higher quality, safer, and more equitable care for all.