Dr. Ringer joined the VA Cooperative Studies Program team as a clinical research pharmacist in 2004, and is currently the Acting Associate Center Director for Quality Assurance. He holds a Bachelor’s of Science in Pharmacy from the University of New Mexico, and Doctorate of Pharmacy from the University of Colorado. As an investigator in clinical research, he has dedicated himself to understanding how interventions influence patient outcomes and ultimately improve health. Dr. Ringer believes these same principles can be applied to businesses to improve outcomes related to organizational performance. He has a passion for customer service and employee engagement: two key drivers of performance excellence. As a member of the leadership team, Dr. Ringer served as the point of contact and organizer for the 2009 Baldrige site visit, the year the Center was recognized as a Malcolm Baldrige Performance Excellence Award recipient. He has been a guest on the QNM radio show, and presented on behalf of the Center at state and national Quality meetings. In his free time, he enjoys fly-fishing the mountain streams and rivers of New Mexico and Colorado, and exploring back road discover routes on his motorcycle.