Peter F. Martelli, PhD, MSPH

Associate Professor
Healthcare Administration
Sawyer Business School
Suffolk University

Associate Faculty
 Strategy Group, Magellan Research Center, iaeLyon School of Management
Visiting Professor
 School of Medicine, Georgian American University, Tbilisi, Georgia (2021, 2023)
 iaeLyon School of Management, Université Jean Moulin, Lyon, France (2022)

Research

Recent Publications

• Shen GC, Martelli PF, & Deresse FN. (2024). Layered Logic: Institutional Logics Instantiated in the Management of Kaizen in Ethiopia. Sociology of Development. [link1] [link2]
• Grabowski M, Martelli PF, & Roberts KH. (2023). Reliability-Seeking Virtual Organizations at the Margins of Systems, Resources, and Capacity. Safety Science. [link1] [link2]
• Sullivan EE & Martelli PF. (2023). Patient Exodus at Sycamore Family Health. Health Services Management: A Case Study Approach, 12th Edition. [link]
• Hayirli TC, Sullivan EE, & Martelli PF. (2023). Characteristics of U.S. Hospitals Associated with Presence of Patient and Family Advisory Councils. Journal of General Internal Medicine. [link]
• Shen GC, Martelli PF, Knox Clarke P, & Roberts KH. (2022). Health Care in Times of War. Academy of Management Perspectives. [link]. Reviewed as Protecting Health Care Workers and Hospitals in War Zones in AOM Insights. [summary, video]
• Vassaur H, & Martelli PF. (2021). Inter-specialty Collaboration in the Formalization of a New Foregut Subspecialty. PLOS One. [link]
• Alidina S, Martelli PF, Singer SJ, & Aveling E-L. (2021). Optimizing Patient Partnership in Primary Care Transformation: A qualitative study. Health Care Management Review. [link]
• Hayirli TC, & Martelli PF. (2019). Gene Drives as a Response to Infection and Resistance. Infection and Drug Resistance. [link]
• Martelli PF. (2018). Organizing for Reliability in Healthcare. In R. Ramanujam & K. Roberts (Eds.), Organizing for Reliability: A Guide to Research and Practice. Palo Alto: Stanford University Press. [link]; Reviewed by Karl Weick in ASQ. [link]
• Martelli PF, Rivard PE, & Roberts KH. (2018). Caveats for High Reliability in Healthcare. Journal of Health Organization and Management. [link] [download]
• Hill TE, Martelli PF, & Kuo JH. (2018). A Case for Revisiting Peer Review: Implications for professional self-regulation and quality improvement. PLoS One. [link] [download]
• Martelli PF & Hayirli TC. (2018). Three Perspectives on Evidence-Based Management. Management Decision. [link1] [link2] [download]

Recent and Upcoming Presentations

• Martelli PF. (2025, Feb). Invited Lecture on High Reliability Organizing. GESTS494: Managing Errors in Organizations. Solvay Brussels School of Economics and Management. Online.
• Martelli PF. (2025, Feb). Invited Lecture on High Reliability Organizing. MBA2654: Strategic Errors in Organizations. NOVA Lisbon School of Business and Economics. Online.
• Martelli PF, Grieser S, & Madden G [Panelists]. (2025, Jan). "Fireside Chat" on High Reliability Organizations. Community of Human and Organizational Learning (CHOL) Webinar. Online.
• Martelli PF. (2024, Oct). Using Chart Audits for Healthcare Improvement. IHI Student Chapter. Georgian American University School of Medicine. Online.
• Martelli PF & Macrae C. (2024, Oct). Is there a Future for HROs? High Reliability Organizations: Past, Present and Future Conference. Berkeley, CA.
• Ramanujam R & Martelli PF. (2024, Oct). Change and Challenge in the Original HROs. High Reliability Organizations: Past, Present and Future Conference. Berkeley, CA.
• Hoff T, Shay PD, Hearld KR, & Martelli PF [Panelists]. (2024, Aug). How Artificial Intelligence Will Change Teaching and Students. Academy of Management Conference. Chicago, IL.
• Shen, GC, Parker VA, & Martelli PF [Organizers]. (2024, Aug). Should DEI DIE?: Critiques and Responses to DEI Initiatives. Academy of Management Conference. Chicago, IL.
• Shay PD & Martelli PF [Organizers]. (2024, Aug). HCM Teaching Incubator: Becoming More Effective Instructors. Academy of Management Conference. Chicago, IL.
• Martelli PF. (2024, May). Invited Lecture on Promoting Safety Culture. Essentials of Healthcare Quality. Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University Medical School. Tbilisi, Georgia.
• Martelli PF. (2024, Apr). Invited Lecture on Promoting Safety Culture. MDC0030: Professional Development VI: Quality Improvement. Georgian American University School of Medicine. Tbilisi, Georgia.
• Martelli PF. (2024, Feb). Invited Lecture on High Reliability Organizing. GESTS494: Managing Errors in Organizations. Solvay Brussels School of Economics and Management. Online.
• Martelli PF. (2024, Feb). Invited Lecture on High Reliability Organizing. MBA2654: Strategic Errors in Organizations. NOVA Lisbon School of Business and Economics. Online.
• Martelli PF. (2023, Nov). The Promise (and Pitfalls) of International Organizational Research. Umeå School of Business, Economics, and Statistics. Umeå, Sweden.
• Martelli PF, Lei Z, Carroll JS, Edmondson AC, Hofmann DA, Ramanujam R, & Sutcliffe KM. (2023, Aug). Organizational Errors: Updating the Research Agenda. Academy of Management Conference. Boston, MA. [link]

Selected Work in Progress

• Advancing High Reliability in Georgian Healthcare through Action Research. (with Rukhadze E & Butskhrikidze N)
• System Factors Related to Cardiovascular Disease Prevention in Guinea-Conakry. (with Cisse M)

Selected Funding (Source, Years)

• Fulbright U.S. Scholar Award to Georgia Republic (ECA/IIE, 2021-23)
• "Factors associated with Diagnostic Self-Screening in Developing Countries: A case study of chronic kidney disease in rural Honduras" (SBS Research Grant, 2023)
• “Health Care in Times of War” (SBS Research Grant, 2020)
• “Adoption of National Healthcare Quality Policies in Developing Countries: Implementation of the WHO's NQPS in Ghana” (SBS Research Grant, 2019)
• "System Factors Related to Cardiovascular Disease Prevention in Guinea-Conakry" (SBS Research Grant, 2018)
• "On Evidence-Based Management” (Betty Irene Moore Nursing Initiative, 2010-11)
• "Impact Evaluation for Developing Country Health Professionals” (Lowenstein Foundation, 2009-10)
• “How Organizations Think About the Unthinkable” (National Science Foundation, 2008-10)
• “Assessing and Managing Failure Vulnerabilities of Interdependent Complex Infrastructure Systems” (National Science Foundation, 2009)
• “Enhancing Reliability in Incident Management Teams” (France-Berkeley Fund, 2007-08)
• “Using Evidence in Health Management Decisions” (AHRQ/Milbank, 2005-06)

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Teaching

Awards and Honors

• 2024 Academy of Management Health Care Management Division's Excellence in Teaching Award  [link]
• 2019 Suffolk University Sawyer Business School Dean's Award for Excellence in Teaching  [link]
• 2016 Suffolk University Graduate Student Association's Dean John Brennan Award for Outstanding Instruction to Graduate Students  [link]

Visting Professor at iaeLyon School of Management, Université Jean Moulin Lyon 3

• The Systems Approach to Organizational Change, Spring 2023, International Week: 18-hour Masters Course
• Change Management and People Skills, Spring 2022, Master 1 Comptabilité, Contrôle, Audit
• The Systems Approach to Organizational Change, Spring 2022, International Week: 18-hour Masters Course

Associate Professor at Suffolk University, Sawyer Business School

• SBS298: Tackling Wicked Global Problems, BSBA level, Spring 2025
• HLTH720: Health Systems II: Economics, Law, and Policy, Fall and Spring terms, 2020 to 2025, MHA level
• HLTH707: Evidence-based Healthcare Management, Fall and Spring terms, 2019 to 2024, MHA level
• HLTH740: Healthcare Management and Human Resources, Fall 2024, MHA level
• HLTH707: Evidence-based Healthcare Management, Online Asynchronous, 2020 to 2023, MHA level
• HLTH702: Health Economics, Fall and Spring terms, 2013 to 2019, MHA level
• HLTH808: Managing Healthcare Organizations, Fall and Spring terms, 2013 to 2019, MHA level
• HLTH812: Applied Research Methods for Healthcare Management, Fall 2017, Spring 2018, MHA level
• HLTH830: Organizational Change in Healthcare, Fall terms, 2013 to 2016, MHA level

Research Instructor at Boston University, School of Public Health

• PM827: Strategic Management of Healthcare Organizations, Fall 2012, MPH level

Teaching Fellow at Harvard School of Public Health

• HPM539: Health Care Organizations and Organizational Behavior, Fall 2011, MPH level, with Sara Singer

Graduate Student Instructor at UC-Berkeley, Haas School of Business

• ewMBA207: Ethics and Responsibility in Business, Spring 2009, MBA level, with Adam Galinsky
• UGBA105: Introduction to Organizational Behavior, Fall 2008, Undergraduate level, with Karlene Roberts
• ewMBA205L: The New Science of Leadership, Spring 2008, MBA level, with Brian Uzzi
• UGBA105: Introduction to Organizational Behavior, Fall 2007, Undergraduate level, with Jim Lincoln

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Service

Center for Catastrophic Risk Management

Advisory Board Member and Past Co-Director
The Center for Catastrophic Risk Management (CCRM) at UC-Berkeley undertakes transdisciplinary research on complex organizations where disruptions and failures can have catastrophic consequences. Its research discovers ways to better identify risk mitigation strategies that ultimately improve resilience in these often large sociotechnical systems. Since its establishment in late 2005 after Hurricane Katrina, CCRM has worked with organizations to enhance and augment their crisis and risk management strategies and approaches. The Center is comprised of UC Berkeley faculty and students and experts and practitioners in organizational risk, resilience, and crisis management.

Cambridge Roundtable on Science and Religion

Advisory Board Member
The Cambridge Roundtable is a project of The Leadership Connection, a 501c3 non-profit founded in 2002 to bridge the academic and religious communities in discussion of topics such as astronomy, neuroscience, genetic engineering, climate change, and other topics.

Cardiovascular Health Initiative

Advisory Board Member
Cardiovascular Health Initiative Inc, is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization developed by an independent study student to help healthcare professionals reduce deaths related to heart disease through education, prevention, and intervention in medically underserved areas of developing African countries.
Click here for a profile on Moussa Cisse (MPA '17) and our research activities with CHI in Guinea.

Selected Professional Service

• Associate Editor, Quality Management in Health Care
• Guest Editor, Special Issue on High Reliability Organizations, Safety Science
• Chair Elect, Global Health Management Forum, Association of University Programs in Health Administration
• Conference Co-Chair, High Reliability Organizations: Past, Present and Future Conference Conference, Berkeley, CA
• Conference Chair, 23rd Annual Conference, Organization Theory in Health Care Association
• Editorial Board, Special Issue: Errors in Organizations: Exploring New Frontiers, and Developing New Opportunities for Theory, Research and Impact, Academy of Management Discoveries. (Reviewer of the Year award recipient, 2021)
• Ad Hoc Reviewer: AHRQ, Safety Science, Health Care Management Review, Quality Management in Health Care, Journal of Health Organization and Management, and others
• Memberships: Academy of Management (Healthcare Management Division), Association of University Programs in Health Administration, Cambridge Roundtable on Science and Religion, Error Management Research Network, Organizational Theory in Healthcare Association, and others

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Education

United States Department of Veterans Affairs • Boston, MA

Postdoctoral Fellow in the Center for Organization, Leadership & Management Research (COLMR)
Adviser: Martin Charns

Harvard University • Cambridge, MA

Exchange Scholar, Interfaculty Initiative in Health Policy
Advisers: Amy Edmondson, Sara Singer

University of California ‐ Berkeley • Berkeley, CA

Doctor of Philosophy in Health Services and Policy Analysis
Concentrations: Organizational Behavior, Risk and Reliability, Knowledge Management
Dissertation: “An Argument for Knowledge Variety in Evidence-Based Management”
Committee: Stephen Shortell (Chair), Thomas Rundall, Karlene Roberts
Other Mentors: Todd La Porte, Ian Mitroff, Emery Roe, Paul Schulman, Jim Lincoln

Thomas Jefferson University • Philadelphia, PA

Master of Science in Public Health
Thesis: “Establishing a Movement for Reliable Healthcare”
Advisers: David Nash, James Plumb, Rickie Brawer

University of Pennsylvania • Philadelphia, PA

Bachelor of Arts with Distinction in Philosophy
Minors in Biology and the History & Sociology of Science
Adviser: Zoltan Domotor

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