Schwartz Center Announces Three New Board Members

BOSTON, Oct. 6, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Schwartz Center for Compassionate Healthcare, a national leader in the movement to make compassion a vital element in every patient-caregiver interaction, today announced the appointment of three new members to its board of directors: Iora Health CEO and co-founder, Rushika Fernandopulle, MD, MPP; nationally renowned architect, Richard L. Kobus, FAIA, FACHA; and head of the Harvard-affiliated hospital insurer, CRICO, Mark E. Reynolds.

"We are thrilled to be able to add three highly respected leaders to our leadership team," said Julie Rosen, executive director of the Schwartz Center. "Rushika, Rick and Mark bring valuable insight to our strategic thinking to make compassionate care a national priority and a critical element in the design of healthcare systems."

Rushika Fernandopulle, MD, MPP, is a practicing physician and the CEO and co-founder of Iora Health, a healthcare services firm based in Boston, Mass., whose goal is to transform healthcare by building a radically new model of primary care to improve quality and service, thus reducing overall expenditures. He has spent more than 10 years improving the quality of healthcare delivered to patients. Dr. Fernandopulle was the first executive director of the Harvard Interfaculty Program for Health Systems Improvement and the editor of several publications, and serves on the staff at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), on the faculty of Harvard Medical School and on the board of Families USA. He earned his AB, MD and MPP from Harvard University, and completed his clinical training at the University of Pennsylvania and MGH.

"I've been a longtime supporter of the Schwartz Center and am honored to join its board of directors. Iora Health is a relationship-based company, which couples nicely with the innovative work the Schwartz Center is doing to advance compassion in healthcare. I look forward to working with the leadership team and other board members on continually improving quality of experience and care for patients and caregivers," said Dr. Fernandopulle.

Richard L. Kobus is the co-founder and senior principal of Tsoi/Kobus & Associates, a nationally recognized architecture, planning and interior design firm in Cambridge, Mass., specializing in healthcare, life sciences, college and university and commercial real estate projects. An acknowledged leader in the design of academic healthcare settings, Rick creates collaborative medical and research environments that enhance the experience and quality of care and promote scientific discovery. An award-winning architect, Rick is a fellow of the American Institute of Architects and a founding member and fellow of the American College of Healthcare Architects.

"Compassionate and humane healthcare – the Schwartz Center's founding mission – is a principle that has informed the design of every healthcare project Tsoi/Kobus & Associates has undertaken since our founding in 1983," said Kobus. "It's a tremendous honor to join the board of this organization that I so deeply respect." 

Mark E. Reynolds is the president of the Risk Management Foundation of the Harvard Medical Institutions Incorporated (CRICO). CRICO insures 25 hospitals, 13,000 physicians (including residents and fellows) and more than 300 healthcare organizations and other related entities for professional liability in the Harvard medical community, and is a leader in patient safety, simulation, team training, and risk management. The CRICO program also insures more than 100,000 employees, including nurses, physician assistants and clinical support staff. Mark has more than 25 years of experience in the healthcare and insurance industries, serving as CEO of Neighborhood Health Plan of Rhode Island prior to joining CRICO, where his outcome-driven approach resulted in it being rated among the nation's top Medicaid health plans. Throughout a career path involving complex governance, healthcare and financial environments, he has exhibited a consistent commitment to excellence and service to the community.

"There is a clear connection between the work we do at CRICO to promote patient safety for the benefit of patients and providers within the Harvard medical community, and that of the Schwartz Center to highlight the benefits of compassionate communication and engagement," said Reynolds. "I am honored to be asked to join the Board of Directors at the Schwartz Center and look forward to our ongoing partnership and collaboration."

Learn more about Schwartz Center leadership at theschwartzcenter.org/about/leadership.

About the Schwartz Center for Compassionate Healthcare
Established in 1995, the Schwartz Center for Compassionate Healthcare, a leader in the movement to make compassion a vital element in every patient-caregiver interaction, was founded on the belief that greater compassion and more meaningful collaboration are fundamental to the kind of care clinicians want to deliver and patients want to receive.

The Schwartz Center is an independent, non-profit organization, with more than 550 organizational members in the U.S., U.K. and Canada, supporting 200,000 healthcare professionals each year. Schwartz Center members rely on programs, education and resources to support clinician well-being, enhance the quality of care, enable better outcomes and create a more positive and rewarding experience for all members of the care team, patients and their families. The innovative Schwartz Rounds^TM unites caregivers from a range of disciplines to share experiences, learn from each other and focus on the human dimension of medicine. The Center's inaugural Annual Compassion in Action Healthcare Conference (compassioninactionconference.org) will bring together clinicians, patients and families, health system leadership and others to advance a common goal of delivering more compassionate, collaborative care.

To help patients and family members acknowledge caregivers who epitomize the qualities of compassionate care the Schwartz Center established the Honor Your Caregiver program. Through its National Compassionate Caregiver of the Year Award, the Center celebrates healthcare professionals who display extraordinary devotion and compassion in caring for patients and families.

Visit us at theschwartzcenter.org or follow us on Facebook or Twitter.

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SOURCE The Schwartz Center for Compassionate Healthcare

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