University of Virginia's Richard Shannon, MD, Appointed to Kaiser Foundation Hospitals and Health Plan Boards

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Jul 07, 2014, 08:00 ET

OAKLAND, Calif., July 7, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Richard Shannon, MD, executive vice president for Health Affairs for the University of Virginia, has joined the boards of directors of Kaiser Foundation Hospitals and Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc.

"Dr. Richard Shannon is an accomplished cardiologist and health care executive with deep expertise in quality and safety improvement and academic medical center leadership," said Bernard J. Tyson, chairman and CEO, Kaiser Permanente. "I am pleased to have him join the board and look forward to working with him as we advance our mission to deliver high-quality, affordable health care."

Dr. Shannon comes to Kaiser Permanente with more than 30 years of experience in health care innovation and advocacy related to quality improvement and patient safety. He is responsible for aligning the key components of the University of Virginia Health System to achieve the goal of becoming a top-performing academic medical center.

Prior to joining the University of Virginia Health System, Dr. Shannon served as the Frank Wister Thomas Professor and chair of the Department of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine. He also served as chair of the Department of Medicine at Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh.

"Kaiser Permanente has long been viewed as a leader in innovative, high-quality health care," Dr. Shannon said. "I look forward to the opportunity to contribute to future care improvement and innovation as a member of the board of directors."

A member of the board of directors of the American Board of Internal Medicine and the Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council, Dr. Shannon is a teaching fellow for the Institute of Healthcare Improvement.

He holds a bachelor of arts degree from Princeton University and earned his medical degree at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine. He previously served as the Claude R. Joyner Professor of Medicine at Drexel University College of Medicine and was the Francis Weld Peabody Fellow and associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School.

About Kaiser Permanente

Kaiser Permanente is committed to helping shape the future of health care. We are recognized as one of America's leading health care providers and not-for-profit health plans. Founded in 1945, our mission is to provide high-quality, affordable health care services and to improve the health of our members and the communities we serve. We currently serve approximately 9.3 million members in eight states and the District of Columbia. Care for members and patients is focused on their total health and guided by their personal physicians, specialists and team of caregivers. Our expert and caring medical teams are empowered and supported by industry-leading technology advances and tools for health promotion, disease prevention, state-of-the-art care delivery and world-class chronic disease management. Kaiser Permanente is dedicated to care innovations, clinical research, health education and the support of community health. For more information, go to: kp.org/share.

For more information:
Jason Allen, Kaiser Permanente, 510-267-5354

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SOURCE Kaiser Permanente