ACUTE CENTER FOR EATING DISORDERS - Key Persons
Amy Friedman joined Denver Health in 2008 and was promoted to Chief Experience Officer in 2014. In her role, she supports improving the patient and family experience in the inpatient and ambulatory setting. During her time at Denver Health, Friedman has introduced a variety of customer service initiatives involving service recovery, employee recognition, and innovative patient and family services such as pet therapy, music therapy, on demand transportation services and No One Dies Alone. Friedman has extensive customer service work experience in the private and public sectors, including serving on the governor's staff. She has an undergraduate degree from Colorado College and a master's degree from George Washington University.
Job Titles:
- Chief Human Resources Officer
- Denver's Health 's Chief Human Resources Officer
Denver's Health's Chief Human Resources Officer Amy King has a proven record of transforming the human capital needs of an organization. She is skilled at employee engagement approaches that drive organizational improvement as well as compensation redesign for better alignment with the market.
Among her many leadership positions, Amy served as Senior Vice President and Chief People Officer for Centura Health and as the Vice Chancellor of Human Services for the University of Denver. Most recently, Amy was the Vice President and Executive Coach for MEDI Leadership where she earned a reputation for helping leaders transform their culture, grow their impact, and drive engagement for lasting results. The recipient of many certifications, Amy is also Certified in Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging Education.
Job Titles:
- Interim Chief Financial Officer
Ansar Hassan joined Denver Health in 2021. He leads with financial stewardship and integrity, developing his skillset from a wide variety of experiences. Prior to joining Denver Health, Ansar worked in health care finance at the University of California, San Francisco Medical Center. He has previous experience in educational nonprofit and corporate investment banking.
Ansar received his bachelor's degree in Finance at the Business Honors program at The University of Texas at Austin. He has traveled to more than 50 countries and loves to explore new cultures and cuisine, as well as being an avid basketball fan.
Job Titles:
- Graduate Education Coordinator
Job Titles:
- Chief Medical Officer
- Professor
Connie Savor Price is a professor of medicine in the division of infectious diseases at the University of Colorado School Of Medicine. Prior to her current role, she served as the Chief of Infectious Diseases and the Medical Director of Infection Control and Prevention at Denver Health for 13 years. Dr. Price is board certified in internal medicine, infectious diseases and medical microbiology. Her research and clinical interests have been focused in health care epidemiology and methods to prevent and rapidly detect emerging and antimicrobial resistant infections.
Dr. Price has a track record of successfully securing federal funding as a Principal Investigator from the National Institutes of Health, the U.S. Department of Defense and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. She has published and lectured extensively on the prevention of health care-associated infectious diseases and other related topics. She is active in the Infectious Diseases Society of America, served in an elected position on the Board of Directors of the Society of Healthcare Epidemiology of America and chaired the American Society for Microbiology section on health care epidemiology. She is a recognized expert in outbreak management, serving as the Medical Director Denver Health's Regional Ebola and Special Pathogens Treatment Center, and has been a consultant to public health authorities on control of emerging infections around the world.
Job Titles:
- Continuing Education / Simulation Coordinator
Job Titles:
- Executive Director, the Denver Health Foundation
- Vice - Chair of the Board of Directors for Healthier Colorado
Crystal Potter Rivera's professional career spans more than 20 years working in nonprofit fundraising, communications and program development. This includes more than 11 years at a senior level, managing complex nonprofit development programs and six years as a nonprofit management consultant specializing in fundraising. Crystal has generated significant funds from foundations, corporations and individual donors for a range of Colorado nonprofits diverse in size and scope, including Colorado Business Committee for the Arts, Jared Polis Foundation's Academy of Urban Learning and Mile High United Way.
Crystal currently serves as vice-chair of the board of directors for Healthier Colorado, a nonprofit dedicated to improving opportunities for Colorado residents to live healthier lives. A Denver native, Crystal holds a bachelor's degree in sociology from Columbia University. Crystal joined the Denver Health Foundation in December 2012 and previously served as its Associate Executive Director for two years as part of its leadership team during a time of significant expansion.
Job Titles:
- Community Member
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Managing Director of the New Community Transformation
Danielle Shoots is the Managing Partner and Managing Director of the New Community Transformation fund - Denver, an equity venture capital fund for BIPOC founders and the President and CEO of Wealth Equity Enterprises, a holdings company that owns several businesses that support the mission of building BIPOC wealth and leadership. Born and raised in Colorado, Danielle is a graduate of the University of Colorado at Denver, where she earned a degree in Business Administration.
At the age of 26, Danielle embarked on her executive leadership path ascending to the position of Chief Financial Officer (CFO) for the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. After the state, Danielle served as the Vice President of Finance and Business Operations for the West Division of Comcast, managing a billion-dollar capital portfolio, strategic FP&A, Mergers and Acquisitions and a team of sixty employees located in seven states. Most recently Danielle, was the Chief Financial Officer for the Colorado Trust where she grew the foundation's endowment from $430 million to nearly $600 million, reduced cash on hand to a recurring 1% while still operating the foundation. She also launched a direct investment portfolio across the State making investments in local media companies, real estate and housing and small businesses and leveraging the endowments' balance sheet for creative bridge financing across multiple sectors and industries.
Danielle's passion for people and leadership, distinguished business acumen and tenacious work ethic have garnered her numerous accolades, including inclusion on the prestigious 2019 list of the Top 25 Most Powerful Women in Business from the Colorado Women's Chamber of Commerce, The 2020 Emerging Leader in Philanthropy from ABFE, The 2018 Woman of the Year Award for her work with youth in the community, and a recipient of the 2017 Denver Business Journal's 40 Under 40 award.
Danielle is a passionate community member and serves as a trustee for the Women's Foundation, a mayoral appointed board member for the Prosper Denver Fund and the chief economic equity advisor to State Senator, James Coleman and State Representative, Leslie Harod.
Donna Lynne, DrPH, is the chief executive officer of Denver Health, where she leads the health system's strategic vision and mission in delivering care to nearly one-third of Denver's population. Prior to joining Denver Health in 2022, Lynne was the senior vice president and chief operating officer of Columbia University Irving Medical Center in New York City. She also was CEO of ColumbiaDoctors, an 1,800-member faculty practice organization. Lynne most notably served our state as Colorado's lieutenant governor and chief operating officer from 2016-2019. Before that, Lynne was executive vice president of Kaiser Foundation Health Plan Inc. and Kaiser Foundation Hospitals, and group president over the Colorado, Pacific Northwest and Hawaii regions. While with Kaiser Permanente, Lynne was on numerous boards and commissions, including for the Denver Public Schools Foundation and the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. Lynne's health care and governing experience are integral in her leadership ethos at Denver Health, where she oversees the direction of the health system and its 7,800 employees.
More than 30 years navigating myriad complex local and national legislative and public policy challenges. Former chief of staff to Colorado governor. Respected political thought leader.
Doug Friednash navigates clients through complicated legal, business and political issues as chair of the firm's State & Local Legislation & Policy Group. He plays a vital role as a connector for his clients, bridging the gap between the private sector and all levels of government from Colorado to governor's offices across the country and on to Washington. Doug's notable experience in the public sector-former chief of staff to Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper, city attorney under Denver Mayor Michael Hancock, member of the state House of Representatives and assistant attorney general-has made him a unique resource with unmatched insight for his clients. He is an influential asset with a combination of deep relationships and first-hand understanding of the nuances of local, state, federal and executive government.
Doug advises clients across diverse industries and issues, including energy, transportation and infrastructure, health care, higher education, financial services, emerging regulated industries, hospitality and recreation, cannabis and hemp, COVID-19 related issues, technology, communications and media and political engagement.
Job Titles:
- Chief Education Officer
- As Chief Education Officer
provides strategic vision, daily direction and administrative oversight for Denver Health's health professional education programs, which educate more than 2,000 learners annually. He is the Denver Health Designated Institutional Officer for the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education. Dr. Nussbaum previously directed Denver Health's adult inpatient psychiatry units, which care for adults throughout Colorado experiencing mental health crises. A Colorado native, Dr. Nussbaum studied literature and religion at Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania, and completed medical school and his psychiatry residency at the University of North Carolina. He has authored 26 peer-reviewed articles and six book chapters. As an associate professor of psychiatry at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, he developed an award-winning curriculum for interviewing patients, which evolved into the best-selling Pocket Guide to the DSM-5 Diagnostic Exam, which has been translated into thirteen languages. Along with national leaders in child and geriatric psychiatry, he subsequently published textbooks for the care of children and older adults with mental illness. His most recent book is a memoir entitled The Finest Traditions of My Calling: One Physician's Search for the Renewal of Medicine, in which The New York Times wrote that no physician "in recent memory has wielded a set of intellectual and writerly tools to such dazzling and instructive effect."
Languages
Interpretation service provided for all languages
Dr. Abraham M. Nussbaum provides strategic vision, daily direction and administrative oversight for Denver Health's health professional education programs, which educate more than 2,000 learners annually. He is the Denver Health Designated Institutional Officer for the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Nurse
Dr. Provencio-Vasquez is a highly experienced nurse educator, eminent researcher and proven administrator. With over 40 years of health care experience, he contributes a tremendous amount of knowledge to the College of Nursing both as a dean and a professor. Provencio-Vasquez is internationally renowned for his pioneering work in neonatal and pediatric care and in women's health, with a focus on Women at Risk for substance use/abuse, high risk sexual behavior and intimate partner violence. During his career, he has served as a clinical nurse, a nurse researcher, a nurse educator, school administrator, and a pediatric and neonatal nurse practitioner. Provencio-Vasquez is also a Robert Wood Johnson Executive Nurse Fellow alumnus and a Robert H. Hoy III Distinguished Professor in Health Sciences.
Dr. Kathy Boyle joined Denver Health in January 2009 and is an Assistant Professor, Adjunct Faculty Appointment for the University of Colorado, College of Nursing. Dr. Boyle is the Chair of the Vizient Academic Medical Center Chief Nursing Officer Network. Her clinical practice includes geriatrics, inpatient behavioral health, high-risk labor and delivery and maternal transport. She has developed an expertise in leadership through her 20 plus years in nursing leadership practice.
She has coordinated clinical planning for an academic replacement hospital and championed the system-wide expansion of patient- and family-centered care, as well as conducted studies of followership in nursing, and nurse-physician collaborative communication and safety climate. She was co-investigator for the following studies: Evaluation of Standardized Color-coded Nurse Uniforms on Patient, Family, and Staff Perceptions: A Patient and Family Centered Care Initiative and Bacterial Contamination of Healthcare Worker Uniforms: A Randomized Controlled Trial of Antimicrobial Scrubs.
A Denver native, Dr. Cervantes was born at Denver Health and grew up in Denver's Westwood and Valverde neighborhoods. Dr. Cervantes' lived experience and long-standing, equity-driven career makes her a critical leader on the forefront of community- and systems-level change. Dr. Cervantes is the Director of Immigrant Health and an Associate Professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. Dr. Cervantes completed her medical degree and internal medicine residency at the University of Colorado School of Medicine and worked at Denver Health, providing care as a hospitalist for 14 years.
Her life's work centers on addressing structural racism, eliminating unnecessary and systemically-caused health barriers, and advocating for Coloradans who experience the greatest needs. Dr. Cervantes is recognized for spearheading the change to a Medicaid payment rule so uninsured individuals with kidney failure can access live-saving maintenance dialysis. This effort came after the passing of her patient, who was ineligible for care due to her immigration status. Dr. Cervantes describes this experience as her sentinel event, in which she realized she could use her lens and power as a Latina physician to engage in advocacy and health policy development. Following this defining experience, Dr. Cervantes' work has focused on eliminating structural racism in kidney health disparities and on increasing diversity the healthcare workforce. Dr. Cervantes has received funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (2020 Clinical Faculty Scholars Program and 2014 Harold Amos Medical Faculty Development Grant), the Doris Duke Foundation, and the National Institutes of Health to conduct community-engaged mixed methods and clinical trials to reduce health disparities faced by Latinx/a/o individuals. Dr. Cervantes has also developed pre-health pipeline programs for high school and college youth interested in health careers.
Dr. Cervantes' passion to reduce health disparities and increase diversity in the healthcare workforce in Colorado have garnered her numerous accolades, including the 2017 Unsung Heroine Award (Latina First Foundation), 2018 Health Equity Champion Award (Center for Health Progress), 2019 Florence Rena Sabin Award (University of Colorado School of Medicine), 2019 Outstanding Service to the Community (Denver Health), and the 2021 Dr. Virgilio Licona Award (Colorado Health Foundation). Dr. Cervantes has been invited to speak at over 80 events and has been interviewed on health disparities research by NPR and CNN. Dr. Cervantes currently serves on the boards for the Public Benefits Corporation of Connect for Health Colorado, Vuela for Health, Center for Health Progress, and the National Kidney Foundation.
Enid Wade - Chief Legal Officer
Enid Wade joined Denver Health in 2021 from Baylor Scott & White Health in Texas, the largest not-for-profit health care system in the State, where she served as General Counsel of Health System Operations.
Ms. Wade has broad ranging experience in health care law, including oversight for corporate governance, research, immigration, human resources, real estate, government relations, risk management, contracts, graduate medical education, and matters involving all areas of employment and labor law.
Ms. Wade earned her bachelor's degree in Economics from Duke University and went on to graduate with a Juris Doctorate from the University of Texas School of Law. In her first job following law school, she worked as a prosecutor gaining lots of trial experience and seeking remedies for crime victims. She then went into private practice with a Texas law firm where she quickly rose to the position of Partner. She then moved in-house with a hospital system, which is the type of work she continues through today. Throughout her career, she has been actively engaged in a variety of academic, professional, and civic organizations.
Frank Verloin deGruy III, MD, MSFM, is a Professor in the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Colorado. Between 1999 and 2021, he was the Woodward-Chisholm Professor and Chair of that department. Dr. deGruy received his undergraduate degree from Princeton University in 1970 (sociology, religion) and his medical degree in 1977 from the College of Medicine at the University of South Alabama in Mobile. He completed a family medicine residency at The Medical Center in Columbus, Georgia in 1980 and completed a Robert Wood Johnson Fellowship in Family Medicine at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio in 1982. He has previously held academic appointments in Departments of Family Medicine at Case Western Reserve University, Duke University, and the University of South Alabama.
Dr. deGruy has served as president of the Collaborative Family Healthcare Association (CFHA) and president of the North American Primary Care Research Group (NAPCRG). He is on the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee of the National Network of Depression Centers (NNDC) and the Family Physicians' Inquiries Network (FPIN). For ten years (2011-2021) he chaired the National Integration Academy Council, and sits on the board of the Colorado Institute of Family Medicine. He has previously served on the editorial boards of The Annals of Family Medicine and Families, Systems, and Health, General Hospital Psychiatry and Psychiatric Times; he was an Associate Editor of the Southern Medical Journal. Has published about 200 papers, chapters, and commentaries, and has reviewed grant applications for the NIH, AHRQ, HRSA, and the RWJF. He has been a member of the Institute of Medicine (now the National Academy of Medicine) since 2008. Most of his current activities are aimed at community-based health improvement solutions, particularly for underserved and disadvantaged people
Job Titles:
- Chief Executive Officer of Denver Health Medical Plan
Greg McCarthy joined Denver Health Medical Plan in 2017, bringing a broad spectrum of health plan experience. McCarthy's career has encompassed large group plans and individual health plans as well as government products. Before joining Denver Health he spent 13 years at Martin's Point Health Care in Portland, Maine, filling a number of high-level leadership roles, culminating with Senior VP Health Plan Operations. He also served as Vice President of Operations for Community Health Options in Lewiston, Maine.
McCarthy earned his bachelor's degree in Public Management from the University of Maine and his master's degree from DePaul University's Charles H. Kellstadt Graduate School of Business.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Senior Manager of Political
After graduating from Regis University, Hollie Velasquez Horvath emerged into the political fundraising arena. She worked as a Political Manager and Fundraiser for over ten years at the city, state, and federal level in Colorado. Her past client list includes Governor John Hickenlooper, State Treasurer Cary Kennedy, State Senate President Brandon Shaffer, U.S. Senator Mark Udall, Congressman John Salazar, Governor Bill Richardson, the Democratic Governors Association and Secretary of Interior Ken Salazar.
In 2010, Hollie served as Deputy Campaign Manager on for the successful campaign to elect John Hickenlooper and then led his Inauguration Celebration. Hollie also worked with several community leaders on campaigns for state and city referenda such as Preschool Matters, ProComp, and campaigns for education reform in Denver. Along with working for Democrats in Colorado, she has worked as a consultant to help start up finance operations for Denver area nonprofits like the Colorado Children's Campaign and Assistive Technology Partners. In 2011, Hollie changed career paths, joining the External Affairs department of Xcel Energy as the Manager of Political Engagement. In this role she managed external engagement teams in Colorado and Minnesota.
Hollie was promoted to Senior Manager of Political and Civic Engagement in 2013. In this role she was responsible for a companywide external engagement brand, Positive Effect. She also managed the Xcel's political giving. Hollie was recently promoted to Xcel's Director of Community Affairs. She now leads a team responsible for managing city political relationships, economic development activities, and social investments for Colorado (i.e., corporate sponsorships, the company's foundation, and employee community engagement). When she is not with family and friends, Hollie volunteers for nonprofits. She Chairs the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and Blue School Partners boards, and serves on boards for the Children's Museum of Denver and was appointed by Governor Hickenlooper to serve on Great Outdoors Colorado.
Job Titles:
- Chief Communications Officer
- Denver Health 's Chief Communications Officer
Jacque Montgomery is Denver Health's Chief Communications Officer. Jacque leads the health care system's communications and marketing team in the areas of internal and external communications, marketing, brand and reputation management, media and crisis communications, and advises on outreach communication efforts to patients and the community.
Jacque has extensive health care communications and issue management experience having worked at Kaiser Permanente Colorado, the University of Colorado Denver|Anschutz Medical Campus and as press secretary in the Office of Governor for the state of Colorado.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Executive Director of the Latin American Educational Foundation
Jim Chavez is the executive director of the Latin American Educational Foundation (LAEF). LAEF is a Colorado-based non-profit, providing college assistance and guidance to Colorado's Latino students and their families, including direct scholarship support. Established in 1949, LAEF is Colorado's oldest Latino non-profit. Jim has dedicated much of his professional life working for education related causes. As a board member and staff member of the Colorado Student Obligation Bond Authority, Jim was instrumental in creating Colorado's first prepaid college tuition program, which became known as College Invest, and then worked across the country to develop and implement numerous state college savings programs or Section 529 plans. He began his career as a certified public accountant with the firm Ernst & Young.
Jim is dedicated to improving the quality of life of those who live in our communities, and has a particular focus on diversity, equity, inclusion and equality efforts within organizations as critical means to better outcomes for organizations and the broader community. Currently, Jim is a member of the Board of Commissioners for the Denver Housing Authority (past Chair), and a member of the Board of Directors for the Colorado Non-Profit Association. He is a Colorado Commissioner to the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education. Jim is a former Trustee for the Clayton Early Learning Center, past board member for the Rocky Mountain Public Broadcasting Corporation, and a past member of the Board of Trustees for the University of Northern Colorado (Vice Chair).
Job Titles:
- Integrated Clerkship ( LIC ) Program Manager
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Executive Director of the Office of Human Resources
Kathy Nesbitt is the Executive Director of the Office of Human Resources for the City and County of Denver. Nesbitt has over 22 years of public and private sector experience in human resources, organizational and administrative management. Prior to joining the City and County of Denver, Nesbitt was the Chief Operating & Strategy Officer for the American Diabetes Association. She also served as vice president for employee and information services at the University of Colorado, Director of Personnel and Executive Director of the Department of Personnel & Administration for the State of Colorado, Human Resources Director and Interim Vice President of Human Resources for Kaiser Permanente's Colorado Region, and Staff Attorney at Mountain States Employers Council and Qwest Communications. Nesbitt earned her Juris Doctorate from Southern University Law Center and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Colorado Boulder. She possesses her Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) certification, as well as a certificate in executive leadership from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. She is a recipient of the prestigious Eugene H. Rooney, Jr., Award for leadership in state human resource management, and was named one of the Top 25 Women in Business by the Colorado Women's Chamber.
Job Titles:
- Chief Operating Officer
- Denver Health 's Chief Operating Officer
As Denver Health's Chief Operating Officer, Kris Gaw oversees the comprehensive health system that provides care to more than one million patients each year. Gaw ensures Denver's only safety net hospital delivers on its mission to provide all in our community access to quality and equitable health care. She helped guide Denver Health through the pandemic having started at Denver Health just before the first cases of COVID-19 arrived in our community. She is dedicated to improving and maintaining exceptional patient/provider experiences in cost-effective ways.
Gaw has extensive experience in safety net hospitals. She came to Denver Health with more than 35 years of experience in the health care field including 15 years as Chief Operating Officer at hospital systems such as Valleywise Health in Maricopa County, AZ. Prior to Valleywise Health, Gaw served as Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer - Hospital Operations for Parkland Hospital and Health System in Dallas, TX, one of the largest public health systems in the country.
From 2008 to 2014, Gaw served as Chief Operating Officer at Renown Regional Medical Center in Reno, NV. From 2002 to 2008, Gaw was Vice President of Human Resources at Renown Health.
Gaw received both a Bachelor's and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Phoenix. She is a fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives and is a certified lean professional.
She also is the proud mom of a beautiful daughter, Kassie who is a registered nurse and is currently completing her Family Nurse Practitioner degree at CU Denver and of two precious dogs, Sadie and Bo.
Job Titles:
- Integrated Clerkship ( LIC ) Program Manager
Job Titles:
- Undergraduate Education Coordinator
Lorena Zimmer has been at the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce since 2014. Currently she oversees 3 initiatives, The Denver Opportunity Youth Initiative, Prosper CO, and a partnership with CareerWise CO.She comes from a consulting and government background always collaborating to make meaningful change. When her work focused on public health she developed a locally and nationally recognized public health model to collect and disseminate data, prioritize policy and target public health programs to those communities of greatest need. She has also been involved in developing legislation and providing health data to support social policy changes.
She has also served as a lecturer at CU-Denver in Social Determinants of Health, but don't worry, she's not going to lecture you today.
Lorena holds a B.S in Biology and B.A. in Anthropology from Florida State University and a M.A. in Medical/Applied Anthropology from the University of Colorado at Denver. She is fluent in Spanish and speaks some French. When not working she loves to adventure with her family.
Job Titles:
- Medical Director, Pre - Health Programs
Job Titles:
- Medical Director, Continuing Education & Simulation
Job Titles:
- Medical Career Program Director
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
Patti Klinge has over 30 years of experience in human resources management. She most recently retired from the position of Executive Vice President, Human Resources at AT&T Broadband, a communications company with $10B in revenues and 50,000 employees. In this role she was the senior officer leading all aspects of the Human Resources function. Prior to the merger of AT&T and MediaOne Group, she was Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer of MediaOne Group, a $7B global broadband communications company. Previously, she held senior human resources positions at New Vector Group, Inc., Chase Manhattan Bank and R.R. Donnelley.
Patti is actively engaged in the Denver community. She is currently Chair of the Board of Directors of the Denver Health Authority Board. She also serves on the Advisory Board of the Ludeman Center for Women's Health Research at CU Anschutz. Previously she served as Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Women's Foundation of Colorado and co-chair of the Board of Directors for the Career Services Authority of the City and County of Denver. During her tenure on the Board of Florence Crittenton Services she served as Board Chair and Interim CEO. She is a past member of the Board of the GLBT Community Center of Colorado where she also served as Board Chair. In addition, Patti ran a part-time psychotherapy practice for several years, providing services to low income clients.
Klinge holds a Master's degree in Labor and Industrial Relations from Michigan State University, a Master's degree in Counseling Psychology from the University of Colorado at Denver, and a BA in Sociology from Nazareth College. Additionally, she is a licensed psychotherapist.
Klinge lives in Denver with her partner, Connie McArthur. She enjoys adventure travel with fun friends, along with biking, cross country skiing, hiking, and golf.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
Health care law, in all its many aspects, is Ms. Dean's passion. Her desire to better serve her clients and understand healthcare laws and regulations in depth led her in 2010 to return to school to begin obtaining her masters of law (LL.M.) in health law. Her education, coupled with her years representing clients in health law related matters, provide her clients with sophisticated counsel on a wide range of issues, including healthcare transactions, regulatory matters, practice formation, government investigations, medical ethics, and physician integration. Pia has practiced law for over 30 years, specializing in litigation and health law. She graduated with honors from University of Denver College of Law in 1988, when she joined Holland & Hart LLP (partner, 1988-2016). In 2015 she earned her L.LM. in Health Law from University of Loyola Chicago School of Law.
She is immersed in efforts at both the federal and state levels to reform healthcare and address its rising costs. She has extensive knowledge of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, health benefit exchanges, accountable care organizations, and Medicare/Medicaid reforms. Pia founded Medical Legal Partnership in 2015 and has served as its volunteer Executive Director since its inception. She has served on the board of Directors for Colorado AIDS Project (Leadership Award recipient 2000) and Craig Hospital. A native of Colorado, she is passionate about social justice and equal health access for all Coloradans.
Job Titles:
- Chief Quality, Safety and Transformation Officer
Read Pierce, MD, serves as Denver Health's Chief Quality, Safety and Transformation Officer and oversees the health system's clinical quality and patient safety programs. He is passionate about improving systems in ways that enhance clinical outcomes, value-based care, experience, equity, and workforce well-being. Dr. Pierce previously worked at the Dell Medical School at the University of Texas at Austin (Dell Med) and at University of Colorado (CU). At Dell Med, he served in many roles including co-chair of the Joint Practice Council for Quality, Chief of the Division of Hospital Medicine, and Associate Chair of faculty development and well-being in the Department of Internal Medicine. At CU's Anschutz Medical Campus, he spent nearly a decade leading clinical transformation efforts as Director of Quality Improvement and Clinical Innovation within the Division of Hospital Medicine as a co-founder and Associate Director of the Institute for Healthcare Quality, Safety and Efficiency. From 2017-2020, he was part of the National Taskforce for Humanity in Medicine and helped to lead a national pilot program blending efforts to improve quality and patient experience with interventions to reduce clinician burnout. He received his bachelor's degree in chemistry and history from Southern Methodist University and attended medical school at University of California, San Francisco, where he completed an area of concentration in health systems/health leadership. He completed his internship at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston before returning to San Francisco for his residency and chief residency in internal medicine. His personal interests include history, spending time outdoors, and anything that allows quality time with his wife, Vanessa, and their two boys.
Job Titles:
- Director of Rocky Mountain Poison and Drug Safety
- Director of the Rocky Mountain Poison and Drug Center
Dr. Richard Dart is the Director of the Rocky Mountain Poison and Drug Center and specializes in emergency medicine and toxicology. He is certified by the American Board of Emergency Medicine and American Board of Medical Toxicology. Since 1992, Dr. Dart has served as Director of the Rocky Mountain Poison and Drug Center. He is the Executive Director of Researched Abuse, Diversion and Addiction-Related Surveillance System. He has published more than 250 papers and chapters, as well as served as editor for the book, The 5-Minute Toxicology Consult and the third edition of Medical Toxicology. In 2002, Dr. Dart was recognized with a special citation from the Commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and named the 2004 recipient of the Matthew J. Ellenhorn Award for Excellence in Medical Toxicology from the American College of Medical Toxicology. He also serves as a Deputy Editor of the medical journal, Annals of Emergency Medicine, and is the past president of the American Association of Poison Control Centers.
Languages
Interpretation service provided for all languages
Job Titles:
- Executive Director for PHIDH
- Executive Director, Public Health Institute at Denver Health
Dr. Bob Belknap is the Executive Director for PHIDH. He grew up in Ohio and attended medical school at Ohio State University. He moved to CO in 1998 for Internal Medicine residency followed by fellowship in Infectious Diseases. In 2005, he joined public health at Denver Health working in the tuberculosis (TB), Sexual Health, and Infectious Diseases clinics. Dr. Belknap became the director of the TB program in 2013 and has been a member of the core leadership team at PHIDH since 2016. He has been active nationally working to advance TB prevention and the care of people with TB. He served as president and a member of the executive boards for the National Society of Tuberculosis Clinicians and the National Tuberculosis Controllers Association. He is currently Chair of the U.S. Health and Human Services' Advisory Council for the Elimination of TB.
Job Titles:
- Chief of Academic Affairs
Romana Hasnain-Wynia, PhD, oversees Denver Health's academic mission in research, education, and public health through the Office of Academic Affairs and Public Health to further Denver Health's role as a Learning Health System to advance equity. She is also a Professor of Medicine at the University of Colorado, School of Medicine. She served as the Chief Research Officer at Denver Health for six years, where she provided strategic direction for research and sponsored programs. She mentors junior and mid-career investigators at Denver Health and the University of Colorado, Anschutz Medical Campus. She currently co-directs the HRSA funded T-32 post-doctoral training fellowship in Health Services and Outcomes Research in primary care.
Prior to joining Denver Health, Hasnain-Wynia served as the director of the Addressing Disparities program at the Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute where she provided strategic oversight for the program's national funding priorities. She was the director of the Center for Health Care Equity and Associate Professor at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, and she spent a decade at the American Hospital Association's Health Research and Educational Trust as Vice President of Research. Her research focuses on advancing equity in health care with an emphasis on developing and integrating equity measurement in delivery and payment models. Her research and mentorship activities emphasize generating and using real world evidence. She serves on several national advisory panels and is on the editorial boards of the journals Health Affairs and Health Services Research.
Job Titles:
- Director of Clinical Education
Job Titles:
- Chief Ambulatory Care Officer / Chief Executive Officer, Denver Community Health Services
- Pediatrician
- Pediatrician, Chief Executive Officer of Denver Community Health Services
Dr. Hambidge is a pediatrician, Chief Executive Officer of Denver Community Health Services (DCHS) and Chief Ambulatory Officer at Denver Health, positions he has held since 2014. Dr. Hambidge was previously the Director of General Pediatrics for Community Health Services for 8 years. He is a Professor of Pediatrics at the University School of Medicine, and has practiced at Denver Health since 1997. As DCHS CEO, Dr. Hambidge oversees a network of 9 community health centers and 17 school based clinics, which provide health care to over 164,000 patients, approximately one-fourth of the population of Denver. Denver Health's patients include over half of the Medicaid patients in the city. Dr. Hambidge still provides limited clinical care in the Webb Center for Primary Care's Kids Care clinic. He has published numerous articles on topics such as vaccine safety and pediatric obesity. Dr. Hambidge serves on the Board of Directors of the Denver Health Medical Plan, the Colorado Community Health Network, the Community Health Association of Mountain and Plains States, and Reach Out and Read Colorado. He was appointed by Colorado's governor to serve on the Medical Services Board of the state Medicaid agency, which determines Medicaid policy for Colorado.
Job Titles:
- Chief Government and Community Affairs Officer
Dr. Federico was previously the Director of General Pediatrics and School and Community Programs, and is an Associate Professor of General Pediatrics at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. His past work at Denver Health has been as Director of Service for pediatrics in the community health centers and medical director of school-based health centers.
Dr. Federico leads government relations efforts in better establishing partnerships with and advocating to local, city, state and federal leaders and organizations on behalf of Denver Health. He maintains and develops new relationships with community and constituency partners, and continues to enhance efforts in community outreach and identify areas of growth. He is an advocate on behalf of what the community needs and expects from Denver Health.
Dr. Federico graduated from the University of Arizona College of Medicine. He completed his pediatric residency and a primary care research fellowship at the University of Colorado. He then worked with the Colorado Childrens' Campaign on Medicaid reform as a Soros Physician Advocacy Fellow. He was president of the Colorado Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics from 2010-2012. He has served on several national committees on child poverty, school and immigrant health. He has been a member of both the National and Colorado Association of School-based Health Care and the National Association of Community Health Centers in focused on the areas of Legislative policy and Clinical Practice.
Thomas M. Kim - Founder, Managing Director
Job Titles:
- Founder
- Managing Director
- Member of the Board of Directors
Mr. Kim is a Managing Director and founder of r2 advisors llc. During his tenure with r² advisors, Mr. Kim has worked with numerous clients who were addressing some form of operational or financial distress. He has served in senior leadership roles with clients undergoing turnarounds, bankruptcies, sales and liquidations.
Prior to founding r2 advisors llc, Mr. Kim was employed by a private investment company that invested in special assets transactions. Mr. Kim began his professional career as a bankruptcy lawyer, primarily with an international law firm, where he worked on complex restructuring and transactional matters.
Job Titles:
- Director, Healthcare Interest Program