The BRAVE Coalition Foundation has appointed Lisa Shumpert as the new President of its Executive Board, effective immediately. Shumpert brings extensive leadership experience to the organization, including her recent role as Chief Human Resources Officer at Comar and her background as a bestselling author of organizational turnaround strategies.
Founded in 2012 by Dr. Allen Gabriel and Dr. Christine Grogan, BRAVE was established to address significant gaps in breast reconstruction care for breast cancer survivors. The organization's mission focuses on educating survivors about their reconstruction options, advocating for legislative and insurance industry changes, connecting patients with resources, and restoring quality of life regardless of insurance status, socioeconomic background, education level, or race.
Despite the Women's Health Cancer Rights Act of 1988 (WHCRA) aiming to bridge care gaps, substantial challenges persist in the breast reconstruction landscape. Patients continue to face difficulties finding doctors who accept insurance, many lack adequate insurance coverage, and significant health disparities remain. Black women experience a 38% higher mortality rate than white women and have less access to necessary care.
Shumpert expressed gratitude to outgoing leader John Gwin, who led BRAVE for the past two years and prepared the organization for future growth and scalability. Under her leadership, Shumpert outlined three primary goals for BRAVE: expanding the network of breast and plastic surgeons to assist more patients, increasing funding from donors, and continuing partnerships with Northwestern University to enhance funding and educational activities specifically targeting improved care access for black women.
The appointment signals BRAVE's commitment to strengthening its organizational capacity and expanding its impact. Shumpert's background in organizational turnaround and human resources suggests a strategic focus on building sustainable systems and partnerships to address the complex challenges in breast reconstruction access. For more information about the BRAVE Coalition Foundation, visit https://www.bravecoalition.org.
For business and technology leaders, this leadership change represents how nonprofit organizations are applying corporate leadership strategies to address healthcare disparities. The intersection of healthcare access, insurance systems, and racial equity presents both challenges and opportunities for innovation in patient advocacy and resource distribution. BRAVE's continued partnership with Northwestern University suggests an ongoing commitment to evidence-based approaches and educational initiatives that could serve as models for other healthcare advocacy organizations.
