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Health Foundation of Greater Cincinnati Elects Three to Board
The Health Foundation of Greater Cincinnati elected three new directors to its board during its annual meeting. The new board members, who will serve three-year terms, are Karen Bankston of the Drake Center; Dawn Bertsche of Multi-Color Corporation; and Dr. Robert Graham of the University of Cincinnati, School of Medicine.
Eileen Cooper Reed continues as board chair and Thomas DeWitt, MD, continues as vice chair.
“With changes in healthcare coming at a rapid pace, The Health Foundation of Greater Cincinnati is thrilled to have these accomplished members of our community join our board of directors,” said Donald E. Hoffman, President and CEO of The Health Foundation of Greater Cincinnati. “These new board members represent the best of the financial, medical, healthcare and educational fields, and are leaders dedicated to improving the health status of those in the Foundation’s 20-county service area.”
Karen Bankston, Ph.D., M.S.N., FACHE, is the senior vice president of Drake Center, Inc., and an adjunct faculty member at Xavier University. Dr. Bankston previously served as the senior vice president of external affairs for the Health Alliance responsible for local, state and federal government relations, community relations, marketing and public relations. She also served as the external affairs liaison to neighborhood councils, city/county/state governments, the Uptown Consortium, United Way and other community agencies, and oversaw the Health Alliance departments of community health and diversity. Dr. Bankston was elected to a three-year term on the governing council of the American Hospital Association’s Section for Long-Term Care & Rehabilitation in January 2008, which advises AHA on policy issues, advocacy positions, emerging issues, and member service strategies. She also participated as a member of a national task force to assist the Center for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) with identifying criteria for admission to post-acute care services. Locally, she a co-leader in the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber’s Agenda 360 Plan and continues to volunteer in efforts supporting the need for care to the poor and in the development of young African-American professionals.
Dawn H. Bertsche is the Senior Vice President of Finance, Chief Financial Officer and Secretary of Multi-Color Corporation (NASDAQ:LABL). In 2009, she received the CFO of the Year award in the public companies category by the Cincinnati Business Courier. She received her MBA from Xavier University in 1991and her undergraduate degree in Accounting from The University of Tennessee in 1977. She also serves on the board of trustees for The Ohio River Valley Chapter of the Arthritis Foundation and CET. Ms. Bertsche is a member of the Financial Executives Institute, the American Society of Certified Public Accountants, and the Ohio Society of Certified Public Accountants.
Robert Graham, M.D., is currently a Professor of Family Medicine and the Robert and Myfanwy Smith Endowed Chair in the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Cincinnati, School of Medicine. Dr. Graham was the Executive Vice President and CEO of the American Academy of Family Physicians. In addition to his activities in Family Medicine, Dr. Graham has held a number of leadership responsibilities in the Federal Health Sector, including the position of Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) during which time he held the rank of Rear Admiral in the Commissioned Corps of the U.S. Public Health Service, and served as an Assistant Surgeon General. He also served in senior positions at the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the Health Resources Administration, and the Health Services and Mental Health Administration. Dr. Graham is considered an expert in health policy including health care reform. His current areas of interest are leadership development, organizational change, and universal coverage for health insurance.
The Health Foundation of Greater Cincinnati is an independent foundation dedicated to improving the health of the people of the Cincinnati region. The Foundation awards grants to non-profit and governmental organizations for selected health programs and activities in Cincinnati and 20 surrounding counties in Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana. Since 1997, the Health Foundation has invested approximately $114 million in local healthcare programs that address the objectives of the Foundation's four focus areas and general community health.
For more information about the Health Foundation of Greater Cincinnati or its board, please contact Christine Mulvin at 513-458-