The BRAVE (Breast Restoration AdVocacy Education) Coalition Foundation has appointed Lisa Shumpert as the new President of its Executive Board, effective immediately. Shumpert brings extensive leadership experience from her role as Chief Human Resources Officer at Comar and as author of the bestselling book "Team Turnaround - Spark High Performance in Your Direct Reports." Her appointment comes as the organization intensifies efforts to address persistent gaps in breast reconstruction access for cancer survivors.
Founded in 2012 by Dr. Allen Gabriel and Dr. Christine Grogan, BRAVE was created to address unmet needs in breast reconstruction care. Despite the Women's Health Cancer Rights Act of 1988 (WHCRA) mandating insurance coverage for breast reconstruction, significant barriers remain. Patients continue to face difficulties finding doctors who accept insurance, lack of adequate insurance coverage, and troubling health disparities where black women experience a 38% higher mortality rate than white women with less access to care.
Shumpert expressed gratitude to outgoing leader John Gwin, who led the organization for two years and prepared it for future growth. Under her leadership, Shumpert outlined three primary goals: expanding the network of breast and plastic surgeons to assist more patients, increasing funding from donors, and continuing partnership with Northwestern University to enhance funding and educational activities specifically targeting improved access for black women. "We will continue providing essential resources to patients, making this a foundational goal," Shumpert stated.
The organization's mission focuses on educating breast cancer survivors about 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. This leadership transition is significant as it positions an experienced organizational turnaround specialist to address systemic healthcare access issues at a time when breast cancer survivors face increasing challenges in obtaining comprehensive reconstruction care.
For more information about the BRAVE Coalition Foundation and its work, visit https://www.bravecoalition.org.
