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 a bestselling author of organizational turnaround strategies. Her appointment comes at a critical time for the organization, which was founded in 2012 by Dr. Allen Gabriel and Dr. Christine Grogan to address significant gaps in breast reconstruction care for cancer survivors.
The foundation's mission focuses on addressing unmet needs of women seeking access to breast reconstruction plastic surgeons. Despite the Women's Health Cancer Rights Act of 1988 (WHCRA) aiming to bridge care gaps, persistent challenges include difficulty finding doctors who accept insurance, lack of insurance coverage for many patients, and significant health disparities. Black women face particularly severe barriers, experiencing a 38% higher mortality rate than white women and having less access to necessary care. These systemic issues have created substantial obstacles for breast cancer survivors seeking reconstruction options.
Shumpert expressed gratitude to outgoing leader John Gwin, who prepared the organization for future growth over the past two years. She outlined three primary goals for BRAVE under her leadership: 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 education activities specifically targeting improved access for black women. The organization will maintain its focus on providing essential resources to patients as a foundational goal.
The BRAVE Coalition Foundation was established to educate breast cancer survivors about reconstruction options, advocate for legislative and insurance industry changes, connect patients with resources, and restore quality of life regardless of insurance status, socioeconomic background, education level, or race. More information about the organization's work can be found at https://www.bravecoalition.org. Shumpert's leadership transition represents a strategic move to strengthen the foundation's capacity to address the complex intersection of healthcare access, insurance limitations, and racial disparities in breast reconstruction care.
