Welcome to the Mass General Brigham Innovation Board Candidates page. Below, you’ll find a gallery of featured leaders, followed by a sortable database to learn more and find a candidate.   


Browse the board candidates below. You can sort each column and real-time search by specialty, expertise, etc.

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NameTitleBioAreas of Expertise
Zara Cooper, MD, MSc, FACSDirector, Center for Surgery and Public Health
Director, Center for Geriatric Surgery
Dr. Zara Cooper is a nationally recognized surgeon-executive and health systems innovator currently serving as Interim Executive Vice Chair of Surgery at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Professor of Surgery at Harvard Medical School. As Kessler Director of the Center for Surgery and Public Health, she leads multidisciplinary teams advancing care delivery models for aging and seriously ill populations. Her strategic work spans clinical transformation, palliative care integration, and population health—areas of increasing relevance to value-driven healthcare systems and mission-aligned boards.

Dr. Cooper’s governance experience includes roles on the Mass General Brigham Board of Trustees, where she co-chairs committees on diversity, equity, and community health. She has led major initiatives in care redesign, quality measurement, and surgical innovation, with funding from NIH, PCORI, the Department of Defense, and private philanthropy. She is a member of the American Surgical Association and holds national leadership positions with the American College of Surgeons and the Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract. With a strong track record in system-level change, stakeholder engagement, and health equity, Dr. Cooper brings board-ready expertise in strategic oversight, innovation adoption, and mission-centered governance.
Surgical Innovation
Health Systems Leadership
Palliative Care Integration
Governance and Strategy
William Curry, MD Chief Medical Officer, AMCs, MGBDr. William T. Curry is the Chief Medical Officer for Academic Medical Centers at Mass General Brigham (MGB), where he leads clinical integration and strategic oversight across Massachusetts General Hospital, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Mass Eye and Ear, and their affiliated physician organizations. Appointed in February 2025, Dr. Curry plays a pivotal role in unifying care delivery, enhancing patient outcomes, and optimizing physician engagement across one of the nation’s premier academic health systems. His leadership is central to MGB’s mission to align operational excellence with academic and clinical innovation.

A neurosurgeon by training, Dr. Curry joined Mass General in 1997 and has since held numerous leadership roles, including Chief Medical Officer of Mass General, the Massachusetts General Physicians Organization, and Mass Eye and Ear. He is the Adeline Rose Wydotis Professor of Neurosurgery at Harvard Medical School and has served as Co-Director of Mass General Neuroscience and Director of Neurosurgical Oncology. Recognized for his commitment to mentorship and interdisciplinary collaboration, Dr. Curry brings a deep understanding of academic medicine and a track record of fostering innovation, making him a valuable asset to boards seeking strategic insight in healthcare transformation.
Health System Integration
Academic Leadership
Care Delivery Innovation
Mitchel Harris, MD Chair, Orthopedic Surgery, MGBDr. Mitchel Harris is an accomplished healthcare executive with dual training in orthopedic spine and trauma surgery. He has provided three decades of leadership across clinical, academic, and administrative domains. After serving seven years as the Chief of Orthopaedic Surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and the William H and Johanna A Harris Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at Harvard Medical School, Dr. Harris was recently selected as the inaugural Chair of the combined MGB Department of Orthopaedic Surgery. He has led large-scale initiatives altering clinical pathways and musculoskeletal care redesign. He co-founded a collaborative leadership course with Harvard’s Business School, aimed at mid-career health providers. He previously served as Chief of both the spine and trauma services at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, where he played a central role in clinical integration and value-based care initiatives across the Mass General Brigham system.

Dr. Harris has been a driving force in academic medicine, mentoring generations of physician leaders and spearheading efforts to improve care for aging populations, particularly in spinal trauma and complex orthopedic conditions. A nationally recognized expert in spinal fracture care, he has authored more than 200 peer-reviewed publications and co-led national guideline development through the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Dr. Harris serves on several national committees and advisory boards, bringing deep operational experience, cross-specialty insight, and governance expertise to organizations navigating clinical transformation and strategic growth.
Health System Transformation
Academic Leadership
Clinical Governance
Healthcare Operations
Hadine Joffe, MD, MSc Professor of Psychiatry in the Field of Women’s Health and Executive Director, Mary Horrigan Connors Center for Women's Health Research, BWH / HMS? Hadine Joffe, MD, MSc, is a distinguished leader in academic psychiatry and women’s health, holding the Paula A. Johnson Endowed Professorship of Psychiatry in the Field of Women’s Health at Harvard Medical School. She serves as Executive Director of the Connors Center for Women’s Health Research and has served in a range of leadership roles in the Department of Psychiatry at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. A pioneer in clinical reproductive neuroscience, Dr. Joffe has led NIH-funded research for over two decades focused on the mechanisms driving neurocognitive symptoms in women, including depression, insomnia, and hot flashes associated with menopause. Her research has shaped clinical care for women with mood and sleep disorders across the lifespan, especially during midlife and for breast cancer survivors. She continues to expand into new areas, including the impact of menopause on cardiometabolism, stress-related neurocognitive symptoms, and dementia. Her clinical work involves caring for women with mood and sleep disorders across the lifespan, including during the menopause transition and breast cancer treatment.

In her role at the Connors Center, Dr. Joffe spearheads two major research initiatives: equity in therapeutic development and the role of stress in women’s health. She launched the First.In.Women® Precision Medicine Platform to ensure sex-differentiated insights in drug development and founded the WHISPR (Women’s Health Interdisciplinary Stress Program of Research), which helped secure a U54 NIH Center grant under the ORWH-funded SCORE program. A skilled mentor and institutional strategist, she fosters next-generation investigators and cross-disciplinary collaboration. To date, she has provided pilot funding and career sponsorship to over 100 investigators and clinicians at HMS. Dr. Joffe’s academic excellence and commitment to mentorship have been recognized through prestigious awards from leading national women’s health and psychiatry organizations and from Harvard Medical School. Her leadership positions her as a valuable asset to boards seeking deep expertise in clinical neuroscience, women’s health, translational science, and academic medicine.
Clinical Neuroscience
Depression and Sleep Disorders Therapeutics
Women’s Health 
Translational Research 
Therapeutic Innovation 
Scientific Governance
Oluwaseun “Seun” Johnson Akeju, MD, MMSc Anesthesiologist-in-Chief, Mass General Brigham
Dr. Henry Isaiah Dorr Professor of Research and Teaching in Anesthetics and Anesthesia
Oluwaseun "Seun" Johnson Akeju, MD, MMSc, is the Anesthesiologist-in-Chief at Mass General Brigham, and the Henry Isaiah Dorr Professor of Research and Teaching in Anaesthetics and Anaesthesia at Harvard Medical School. A physician scientist and nationally respected leader in academic anesthesiology, Dr. Johnson Akeju is known for advancing patient care, research, and education at the intersection of anesthesia and neuroscience. He earned his medical degree from Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, completed residency at Massachusetts General Hospital, received a Master of Medical Science degree from Harvard Medical School, and a Master of Business Administration from Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Clinically, he focuses on anesthesia for neurosurgical procedures and has led NIH funded trials aimed at reducing the risk of postoperative delirium in older adults. Dr. Johnson-Akeju’s early research integrated neuroimaging, high-density EEG, and clinical studies to characterize the neurophysiology of the anesthetized brain and reveal how anesthetic drugs disrupt network dynamics to induce unconsciousness. His current work investigates the molecular and systems-level biology of postoperative delirium, aiming to uncover neuroimmune mechanisms of injury and identify actionable targets for early detection and intervention. Beyond delirium, these insights may shed light on how surgical or chronic immune stress contributes to cognitive decline, with broader implications for Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.

Dr. Johnson-Akeju has been recognized for his scientific and leadership contributions with numerous honors, including the James E. Cottrell Presidential Scholar Award from the American Society of Anesthesiologists. He currently serves as President of the International Anesthesia Research Society, which supports the global advancement of scientific discovery and knowledge dissemination in anesthesiology. He continues to shape medical practice through mentorship, translational research, and collaboration across clinical, biomedical, and quantitative sciences.
Clinical Neuroscience
Translational Strategy
Health System
Clinical Innovation
David Louis, MD Chair, Pathology, MGB Dr. David Louis is a globally respected academic executive and diagnostic innovator currently serving as Chair of Pathology at Mass General Brigham, where he leads a 2,500-person team performing over 70 million laboratory tests annually with a $465 million operating budget. As the Benjamin Castleman Professor of Pathology at Harvard Medical School and former Pathologist-in-Chief at Massachusetts General Hospital, Dr. Louis has engineered major advancements in computational pathology, precision diagnostics, and enterprise integration, positioning pathology as a strategic growth lever within academic medicine.

A pioneering figure in molecular neuro-oncology, Dr. Louis has shaped diagnostic standards through his leadership of the WHO CNS tumor classifications and his roles in NIH advisory groups. He brings board-relevant experience in organizational transformation, scientific commercialization, and innovation governance. His founding of cIMPACT-NOW and ADAPTR highlights his capacity to build global coalitions and scale solutions for diverse systems, including resource-limited settings. With deep insight into healthcare operations, biomedical innovation, and global scientific frameworks, Dr. Louis offers strategic vision and operational rigor ideal for boards navigating transformation and growth.
Precision Diagnostics
Clinical Laboratory Operations
Computational Medicine
Scientific Commercialization
Kathryn Rexrode, MD, MPHChief Academic Officer, BWHDr. Kathryn Rexrode, MD, MPH, is Chief Academic Officer at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, where she oversees the hospital’s education and research enterprise. A Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, she also serves as Chief of the Division of Women’s Health in the Department of Medicine. A nationally recognized physician-scientist, Dr. Rexrode has led transformative research on cardiovascular disease in women, with a particular focus on the influence of hormonal and metabolic risk factors. Her prolific body of work includes over 360 peer-reviewed publications and leadership of multiple NIH-funded studies.

Dr. Rexrode’s impact extends beyond clinical care and research—she is a tireless advocate for advancing women in medicine. She served for many years as the Director of the Office for Women’s Careers at Brigham’s Center for Diversity and Inclusion, where she led the Women’s Leadership Program for junior faculty and championed equity across academic medicine. She earned her MD from Case Western Reserve University, completed her residency and fellowship at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and holds an MPH from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Her leadership, strategic vision, and deep commitment to mentorship make her a compelling candidate for board service in organizations focused on healthcare, education, and diversity.
Academic Leadership
Women's Health
Health Equity
Clinical Research
Mentorship Development
Elsie Taveras, MD, MPHChief Community Health & Health Equity Officer,
Executive Director, Kraft Center for Community Health
Dr. Elsie Taveras is a nationally recognized healthcare executive and equity strategist currently serving as the inaugural Chief Community Health and Health Equity Officer at Mass General Brigham. In this systemwide role, she leads a $17 billion academic health system’s unified approach to improving community health, community investment, and advancing health equity strategies across care delivery, research, innovation, and education. As Executive Director of the Kraft Center for Community Health at MGB and a Professor at Harvard Medical School, she combines clinical expertise with data-driven, research-informed program design to improve community health through innovative, scalable solutions.

With over two decades of executive and academic leadership experience and continuous funding from the NIH and major foundations, Dr. Taveras has built high-impact, scalable models in pediatric population health, childhood obesity, as well as clinical and community-based interventions for obesity prevention and management. She holds an endowed professorship—the first Latina in Harvard Medical School’s history to do so—and has published over 300 peer-reviewed articles. A seasoned advisor to federal agencies, foundations, and philanthropic organizations, Dr. Taveras brings governance acumen, deep stakeholder engagement skills, and a track record of translating research into institutional change. Her experience leading cross-sector collaborations and advancing equity aligns strongly with mission-driven board service.
Community and Population Health
Cross-Sector Collaboration
Dissemination & Implementation
System Transformation
Health Policy
Health Equity Strategy
Program Development & Evaluation
Childhood Obesity Innovation
Ron Walls, MD, FAAEM, FRCPCChief Operating Officer, MGBDr. Walls is the Chief Operating Officer of Mass General Brigham (MGB), an integrated academic health system with $20B in annual revenue, anchored by founding members Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, the two largest teaching hospitals affiliated with Harvard Medical School. MGB also comprises three renowned specialty hospitals; Spaulding Rehab, Mass Eye and Ear, and McLean; seven community hospitals; four neighborhood health centers; and more than two hundred ambulatory care sites. Dr. Walls has led the development of a new management operating system across all inpatient entities to provide collaborative, integrated services and solutions. Major milestones to date include unifying all digital and information technology services and functions under a single digital leader, unifying radiology, pathology, emergency medicine and anesthesiology into single system-wide services; establishing systemwide operations for pharmacy, security, emergency preparedness, and biomedical engineering, and creating a single, systemwide patient transfer center. Three newly created systemwide institutes – MGB Cancer, MGB Heart and Vascular, and MGB Neurosciences, are optimizing highly integrated and coordinated patient care, education, and research, while improving patient access, capitalizing on resources from across the system.

Previously, Dr. Walls was the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Brigham and Women’s Hospital, an 840-bed academic medical center — a position he held from 2015-2020. During his tenure as COO, Dr. Walls led a major operational and financial turnaround of the hospital, instituted an entirely new management operating system, rebuilt the leadership team, and initiated clinical integration work with Mass General Hospital.

Dr. Walls served as Chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital from 1993 through 2014. He also served as Chair of the Brigham and Women’s Physicians Organization Finance Committee and then its Board.

As an emergency physician, Dr. Walls’s principal contributions are in advancing the techniques and knowledge base related to emergency airway management. Dr. Walls is editor-in-chief of Rosen’s Emergency Medicine, the major textbook in the field, editor-in-chief for emergency medicine for UpToDate and editor emeritus of the Walls Manual of Emergency Airway Management, now in its fifth edition. His research group, the National Emergency Airway Registry, has produced the largest and most comprehensive studies of emergency airway management to date. In all, he has more than 180 scientific publications and has served as visiting professor at more than 40 institutions. Dr. Walls collaborated to create a national resuscitation course focused on emergency airway management, which has trained more than 15,000 emergency physicians and other providers to date. In 2006, he became the first emergency physician to achieve the rank of professor at Harvard Medical School. He has been honored by the William Silen Lifetime Achievement in Mentoring Award from Harvard Medical School, major awards from all three emergency medicine specialty organizations, and the Wallace Wilson Leadership Award of the UBC Medical Alumni Association.

Dr. Walls attended medical school at the University of British Columbia (UBC) in Vancouver, Canada, and completed his residency training in emergency medicine at Denver General Hospital. He served on the faculty at George Washington University Medical Center and then as Associate Professor and Head of the Department of Emergency Medicine at Vancouver General Hospital and UBC prior to his roles at MGB.
Health System Transformation
Academic Leadership
Clinical Governance
Healthcare Operations
Joanne Wolfe, MD, MPHMGB Chair of Pediatrics,
Physician-in-chief, MGB for Children
Dr. Joanne Wolfe is an internationally recognized leader in pediatric palliative care and health system innovation, currently serving as the MGB Chair of Pediatrics and the Physician-in-Chief of MGB for Children. As the Charles Wilder Professor of Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School, she has built and led nationally acclaimed programs in pediatric oncology, palliative care, and clinician development. Dr. Wolfe previously served as Division Chief of Pediatric Palliative Care at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and held numerous senior roles advancing clinical program quality, research infrastructure, and faculty development across the Harvard system.

Dr. Wolfe’s leadership has shaped the evolution of pediatric palliative care as both a clinical specialty and a scientific discipline. She is the founding PI of several multi-institutional research initiatives, including the PediQUEST trials, and co-developed the national EPEC-Pediatrics training program. She has served as President of the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine, chaired major NIH and National Academy of Medicine committees, and sits on multiple hospital boards, including those of MGH and Brigham and Women’s Hospital. With deep experience in governance, implementation science, and systems-level change, Dr. Wolfe offers strategic insight, operational experience, and mission-driven leadership ideal for organizations committed to patient-centered innovation and equity.
Pediatric Oncology
Hospice and Palliative Medicine
Governance & Board Experience
Clinical Research Leadership
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