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. She succeeds John Gwin, who led the organization for two years and prepared it for future growth.
The foundation, established in 2012 by Dr. Allen Gabriel and Dr. Christine Grogan, addresses significant gaps in breast reconstruction care for cancer survivors. Despite the Women's Health Cancer Rights Act of 1988 (WHCRA) aiming to bridge these gaps, patients continue facing substantial challenges. These include difficulty finding doctors who accept insurance, lack of insurance coverage for many patients, and persistent health disparities where black women experience a 38% higher mortality rate than white women with less access to care.
Shumpert 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 helping black women access care. She emphasized that providing essential resources to patients will remain a foundational goal for the organization.
The BRAVE Coalition Foundation'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, socio-economic status, education level, or race. More information about the foundation's work is available at https://www.bravecoalition.org.
For Texas businesses and communities, this leadership transition represents a significant development in healthcare advocacy with economic implications. The foundation's work addresses systemic barriers that prevent cancer survivors from returning to full productivity and participation in the workforce. By improving access to reconstruction care, BRAVE helps survivors regain physical and emotional well-being, potentially reducing long-term healthcare costs and enabling more Texans to contribute economically.
The organization's focus on insurance barriers directly impacts Texas employers who provide health coverage, as improved reconstruction access could lead to better employee recovery and retention. The emphasis on addressing racial disparities aligns with broader Texas business initiatives toward health equity and inclusive economic growth. As Shumpert implements her three-pronged strategy, Texas medical providers may see increased collaboration opportunities, while donors can contribute to measurable improvements in survivor outcomes across the state.
Shumpert's corporate leadership background suggests a strategic approach to scaling the foundation's impact, potentially creating new partnerships between Texas healthcare providers, businesses, and advocacy organizations. The continued partnership with Northwestern University brings academic resources to Texas healthcare challenges, while the focus on expanding surgeon networks addresses practical access issues across Texas' diverse geographic regions. This appointment signals a maturation of healthcare advocacy in Texas, moving beyond awareness to actionable solutions with tangible economic and social benefits for the state.
