BRAVE Coalition Appoints Lisa Shumpert as President to Boost Breast Reconstruction Access

The BRAVE (Breast Restoration AdVocacy Education) Coalition Foundation has announced a significant leadership transition with the appointment of Lisa Shumpert as the new President of its Executive Board, effective immediately. Founded in 2012 by Dr. Allen Gabriel and Dr. Christine Grogan to address critical gaps in breast reconstruction care for cancer survivors, BRAVE now welcomes Shumpert, a seasoned executive with a proven track record in organizational turnaround and leadership. Her background includes serving as Chief Human Resources Officer at Comar and authoring the bestselling book "Team Turnaround - Spark High Performance in Your Direct Reports," positioning her to drive the foundation's mission forward. Shumpert succeeds John Gwin, who led BRAVE over the past two years, preparing it for future growth and scalability, and she has expressed gratitude for his contributions in setting a strong foundation for the organization's next phase.

At the core of BRAVE's mission is addressing the 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 stark health disparities, such as black women facing a 38% higher mortality rate than white women with less access to care. Under Shumpert's leadership, BRAVE has outlined three primary goals: expanding the network of breast and plastic surgeons to assist more patients, increasing funding from donors, and continuing partnerships with Northwestern University to enhance funding and education activities, particularly to help black women gain access to care. These efforts aim to provide essential resources to patients, making it a foundational goal to support survivors regardless of insurance, socio-economic status, education level, or race.

To learn more or donate to BRAVE Coalition Foundation, interested parties can visit www.bravecoalition.org, where they can find additional information and support the cause. The foundation, dedicated to educating breast cancer survivors on reconstruction options, advocating for legislative and insurance industry changes, uniting patients with resources, and restoring quality of life, continues its vital work under Shumpert's guidance. With her leadership experience and commitment to scaling impact, BRAVE is poised to make strides in overcoming barriers to care and empowering survivors in their recovery journeys, ensuring that every individual receives the support they deserve in reshaping their lives post-cancer.