The Commonwealth Fund is fortunate to have a group of wise and experienced individuals serving as directors of the foundation. A diverse group on many levels, our board members offer a variety of perspectives as private- and public-sector leaders in medicine, finance, public policy, and academia. The board is the primary steward of the Fund’s resources, and they are tasked with ensuring a sustainable future for the foundation.
We benefit from the guidance and support of the following board members and their participation on respective committees.
Margaret A. Hamburg, M.D., Chairman
Dr. Hamburg, an internationally recognized authority in medicine and public health, is co-president of the InterAcademy Partnership at the Nuclear Threat Initiative. She was previously foreign secretary of the National Academy of Medicine, after serving for six years as the Commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Sheila P. Burke, R.N., M.P.A., FAAN, Vice Chairman
Ms. Burke is a strategic advisor and chair of the Government Relations and Public Policy Group at Baker Donelson. She is also a member of the faculty at the Harvard Kennedy School.
Joseph R. Betancourt, M.D., M.P.H.
Dr. Betancourt is president of the Commonwealth Fund. He formerly served as the senior vice president for Equity and Community Health at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), overseeing the organization’s diversity, equity, inclusion, and community health portfolio, including its Center for Diversity and Inclusion, Disparities Solutions Center.
Maureen Bisognano
Ms. Bisognano, president emerita and senior fellow, Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI), previously served as IHI’s president and CEO for five years, after serving as executive vice president and COO for 15 years.
Mitchell J. Blutt, M.D., M.B.A.
Dr. Blutt is founder and chief executive officer of the health care investment firm Consonance Capital. He is also clinical assistant professor of medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College and the Graduate School of Medical Sciences of Cornell University.
Carrie L. Byington, M.D.
Dr. Byington is a professor of pediatrics at the University of California, San Diego. She previously served as the executive vice president for the University of California Health System. Prior to her role at UC, she was senior vice president of Texas A&M Health Science Center, dean of the Texas A&M College of Medicine, and vice chancellor for health for the Texas A&M System.
Julian Harris, M.D., M.B.A.
Dr. Harris is chairman and CEO at ConcertoCare and an operating partner at Deerfield. He previously served as president of Care Allies, led the health care team in the White House Office of Management and Budget, and served as chief executive of the Massachusetts Medicaid program.
Kathryn D. Haslanger
Ms. Haslanger is the chief executive officer of JASA (Jewish Association Serving the Aging), a leading nonprofit in New York serving more than 43,000 older adults.
Alan Jones
Mr. Jones is a managing director in Investment Banking at Wells Fargo. He previously served as senior managing director at Intermediate Capital Group and managing director and vice chair of Private Credit and Equity at Morgan Stanley.
Vivian S. Lee, M.D., M.B.A.
Dr. Lee is an executive fellow at Harvard Business School. She previously served as president, Health Platforms, at Verily Life Sciences and was dean, senior vice president, and CEO of University of Utah Health.
Lois Quam
Ms. Quam is the former president of Blue Shield of California. She previously served as chief executive officer of Pathfinder International and executive director of the Global Health Initiative at the U.S. Department of State.
Jaewon Ryu, M.D., J.D.
Dr. Ryu is CEO of Risant Health. Previously he was president and CEO of Geisinger. He has been a member of the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) since 2018.
Simon Stevens
Lord Simon Stevens is Chair of Cancer Research UK, the largest independent funder of cancer science worldwide, and an independent member of the U.K. Parliament’s House of Lords. He is also Chair of the UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency, and Chair of the Council of Trustees of King’s College London. He was previously CEO of the National Health Service in England, and a senior executive with UnitedHealth Group in the United States.
Laura Walker, M.B.A.
Ms. Walker is president of Bennington College. She was the founding President and CEO of New York Public Radio and held that position for 23 years.