Dr. Efren Rosas, Physician in Chief at Kaiser Permanente San Jose succeeds David Neighbors as new Board Chair.
San Jose, CA – The Health Trust today announced Dr. Efren Rosas, Physician in Chief at Kaiser Permanente San Jose and member of its Board of Trustees, has been elected as the new Board Chair. Effective June 22, 2022, Rosas succeeds David Neighbors, who terms out this month after serving nine years on the Board and as Chair for the past three years.
“In spite of the pandemic and all the changes needed in response, my time at The Health Trust has been remarkable, and I am honored to serve as its new Board Chair. I love the charge of this organization to serve the Silicon Valley community, and its vision that ‘everyone should have the opportunity to be healthy.’ Simple yet bold,” said Dr. Rosas. “This vision comes to life at every meeting I attend as a Board Trustee – talented, dedicated individuals who care deeply for this community and work tirelessly to lessen the health disparities that exist.”
“COVID-19 has unveiled deeply rooted systemic inequities and affected our most vulnerable disproportionately. They continue to need help. It’s a tall mountain, but this group, this team, is mighty and bold,” added Rosas. “I enter this role with awe, but am confident that my Board colleagues and the leadership of The Health Trust will help us continue to succeed in building health equity together.”
Efren Rosas, MD is a native Californian who grew up in Calexico; a small border town in the Imperial Valley. He always dreamed of being a physician. From a very early age, he would watch his “abuelita” [grandmother] help cure those who were sick in the community, and it left a strong impression on his childhood of the importance of caring for others. As a surgeon, Dr. Rosas has dedicated his medical career to removing barriers for colleagues, patients and his community. His passion for fixing complex problems led to significant performance improvements in hospitals and operating rooms throughout Kaiser Permanente. Dr. Rosas spearheaded the creation of Kaiser Permanente San Jose’s Pre-op clinic which resulted in high efficiency use of the operating room. His desire to remove barriers for his colleagues led him to create a communication model among surgeons, hospital nurses and doctors called “Talk With Me,” which has improved inter-departmental agreements and team effectiveness. Dr. Rosas is also a pioneer and innovator in surgical care. He launched the Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) program in San Jose, which helps patients return home the same day after an operation and recover faster with fewer complications. This program achieved great success and quickly spread across Northern California Kaiser Permanente medical centers. Dr. Rosas attended the University of California, Los Angeles for his undergraduate studies and Stanford University for medical school. He attended the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) for his surgical residency in general surgery. In addition to being the Physician in Chief, leading over 500 physicians and over 2000 staff, he also continues his medical practice doing abdominal, liver, pancreas and adrenal surgeries.
“Dr. Rosas’ collaborative leadership, coupled with his passion for removing barriers to health, make him an ideal person for the Board Chair role. I look forward to working closely with him to ensure The Health Trust listens to our community and advances health equity in Silicon Valley,” said Michele Lew, The Health Trust CEO.
“My tenure on The Health Trust board has been an honor, a growth experience, and an education on health equity,” said outgoing Chair, David Neighbors. “As a proud native of East San José, I have first-hand knowledge of the needs of our under-served communities; and the difference The Health Trust team has made for those with food, housing, and healthcare insecurities.”
“Our CEO Michele Lew is the torchbearer of a legacy created by our founders including Dave Henderson and Steve Caplan,” he added. “The Board is in good hands under the leadership of Dr. Efren Rosas, and members who have an acute understanding that justice will not be served until those who have not been affected by social injustices are as outraged as those who have.”
Joining Dr. Rosas, the following Board members were elected as officers:
- Vice Chair – Camille Llanes-Fontanilla, Vice President, Silicon Valley Programs, The Sobrato Organization
- Secretary – Emily Lam, Deputy Assistant General Manager, External Affairs, San Francisco Public Utilities Commission
The Health Trust grants $3.2M in FY22
On June 22, the Board of Trustees also approved a set of new grants totaling $786,311 to four local organizations addressing food insecurity, housing needs, and supporting people with diabetes and people with disabilities.
The investment is part of the Silicon Valley-based nonprofit operating foundation’s 2022 grantmaking fourth quarter, and part of its $2.2 million annual philanthropic fund supporting community organizations and public agencies aligned with its mission.
Three grants under the Health Partnership Fund have been awarded to Amigos De Guadalupe Center for Justice and Empowerment and Veggielution, both located in East San Jose, and Ravenswood Family Health Network located in Palo Alto. A fourth grant has been awarded under the Emerging Opportunity Fund to Parents Helping Parents to support clients in East San Jose and Gilroy.
In total, The Health Trust has invested $3.2 million toward external community partners addressing medically-related community needs this fiscal year – $2.2 million from the foundation’s traditional philanthropic funds, and $1 million from a temporary augmentation designated for COVID-19 recovery efforts.
Health Partnership Grant Awards
Amigos de Guadalupe Center for Justice and Empowerment
To build a strong organizational foundation in the midst of significant growth in order to continue to be a high-performing organization serving the immigrant community of East San Jose.
Ravenswood Family Health Network
To increase access to optometry services for its patients with diabetes, enhancing their disease management and preventing unnecessary adverse health effects at MayView Clinic’s new Optometry Department.
Veggielution
To strengthen agency capacity and infrastructure to support Veggielution’s mission of connecting people from diverse backgrounds through food and farming to build community in San José.
Emerging Opportunity Fund Award
Parents Helping Parents
To provide in-person services targeting the underserved disability community by opening satellite sites in East San Jose and Gilroy.
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About The Health Trust
The Health Trust was formed in 1996 from the sale of three non-profit hospitals, establishing an endowment designated to fund external community partners addressing medically-related community needs. Since then, we have served Silicon Valley as a nonprofit operating foundation, annually investing over $2M to nonprofit and public agencies that support the health and wellbeing of residents in Santa Clara and northern San Benito counties. The Health Trust also provides direct services and advocates for policies and initiatives that help achieve our mission to build health equity in Silicon Valley. To learn more, please visit healthtrust.org.
Contact: Victoria Ramirez | victoriar@healthtrust.org | 408.513.8740