Lisa Brown, Ph.D. Appointed to Federal Nursing Home Commission

Lisa Brown, Ph.D. ABPP, a clinical psychologist at Palo Alto University and director of the Trauma Program and the Risk and Resilience Research Lab has been appointed to the 25-member federal commission tasked with analyzing nursing home safety in the wake of COVID-19. The Coronavirus Commission for Safety and Quality in Nursing Homes consists of representatives from various parts of the long-term care continuum, including operators, academics, resident advocates, and academic researchers.   The announcement was made by President Donald Trump and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) administrator Seema Verma at the end of April.    Brown’s clinical and research focus is on trauma and resilience, global mental health, aging, and vulnerable populations. As a researcher, she is actively involved in developing and evaluating mental health programs used nationally and internationally, crafting recommendations aimed at protecting individuals and communities during catastrophic events, facilitating participation of key stakeholders, and improving access to resources and services. She has served the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and The Florida Department of Health.    According to an announcement in Skilled Nursing News the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) contracted third-party firm MITRE to select the commission’s members, with MITRE chief medical and technology officer Dr. Jay Schnitzer serving as moderator.   “The commission members are leaders who bring decades of experience in nursing home management as well as safety and quality,” Schnitzer said in a statement. “This diverse group will act quickly to identify and communicate best practices for protecting nursing home residents throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.”   The commission members are:  

• Roya Agahi, RN, MS HCM, WCC; Chief Nursing Officer, formerly of NYC Health + Hospitals, soon to be of CareRite, New York
• Lisa M. Brown, PhD, ABPP; Professor of Psychology, Palo Alto University, California
• Mark Burket, CEO, Platte Health Center Avera, South Dakota
• Eric M. Carlson, JD; Directing Attorney, Justice in Aging, California
• Michelle Dionne-Vahalik, DNP, RN; Associate Commissioner, State Health and Human Services Commission, Texas
• Debra Fournier, MSB, BSN, ANCC RN-BC, LNHA, CHD, CPHQ; COO, Veterans’ Homes, Maine
• Terry T. Fulmer, PhD, RN, FAAN; President, The John A. Hartford Foundation, New York
• Candace S. Goehring, MN, RN; Director, State Department of Social and Health Services, Aging and Long-Term Support Administration, Washington
• David C. Grabowski, PhD; Professor of Healthcare Policy, Harvard University, Massachusetts
• Camille Rochelle Jordan, RN, BSN, MSN, APRN, FNP-C, CDP; Senior Vice President of Clinical Operations & Innovations, Signature Healthcare, Kentucky
• Jessica Kalender-Rich, MD, CMD, AGSF, FAAHPM, FACP; Medical Director, Post-Acute Care, University of Kansas Health System, Kansas
• Marshall Barry Kapp, JD, MPH; Professor Emeritus of Law, Florida State University, Florida
• Morgan Jane Katz, MD, MHS; Assistant Professor of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Maryland
• Beverley L. Laubert, MA; State Long-Term Care Ombudsman, State Department of Aging, Ohio
• Rosie D. Lyles, MD, MHA, MSc, FACA; Director of Clinical Affairs, Medline Industries, Illinois
• Jeannee Parker Martin, MPH, BSN; President and CEO, LeadingAge California
• G. Adam Mayle, CHFM, CHC, CHE; Administrative Director of Facilities, Memorial Healthcare System, Florida
• David A. Nace, MD, MPH, CMD; President, AMDA – The Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine, Pennsylvania
• Lori Porter, LNHA, CNA; CEO, National Association of Health Care Assistants, Missouri
• Neil Pruitt, Jr., MBA, MHA, LNHA; Chairman and CEO, PruittHealth, Inc., Georgia
• Penelope Ann Shaw, PhD; Nursing Home Resident and Advocate, Braintree Manor Healthcare, Massachusetts
• Lori O. Smetanka, JD; Executive Director, National Consumer Voice for Quality Long-Term Care, Maryland
• Janet Snipes, LNHA; Executive Director, Holly Heights Nursing Home, Colorado
• Patricia W. Stone, PhD, MPH, FAAN, RN, CIC; Professor of Health Policy in Nursing, Columbia University, New York
• Dallas Taylor, BSN, RN; Director of Nursing, Eliza Bryant Village, Ohio