Elsie Taveras, MD, has been tapped as the first chief community health equity officer for Mass General Brigham, the Boston-based health system said May 3.
Dr. Taveras is chief of the division of general academic pediatrics and executive director of the Kraft Center for Community Health at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.
Effective in mid-May, she will focus on confronting inequity and racism, lead efforts of Mass General Brigham's United Against Racism initiative and drive a new health system strategy in community health, the health system said.
"Dr. Taveras is the perfect choice for this newly created role, as she has extensive experience implementing evidence-based programs in both clinical and community settings," Tom Sequist, MD, Mass General Brigham chief patient experience and equity officer, said in a news release. "There is tremendous work already underway across Mass General Brigham, and by harnessing this collective strength under Dr. Taveras' leadership we will accelerate our progress, making a difference in the lives of our patients and the communities we serve across the region and beyond."
Mass General Brigham said Dr. Taveras, who also teaches in the nutrition department at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, will continue research work in the MassGeneral Hospital for Children pediatrics department and continue to lead the Kraft Center for Community Health.
Mass General Brigham has about 74,000 employees in Massachusetts and includes Massachusetts General Hospital and Boston-based Brigham and Women's Hospital.
Read more about Dr. Taveras here.