3 MEMBERS VOTED INTO ASSOCIATION LEADERSHIP

As with any new class of board members, there always comes a welcome infusion of diverse experiences, fields of expertise, and fresh ideas — all valued components for the American Association for Physician Leadership® and its dedication to the transformation of healthcare today.

The most recent additions to the American Association for Physician Leadership Board of Directors were selected from among 12 strong candidates. All three distinguished themselves with their credentials, professional experience, and an active commitment to the association.

ZULMA M. BERRÍOS, MD, MBA, CPE, FAAPL, has been an AAPL member since 2010 and currently serves as the chief medical officer for West Kendall Baptist Hospital, Baptist Health South Florida, the largest faith-based, not-for-profit healthcare organization in the region, with 10 hospitals and more than 50 outpatient facilities, spanning four counties from the Keys to the Palm Beaches. Berríos is a graduate of the University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine and completed residency in obstetrics and gynecology at San Juan City Hospital. She is a board-certified OBGYN who began her career as a physician in the U.S. Air Force. She attained the rank of major and was awarded the Air Force Commendation Medal.

Berríos earned a Healthcare MBA from Florida International University. In addition to being a Lean Six Sigma black belt, she is a patient safety simulation instructor. She has served on several professional boards and medical societies, including the Puerto Rican Professional Association of South Florida and the ACOG, District XII, Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Committee. Berríos is committed to helping better educate the communities she serves with reliable and easy-to-understand medical information, serving as spokesperson and broadcasting information by TV, radio, and social media platforms in English and Spanish.

Berríos has a passion for service and philanthropy. In the aftermath of Hurricane María, she served as physician leader of a medical mission to Puerto Rico and spearheaded philanthropic support for the delivery of medications, medical equipment, and supplies. She serves as physician champion for the Water Safety Campaign, which provides free swimming lessons for hundreds of deserving children.

COLLEEN F. INOUYE, MD, MS PopH, MMM, FACOG, CPE, FAAPL, has been an AAPL member since 2012 and serves as the treasurer and Maui director of the Hawaii Independent Physicians’ Association (HIPA). HIPA is a state-wide organization of more than 500 physicians whose mission is to help independent physicians through leadership, education, and support to care for the people of Hawaii. HIPA currently is helping independent physicians navigate the many new payment models. Inouye, who trained at the Los Angeles County-University of Southern California Medical Center Women’s Hospital, is a board-certified obstetrician/gynecologist and has a certification in pediatric and adolescent gynecology. She enjoys the challenge of life-long learning, graduating with a Master of Science in population health from Thomas Jefferson University in 2020, where she was recognized with the Outstanding Student Award, and graduating with a Master of Medical Management from the University of Southern California in 2014. She is a member of the Beta Gamma Sigma Honor Society.

An assistant clinical professor at the University of Hawaii-John A. Burns School of Medicine, Inouye also is a co-director for the medical student program on Maui, which emphasizes rural medicine.

JULIE T. JOSEPH, MD, MPH, MBA, CPE, FAAPL, an AAPL member since 2015, is a board-certified internist and infectious diseases specialist. She completed her Internal Medicine residency at St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital in New York City and her Infectious Diseases fellowship at New York Medical College. Joseph is a Fellow of the American College of Physicians and the Infectious Diseases Society of America. She also has a Master of Public Health from New York Medical College and an Executive MBA from Columbia Business School.

Joseph has worked in academic medicine as an assistant professor of medicine in the Departments of Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases at New York Medical College and Columbia University Medical Center. She has taught graduate courses in the Department of Public Health at New York Medical College School of Health Sciences and Practice. Joseph later transitioned to the payor side, working at Anthem-Empire BlueCross BlueShield and EmblemHealth in New York City. She currently is a senior medical director at EmblemHealth. Joseph has served on healthcare organization boards and is a board member of the WF Cerebral Palsy Center at Columbia University Medical Center.

Joseph has been actively involved with the AAPL and looks forward to contributing her medical, payor, and board member experiences to the AAPL board.

The new board members will fill the vacancies of departing members Thomas L. Higgins, MD, MBA, CPE, FACP, MCCM, FAAPL; Lisa Laurent, MD, MBA, MS, CPE, FAAPL; Byron C. Scott, MD, MBA, CPE, FACEP, FAAPL; Howard A. Shaw, MD, MBA, CPE, FACOG, FACHE, FAAPL; and Albert Tzeel, MD, MHSA, CPE, FAAPL, whose four-year terms with the board have expired.

To learn more about the AAPL board of directors and its competencies, visit physicianleaders.org/about/board .