ImproveCareNow Announces Missy Ketchum as New Chair of the Board

ImproveCareNow (ICN) is pleased to announce that Missy Ketchum has been elected to the role of Chair of the Board of Directors beginning on July 1.  Missy will be replacing Howard Baron, MD, FAAP who has served as Chair of the Board since 2020, and a member of the ICN Board for upwards of 10 years. Howard will be missed on the Board but his leadership in ICN will continue both as a member of the Physician Leadership Group and a site lead for his own care center.  

Missy will be the second parent to hold the seat of Board Chair. She began her involvement in ICN at her local center, Nemours Children’s Health System - Jacksonville, and has served on the ICN Board for several years, most recently as the Secretary/Treasurer. 

“Missy has extensive experience in non-profit fundraising and management. She has a passion for our work and a desire to continue to achieve outstanding patient outcomes while advancing care for children with IBD internationally. Please help me welcome Missy into this role.“

Howard Baron, MD, FAAP - Outgoing Chair of the Board

Other upcoming changes include:

• John Barnard will take over the role of Secretary / Treasurer
• Jennie David, PhD will join the Board as the psychologist representative
• Becky Woolf will shadow patient Board member Catalina Berenblum in preparation for her transition to full Board member in July 2024. Updated October 2023

With these changes, ImproveCareNow has completed the recommendations made as a result of the 2019-2020 Digital Asset Governance project. ICN made a commitment that the membership of the Board of Directors would be more representative of ICN’s diverse community of expertise, and with Jennie’s appointment, the goal of transforming the composition of the Board has been achieved.  These changes commence with the next term, starting on July 1, 2023.  

ImproveCareNow Board of Directors (July 1, 2023)

• Sabina Ali, MD - Care Center Physician
• John Barnard, MD - Institutional Leader (Board Secretary/Treasurer)
• Catalina Berenblum- Patient
• Mitchell Cohen, MD - Institutional Leader
• Jennie David, PhD – Care Center Psychologist
• Rachael Fleurence, PhD - Federal Liaison
• John Grunow, MD - Care Center Physician
• Jim Jacobson, JD - Functional Expertise
• Inbal Kavaler - Parent
• Missy Ketchum - Parent (Board Chair)
• Sandra Kim, MD - Care Center Physician
• Karen Murray, MD - Institutional Leader

Learn more about the ImproveCareNow team.

Editorial note: This post was updated on October 10, 2023 to reflect the addition of Becky Woolf as observer to the Board. 

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About ImproveCareNow

ImproveCareNow is a Learning Health Network dedicated to transforming care, health and costs for all children and youth with Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis (Inflammatory Bowel Disease or IBD) by building a sustainable collaborative chronic care network. We are enabling patients, families, clinicians, and researchers to work together in a learning health care system to accelerate innovation, discovery and the application of new knowledge. We invite everyone interested in getting kids with IBD better right now to join us!