WesternU to hold Pumerantz Lecture Oct. 21
Tammie McMann Brailsford, RN, executive vice president and chief operating officer of MemorialCare Health System, will serve as the keynote speaker for the sixth annual Dr. Philip Pumerantz Distinguished Lectureship, at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2014 at Western University of Health Sciences.
The lectureship will take place in WesternU’s Health Education Center Lecture Hall I, 701 E. Second St., Pomona, Calif. 91766.
Brailsford is responsible for overseeing the clinical, quality, financial and operational performance of MemorialCare’s six hospitals, its physician organization, the MemorialCare Medical Foundation, numerous ambulatory locations, and all shared services.
MemorialCare Health System is a nationally recognized nonprofit integrated delivery system with $2 billion in total revenues, 11,300 employees, and 2,600 physicians. The system includes: Long Beach Memorial, Miller Children’s and Women’s Hospital Long Beach, Community Hospital Long Beach, Orange Coast Memorial – Fountain Valley, and Saddleback Memorial – Laguna Hills and San Clemente.
Brailsford spearheaded a disciplined approach to integration and change resilience that has helped make MemorialCare’s recent expansion a success. The organization has integrated two major physician groups, six imaging centers, eight surgery centers and a health plan, and has added 1,777 employees in the past four years.
Brailsford has an impressive track record of improving operating systems, financial performance and organizational culture. Under her leadership, MemorialCare has been recognized for four consecutive years as a Gallup Great Workplace. She is widely recognized for spearheading an innovative employee wellness program, The Good Life, which focuses on wellness and prevention. She initiated MemorialCare’s MC*21 Management System based on the Lean Production System, helping to maximize operational efficiencies, enhance patient experience and improve employee and physician satisfaction.
Prior to joining MemorialCare, Brailsford served as the executive vice president and chief operating officer of the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, Calif. She has held numerous leadership positions in the health care industry, including administrator/COO at St. Mary Medical Center in Long Beach and CEO of Long Beach Memorial and Miller Children’s Hospital.
Brailsford is involved in the local community, having served or currently serving as commissioner of the Long Beach Economic Development Commission, assistant clinical faculty member for UCLA, director on the Governing Board of Long Beach Memorial Medical Center, and director on the Governing Board of the Boys & Girls Club of Long Beach. She also is a nominee for the American College of Healthcare Executives.
Brailsford holds a master’s degree in health care management from California State University, Los Angeles, a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Pacific Union College, and a diploma in nursing from Niagara College in Canada.
Drs. Daljit and Elaine Sarkaria of Orange established the lectureship in 2009 in honor of WesternU’s founder and president, Dr. Philip Pumerantz, as part of a $5.1 million pledge to WesternU. The Sarkarias dedicated $100,000 of their pledge to create the lectureship to encourage and foster exemplary medical research, education and high-quality patient care.
