Leadership & Board
Patient Experience Symposium
Laura Cooley
Editor-in-Chief
As Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Patient Experience, she advocates for improved health and experience outcomes through evidence-based research and practice. As a mission-driven professional, she aims to drive value through strategic thought leadership, program development, and academic scholarship to improve patient experience outcomes. She holds a PhD in Health Communication and provides consultative support and speaks at high-profile conferences as a recognized subject matter expert. She most recently led The Academy of Communication in Healthcare, where she consistently partnered with C-Suite leaders to support the development and implementation of their Patient Experience strategies. She developed and managed a robust portfolio of healthcare enterprise affiliates. Laura is Co-Editor for “Communication Rx: Transforming Healthcare through Communication and Relationships”, a popular book in the McGraw-Hill Professional Series. In her role as Editor-in-Chief at The Journal of Patient Experience (an open-access peer-reviewed academic publication) she leads a team dedicated to creating influential content focused on patient experience research and education.
Rachel Biblow
Associate Editor of Strategy, Innovation, and Outcomes
Rachel Biblow, MSW, President & CEO Outcomes Institute, is a strategic advisor and healthcare transformation leader who helps organizations move beyond incremental improvements to meaningful change with differentiated results. As President & CEO at the Outcomes Institute, Rachel works with senior healthcare executives to create clarity and alignment around top strategic priorities. With over 20 years of leadership experience at organizations including ChenMed, Press Ganey, and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, she brings both strategic insight and practical implementation expertise. Rachel earned her bachelor’s at Pennsylvania State University, and holds a master’s from the University of Pennsylvania. She is a certified coach, serves as National Chair of the Medical Advisory Board for Team IMPACT, and as Associate Editor for Strategy and Innovation at the Journal of Patient Experience.
Gretchen Holmes, PhD
Associate Editor, Patient-Family-Caregiver Perspectives
Gretchen Holmes, PhD, Associate Dean for GME & DIO Sam Houston State University College of Osteopathic Medicine, serves as the Associate Dean for Graduate Medical Education and DIO for Sam Houston State University College of Osteopathic Medicine. Dr. Holmes is an experienced researcher having published in top journals including Health Communication, Psycho-Oncology, and Injury Epidemiology. Her published research includes work in obesity management, rapport, and provider-patient communication. She has served as a national-level patient advocate for the National Cancer Institute since 2002 and serves as an Associate Editor for Patient, Family and Caregiver Perspectives for the Journal of Patient Experience. She is the author of The Work in Between: A Memoir About Stepping Out of My Shadows and hosts The Work in Between podcast.
Katherine Osborne
PhD, Managing Editor
In her role for the Journal of Patient Experience Katherine direct the peer-review process and support the editorial team. She is also the Director of Education and Research for the Academy of Communication in Healthcare. With a PhD in Health Communication, her dedication to the field of Patient Experience has spanned a little over a decade. In addition to her work with the Journal, Katherine enjoys reading and spending time with her two pups.
Barbara Lewis, PhD
Barbara Lewis, PhD, MBA, UNLV School of Public Health, launched a three-decade career first as a journalist writing for numerous national publications, such as The Wall Street Journal and, more recently, the Journal of Patient Experience, Modern Healthcare, and BMJ. She worked as an on-camera consumer, health, and safety reporter for an ABC television affiliate. After receiving her MBA from the UCLA Anderson School of Management, Barbara set the stage for act two of her career, founding a marketing consulting firm to help businesses grow. Act three of Barbara’s career began when she wrote Joan’s Family Bill of Rights about her sister’s last days in the ICU. After talking to hospital groups about her experience, she was inundated by healthcare personnel, who told her their tragic stories. As a result, she decided to devote her life to improving the patient experience.
Brian Wagner
David Bernstein, MD, PhD, MBA
David N. Bernstein, MD, PhD, MBA, MEI, Senior Researcher, Harvard Business School Resident Physician, Harvard Combined Orthopaedic Residency Program Mass General Brigham. He is an orthopaedic surgery resident physician in the Harvard Combined Orthopaedic Residency Program (HCORP), which is based out of Massachusetts General Hospital, and a senior researcher at Harvard Business School, where he works alongside Professors Michael E. Porter and Robert (Bob) S. Kaplan on health care transformation initiatives. David is a prolific health services scientist and sought after key opinion leader. He is the Special Advisor for Patient-Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs) to the Orthopaedic Surgeon-in-Chief at Boston Children’s Hospital and a Clinical Advisor within the Department of Population Health Management at Mass General Brigham. Further, he advises a number of think tanks and governments globally on health care transformation initiatives and served as a fellow at the National Academy of Medicine (NAM).
Editorial Leadership Board 2025
- Alpa Vyas, Stanford Health Care
- Barbara Lewis, Joan’s Family Bill of Rights, UNLV, Drexel University College of Medicine
- Christy Dempsey, Christina Dempsey Enterprises (CEO)
- Corey Adams, Australian Institute of Health Innovation (AIHI)
- David N. Bernstein, Mass General Brigham & Harvard Business School
- Deirdre Mylod, Press Ganey Forsta
- Filippo Giliberti, Villabella Institute for Complex Care
- Ganisher Davlyatov, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences
- Geri Lynn Baumblatt, Articulations Consulting
- Jennifer Carron , BJC Healthcare, Washington University School of Medicine, Beryl Institute
- Katherine Harville, Academy of Communication in Healthcare and Journal of Patient Experience
- Kathy Leonhardt, Joint Commission
- Krista Hirschmann, Enhance Communication, Academy of Communication in Healthcare
- Patrick Oben, Curana Health
- Rachel Biblow, Journal of Patient Experience
- Sheba George, Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science
- Stephanie Bayer, Cleveland Clinic
- Sue Kong, NHS Elect (National Health Service UK)
- Sylvie Leotin, Equify Health
- Taylor Sewell, Columbia University
- Tony Warmuth, Cleveland Clinic
- Vincenzo Andretta, University of Salerno
- Brian Wagner, Fellow, Brand Strategy with The Journal of Patient Experience