Susan Rapple

Rapple Appointed BWHC Chief Development Officer

Susan Rapple, EdM, who has served as Harvard Medical School’s dean for Resource Development since 2008, has been appointed chief development officer for BWHC, effective Sept. 16.

Rapple will lead BWHC’s Development team, connecting donors to the institution’s world-class care, research and educational programs. She will also take part in a multitude of opportunities to enrich the mission through philanthropic outreach. Rapple will build upon the strong infrastructure and momentum generated by her predecessor Jim Asp, BWHC volunteer leaders and the entire Development team.

“Sue is deeply committed to advancing health care through philanthropy and has more than 30 years of experience leading development strategy and comprehensive fundraising activities for nonprofit organizations, including several notable institutions in our medical community,” said BWHC President Betsy Nabel, MD. “Her rich experience, ingenuity and commitment will continue to propel our Life.Giving.Breakthroughs. campaign to raise $1 billion to advance our precious mission.”

A skilled leader of institutional campaigns, Rapple oversaw the planning and successful execution of “The World is Waiting: The Campaign for Harvard Medicine”—the largest capital campaign in the school’s history with a goal of $750 million. In her previous role as associate vice president of Development at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, she led the implementation of the $1 billion “Mission Possible” campaign, the largest fundraising effort in the institute’s history. Rapple has also held leadership positions in Development at the Harvard School of Public Health and Dartmouth Medical School.

Rapple earned her bachelor’s degree in finance from Babson College and her master’s degree from the Harvard University Graduate School of Education.

James Kang

Kang Appointed Chair of Department of Orthopedic Surgery

James D. Kang, MD, has been appointed chair of the Department of Orthopedic Surgery, effective Sept. 1.

A nationally recognized orthopedic spine surgeon, Kang joins BWHC from the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC), where he is the executive vice chair for the Department of Orthopedic Surgery, the endowed chair in Orthopedic Spinal Surgery and the director of the Ferguson Laboratory Musculoskeletal Research Center for Spine Research.

Kang is an internationally renowned leader in the basic science and clinical treatment of intervertebral disc degeneration—osteoarthritis of the spine—with a research team that focuses on the biochemistry of disc degeneration and the biomechanics of the spine. Kang has been leading the development of novel therapies for disc degeneration based on the latest gene transfer and stem cell technologies. He has also been an invaluable teacher to residents and fellows, as well as graduate students and post-doctoral research fellows at the University of Pittsburgh.

“A collaborative leader, Dr. Kang brings a depth of experience in patient care, research and teaching that will surely enrich our orthopedic services and benefit our patients for years to come,” said BWHC President Betsy Nabel, MD. “Additionally, his boundless energy and enormous contributions to excellent clinical care and cutting-edge scientific work have been recognized by several leading spine societies, including the International Society for the Study of the Lumbar Spine, where he was just installed as president, the Cervical Spine Research Society and the North American Spine Society.”

Kang received his MD from the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine. He completed his orthopedic surgery residency at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and a spine surgery fellowship at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland.

Kang will succeed Thomas S. Thornhill, MD, who announced his intention to step down last year after 20 years of extraordinary leadership in the department.

“We are so grateful to Dr. Thornhill for his unwavering commitment to the department and his dedication to innovation, his passion for training and education and his commitment to providing exceptional care to our patients and their families, setting a standard that other institutions seek to emulate,” said Nabel.

Thornhill will remain part of the Brigham family as a clinician, surgeon, investigator and mentor, in addition to continuing to lead Operation Walk Boston, which he founded in 2007.

New Chief of Breast Surgery Named at Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women’s Cancer Center

Tari King

Tari King, MD, has been appointed Chief of Breast Surgery at Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women’s Cancer Center (DF/BWCC), effective August 1, 2015.  King will hold appointments at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

In this role, King will oversee breast surgery in the DF/BWCC which includes breast surgical activities in the Susan F. Smith Center for Women’s Cancers at Dana-Farber. As head of breast surgery, King will work collaboratively with medical oncology, radiation oncology, breast imaging, and pathology to continue to build DF/BWCC’s integrated multidisciplinary clinical model for treating breast cancer. This model combines outstanding patient care with state of the art clinical and translational research.

“Dr. King brings extraordinary expertise in breast surgery and a track record of leadership in an academic medical center,” said Eric Winer, MD, Director of Breast Oncology Program and Thompson Chair of Breast Cancer Research at the Susan F. Smith Center for Women’s Cancers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. “Her research interests will expand our current efforts, and we are delighted that she will be joining us to lead such an important component of our breast cancer program.”

“Dr. King comes with a national and international reputation as an outstanding surgeon, a thoughtful educator, a respected researcher and an effective leader,” said Michael J. Zinner, MD, chairman of the Department of Surgery at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.  “Under her leadership, we believe that the breast surgery group will continue to flourish and grow as an essential component of the comprehensive services that we offer, with Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, to our patients with breast cancer.”

Prior to joining DF/BWCC, King held a number of positions at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, most recently as Deputy Chief and Director of Research, Breast Service and was Associate Professor of Surgery at Weill Medical College at Cornell University. She also led an active laboratory-based research program that has investigated the molecular genetics of breast cancer tumorgenesis and progression. Additionally, King has engaged in clinical research addressing current issues in the surgical management of breast cancer.

After receiving a bachelors of science degree in cellular and molecular biology from Tulane University, King received an MD from University of Colorado Health Sciences Center. She completed a general surgery residency at Ochsner Medical Institutions and a clinical fellowship at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.

Daphne Haas-Kogan

Haas-Kogan Appointed New Chair of Radiation Oncology at DF/BWCC

Daphne Haas-Kogan, MD, has been appointed chair of the Department of Radiation Oncology at Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women’s Cancer Center (DF/BWCC), effective July 1. She has been appointed professor at Harvard Medical School and also serves as the endowed professor of Radiation Oncology at BWHC.

Haas-Kogan joins DF/BWCC from the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), where she was program director and vice chair in the Department of Radiation Oncology at the Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Care Center and UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital, and professor of Radiation Oncology and Neurological Surgery. She previously served as the residency program director and vice chair for Research and Education in the Department of Radiation Oncology.

Haas-Kogan received her bachelor’s degree in biochemistry and molecular biology from Harvard University and her medical degree from the UCSF School of Medicine. She completed her internal medicine residency at California Pacific Medical Center and her radiation oncology residency at UCSF, where she also was chief resident and a postdoctoral fellow.

“We are delighted that Dr. Haas-Kogan has joined our team to lead Radiation Oncology,” said BWH President Betsy Nabel, MD. “A thoughtful and collaborative leader, she brings a depth of experience in patient care, research and teaching, which will enrich our Radiation Oncology service and benefit the patients we serve.”

Philip Roberts

Roberts Appointed Senior Director of Operations in Surgery

Philip D. Roberts, who previously served as administrative director for the Division of Surgical Oncology, was appointed senior director of Operations in BWH’s Department of Surgery this past July.

As senior director, Roberts is responsible for administrative leadership, strategic planning and financial performance of the department. He also plans to focus on development and growth of the Department of Surgery operations at BWFH, including both clinic and operating room volume and program development, and establishing strong lines of communication and collaboration with departments and leaders at BWH, including units at Foxborough, BWFH and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI).

Before joining BWH, Roberts worked at DFCI as senior manager of Clinical Planning and Network Operations. He received his MBA from Boston College and BA in economics from the University of Vermont.