Eappen Named Interim President of the Brigham

Sunil “Sunny” Eappen, MD, MBA, senior vice president of Medical Affairs and chief medical officer (CMO) at the Brigham, will serve as interim president of the hospital, effective March 1.

Eappen rejoined the Brigham in 2018 from Mass Eye and Ear, where he served as chief medical officer and chief of Anesthesiology. Prior to his role at Mass Eye and Ear, Eappen held multiple clinical and administrative leadership roles at the Brigham from 2002-2009.

Eappen earned his bachelor’s degree in mathematics and computer science from the University of Illinois at Urbana- Champaign, his MD from the University of Chicago’s Pritzker School of Medicine and an MBA from the Yale University School of Management. He completed his residency in anesthesiology at the Brigham.

Eappen will work closely with current Brigham President Betsy Nabel, MD, leading up to March 1, when Nabel will formally step down from her role to pursue opportunities in the biotech sector.

A search process for permanent leadership at the Brigham will immediately begin. The search is expected to take several months.

McDonough to Leave the Brigham

Erin McDonough, MBA, senior vice president and chief communication officer, is leaving the Brigham on March 1, after more than 10 years in her role.

During her time at the Brigham, McDonough has driven comprehensive communication and marketing activities, advancing the Brigham’s mission and bringing stories of inspirational achievements in care, research, education and community partnerships to people around the world. Under McDonough’s leadership, the Brigham appeared in more than 50,000 news stories annually across the globe and garnered more than 95 million Facebook and Twitter impressions each year.

McDonough has devoted her professional career to advancing health care leadership and communications, and prior to joining the Brigham in 2010, she held senior positions at New England Baptist Hospital, CareGroup, and St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center. She holds a bachelor’s degree and MBA from Northeastern University.

Lori Schroth, senior director of Strategic Communication, will assume the role of interim vice president of Strategic Communication, reporting to Shelly Anderson, MPM, executive vice president and chief operating officer.

Apovian, Istfan, Mehta Join Center for Weight Management and Wellness

Nawfal Istfan

Caroline Apovian

Meetal Mehta

In January, the Center for Weight Management and Wellness (CWMW) welcomed three new faculty members in the Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Hypertension. Caroline M. Apovian, MD, FACP, FTOS, DABOM, joined the center as co-director, and Nawfal W. Istfan, MD, PhD, and Meetal Mehta, MD, joined as attending physicians.

Apovian is a board-certified internal medicine physician who specializes in obesity medicine and nutrition. She received her medical degree from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey and completed a residency and fellowship at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. Apovian is a leading expert in weight management and has studied the relationship between adipose tissue inflammation and obesity for over 15 years.

Istfan is a board-certified internal medicine physician. He received his medical degree from the American University of Beirut, completed his PhD at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and later completed a fellowship at Best Israel Deaconess Medical Center. Istfan currently studies metabolic problems that accompany obesity such as insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. He has been actively involved in clinical research and medical practice for the past 30 years.

Mehta is a board-certified internal medicine physician with special training in obesity medicine and nutrition. She received her medical degree from St. George’s University in Grenada and completed her internal medicine residency and an additional chief resident year at Morristown Medical Center in New Jersey. After one year in hospital medicine, she completed a clinical nutrition fellowship at the Brigham. Beyond patient care, her interests include community awareness and outreach, medical education and medical research.

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