Three Trustees Join UVM Health Network Board

BURLINGTON, VT – The University of Vermont Health Network Board of Trustees has voted to elect three new members, who bring experience in nursing, health care education and research, and business to the board.

Trustees voted to elect Noma Anderson, PhD; Carol Haraden, PhD; and Betsy Vicencio. They will each serve four-year terms on the 22-member board, which oversees the UVM Health Network.

Allie Stickney, Chair of the UVM Health Network Board of Trustees, said the new members’ respective areas of expertise are critical as the board continues to navigate challenges including the COVID-19 pandemic and a national workforce shortage.

“Each of these new board members brings such rich and diverse experience to the table, from a wide variety of settings,” said Stickney. “Their expertise, commitment to our communities, and diverse perspectives will be invaluable as we continue to find innovative ways to move our health Network forward during these challenging times.”

Noma Anderson, PhD

The UVM Health Network has made it a priority to elevate the expertise of nurses and other non-physician health professionals in leadership and decision-making positions. Noma Anderson, Ph.D., has served as Dean of the UVM College of Nursing and Health Sciences since February of 2021, guiding one of the region’s premier educational institutions focusing on education for both undergraduate and graduate-level health care professionals. She previously served as Dean of the University of Tennessee Health Center, where she was also appointed a special adviser to the president on diversity and inclusion.

Anderson said her work around diversity, equity and inclusion — as well as her experience guiding the development and professional enrichment of graduate and undergraduate nurses, physical therapists, lab technicians and other health care professionals — will form the foundation of her work as a trustee.

“I am bringing valuable experiences and expertise around diversity, equity and inclusion with me as I join the board,” said Anderson. “As Dean of the College of Nursing and Health Services, I’m also looking forward to sharing my perspective on the integral role the college plays in alleviating health care workforce challenges. We understand that leadership and expertise are the foundation of addressing these challenges, and I think my membership on the board and the perspective I bring on issues like health disparities across populations in our region will be an asset as we continue to develop solutions to the many challenges health care organizations are facing.”

Anderson is a past professor and chair of the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at Florida International University, where she also served as dean of the School of Health Sciences. She had previously served for 10 years as chair and 16 years on the faculty of the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at Howard University in Washington, D.C. She is an expert in communication sciences and disorders and a leader in inclusive education and cultural and linguistic diversity.

Anderson earned her Ph.D. from the University of Pittsburgh, her Masters of Science from Emerson College in Boston, Mass., and her bachelor’s degree from Hampton Institute in Hampton, Va.

Carol Haraden, PhD

Carol Haraden, PhD, is a senior fellow at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI), where she served as Vice President for 21 years and was a member of the team responsible for developing innovative designs in patient care. She helped lead the IHI portfolio of patient safety programs worldwide, with large-scale improvement programs in Scotland, Denmark, Singapore and Qatar.

In addition to her work with the IHI, Haraden also has served in numerous capacities focused on quality of care, improving patient outcomes and health care research in Vermont and elsewhere. In the early 1990s, she joined the Education Department of UVM Medical Center (then known as the Medical Center Hospital of Vermont), and subsequently became VP for Quality and Education before joining IHI.

“I’ve worked with health care organizations and led the transformation of health care systems all over the world, but I still remember staffing the Quality Committee and presenting before the board of which I’m now a member,” said Haraden. “Using data-driven solutions to craft better experiences for our patients and our people – and to inform our critical work around diversity and equity in health care – is work I’m proud and excited to be involved in.”

Haraden has served on the Institute of Medicine Committee, Engineering Approaches to Improve Health Care, and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, and most recently on the Berwick Commission, the national advisory group on improving patient safety in the English National Health Services. She also has served as a judge for several national health care quality awards in the United States – including the Quest for Quality Award sponsored by the American Medical Association, and the John Eisenberg Award for Patient Safety and Quality sponsored by the Joint Commission, a non-profit organization responsible for accreditation and standards for more than 22,000 health care organizations across the United States.

In addition to her work with health systems and agencies focused on health care research and quality standards, Haraden also has served as an associate editor for the British Medical Journal, Quality and Safety in Health Care, and has published several papers on measuring patient harm, improving intensive care outcomes and innovation in health care design. She earned her Ph.D. in Statistics at the University of Wyoming and her Nursing degree at the University of Maine. Throughout her time with IHI, she has maintained her home in Middlebury, Vt., enjoys her community, traveling, hiking — and other outdoor activities.

Elizabeth “Betsy” Vicencio

Betsy Vicencio has devoted her career to improving the lives of others, relying on her signature mantra “Make It Better.” Over the course of her 37 year career as an entrepreneur and businesswoman, Betsy’s experiences range from privately-owned corporations both large and small, to government service contracts working with socially and economically disadvantaged youth. A graduate of the University of Vermont, she remains personally and professionally invested in the future of the North Country and Vermont.

For the past 16 years, Betsy has served as Vice President, Partner and Chief Financial Officer of The Northeast Group, a regional leader in printing, distribution, warehousing and fulfillment services since 1979. The company has published Strictly Business, the North Country’s premier business advocacy magazine for 32 years. In 2019, The Northeast Group launched the MHAB Life Skills Campus in Plattsburgh, N.Y., providing residential and support services for people in all forms of recovery, including substance abuse disorders, mental health, poverty, domestic violence, and more.

Vicencio currently serves as Chair of the Board of Trustees at University of Vermont Health Network – Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital, which she joined in 2012. She also serves as a trustee of Clinton Community College Board of Directors, a member of the Plattsburgh Noon Rotary Club, emcee and committee member of the Girl Scouts of the North Country Women of Distinction Dinner Event, and a panel moderator for the Plattsburgh North Country Chamber Celebration of Women in Business.

Vicencio called serving on the Network’s board an opportunity to continue advocating for at-risk populations and address the stigma often associated with people in various forms of recovery.

“At a most significant and critical time in the evolution of health care – rebounding from a global pandemic and entering a workforce shortage unlike anything we’ve ever seen, I welcome the opportunity to serve my regional community and our health care system, and to developing a future that favors people, care and access,” said Vicencio. “Our most precious resource is people. Access to quality health care, where community members and health care professionals share the same goals for promoting healthier lifestyles, is the underpinning of our success.”

An avid outdoor enthusiast, Betsy dedicates her free time to all things lakes and mountains, her adult children – Bridgid and Santana, granddaughter Rayne, four-pack of dogs, and fiancé Jon.

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About the University of Vermont Health Network
The University of Vermont Health Network is an integrated system serving the residents of Vermont and northern New York with a shared mission: working together, we improve people’s lives. The partners are:

• The University of Vermont Medical Center 
• The University of Vermont Health Network Medical Group
• The University of Vermont Health Network – Alice Hyde Medical Center
• The University of Vermont Health Network – Central Vermont Medical Center
• The University of Vermont Health Network – Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital
• The University of Vermont Health Network – Elizabethtown Community Hospital
• The University of Vermont Health Network – Porter Medical Center
• The University of Vermont Health Network – Home Health & Hospice

Our 15,000 employees are driven to provide high-quality, cost-efficient care as close to home as possible. Strengthened by our academic connection to the University of Vermont, each of our affiliates remains committed to its local community by providing compassionate, personal care shaped by the latest medical advances and delivered by highly skilled experts.