The American Health Care Association/National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL) has named Dr. Elizabeth Burns, MD, as the association’s new chief medical officer. Dr. Burns has more than 25 years of experience as a physician and clinical innovator, advising policymakers and providers on modernizing and integrating the health care system as well as public health emergency response strategies.
Most recently, Dr. Burns served as the chief medical officer of Avamere where she led the design of Centers for Excellence. She helped to establish the first Emergency Health Care Center in the U.S. and served as the sole post-acute care representative on the Oregon governor’s COVID Crisis Response Team. Previously, as the senior executive medical director at Regence BlueCross BlueShield, she helped launch the first post-acute value-based arrangement. Dr. Burns was also a hospitalist and quality improvement consultant across the Pacific Northwest.
Saber Healthcare Group has appointed Zach Shamberg chief of government affairs. This newly created role underscores Saber’s commitment to strengthening its advocacy efforts and ensuring the highest quality of care for residents in the skilled nursing and long term care sector.
Shamberg brings more than fifteen years of experience in government relations and public policy, with a distinguished career that includes serving as president and CEO of the Pennsylvania Health Care Association (PHCA). He will be responsible for leading Saber’s engagement with federal and state government partners and advocating policies that support the long term care sector.
Michael Jacobs has been appointed as the new PHCA president and CEO, replacing Shamberg.
Jacobs brings a wealth of experience to this role, having previously served as a vice president of government affairs, a consultant for the American Health Care Association, and the director of advocacy and legislative affairs for PHCA.
Bridge Senior Living has named Alicia Lavin executive director of Somerby Mobile in Mobile, Ala. Lavin will oversee the community’s daily operations with a focus on providing her team support, inspiration, and training for life enrichment, assisted living services, and memory care for community residents.
The American Association of Post-Acute Care Nursing (AAPACN) has named Janine Finck-Boyle as senior vice president, engagement. Finck-Boyle will lead efforts to support AAPACN members and stakeholders through highlighting the value of education and certification in driving quality-improvement and resident outcomes.
A licensed nursing home administrator, she brings more than two decades of leadership experience in the post-acute care sector, including executive roles focused on organizational strategy, operations, and regulatory advocacy.
Louisiana Nursing Home Association Executive Director Mark Berger will retire at the end of 2025, concluding an extraordinary career spanning 35 years of dedicated service to the association and its members, including eight years in his current leadership role. Berger will work closely with his successor, Wes Hataway, to ensure a smooth transition.
Hataway has served as the association’s legal and policy director for eight years, crafting and promoting long term care legislation.
Covenant Living Communities and Services, Skokie, Ill., announces the addition of Tony Galvan as vice president of resident experience. In this new role, Galvan will work with the organization’s 20 communities in all areas impacting resident life, including wellness initiatives and lifestyle programming.
Galvan brings more than 20 years’ experience in the field of senior living, with multisite support and management of wellness programs, the development and execution of post-acute and care coordination strategies, leveraging tech-based solutions, and the development and implementation of memory support and general resident experience branding.