Vermont Business Magazine The University of Vermont Health Network Medical Group Board of Directors has added Helen Labun, long-time health care policy advocate, to its members, and elected Amit Lodha, AVP of manufacturing with Agilent Technologies, to serve a second term on the Board.
Helen Labun, a resident of Montpelier, brings a wealth of health care policy experience and a passion for food security to the Board. She served as director of Vermont public policy for the Bi-State Primary Care Association, where she was instrumental in building a program that integrates food access and health care in rural Vermont, which she now manages.
“This is a challenging time for health care, and in particular health care systems in rural states like Vermont,” said Labun. “I anticipate this will also be a time of significant innovation in the tools available to providers to work with their patients to support their health goals. I know that is true in my own focus area of integrating food and food access with care. I look forward to learning about the creative approaches and insights from the UVMHN Medical Group.”
Amit Lodha, a resident of South Burlington, has been elected to serve a second two-year term. Lodha’s deep experience in manufacturing, supply chain, production process and quality improvement adds value and a fresh perspective to the Board. Lodha has held several positions with increasing accountability with BioTek Instruments and its parent company, Agilent Technologies.
“I have been on the Board for the last two years and I am impressed with the talent and amount of work being done by the Medical Group,” said Lodha. “I am excited to continue on the Board and support their endeavor to evolve as a leading provider of health care, which can be benchmarked by others in the U.S. This is a significant time in the history of health care with the global pandemic and workforce shortages.”
“The UVM Health Network Medical Group Board will continue to benefit from Amit’s knowledge and understanding of process improvement and supply chains and is thrilled to welcome Helen with her experience in health care policy and social determinants of health,” said Jason Sanders, MD, MBA, president and CEO of UVM Health Network Medical Group and executive vice president of clinical affairs for the UVM Health Network. “The Medical Group Board plays an important role in our system-wide initiatives for the UVM Health Network, including high-value care, patient access and health equity.”
“Although all of our board members live in our network region, inviting community-based members to serve ensures the inclusion of different voices from our communities,” said Thomas Peterson, MD, Medical Group Board Chair, and Chair, Department of Family Medicine. “Their perspectives help us focus on the health care needs of the region and identify and support community-based interventions that improve health equity.”
Labun also hosts Policy in Plainer English, a podcast produced by Bi-State and the Vermont Food Access & Health Care Consortium. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in public policy from Princeton University, a Master of Science in community development and applied economics from The University of Vermont and Master of Fine Arts in creative nonfiction writing from Lesley University.
Lodha has been active with several area organizations, previously serving as a board member of United Way of Northwest Vermont, Mercy Connections and the Lake Champlain Regional Chamber of Commerce. He is a graduate of Veermata Jijabai Technological Institute in Mumbai, the College of Engineering Pune and earned a Masters in Manufacturing Management from The University of Toledo.
The University of Vermont Health Network Medical Group comprises more than 1,500 physicians and advanced practice providers with comprehensive expertise in primary care, adult, women’s and children’s specialties. Medical Group doctors and providers care for patients throughout all UVM Health Network hospital and clinic locations in Central and Western Vermont and Northern New York. The UVMHN Medical Group delivers exceptional clinical care with a focus on high value care and health equity, and advances healthcare research and medical education.
