Our Team

Director of Leadership Institute

Ramu Nagappan, PhD, has worked in higher education for more than 25 years. After completing his bachelor’s degree at Princeton University, he earned his PhD and taught at UC Berkeley. Ramu then spent five years in the School of Medicine at UCSF. He returned to Berkeley and took on progressive leadership roles at University Extension, serving as Assistant Dean and overseeing online, in-person, and hybrid programs. Ramu subsequently launched a set of new professional master’s programs in a start-up environment at Wake Forest University. Outside of work, Ramu enjoys spending time with his family, hiking, reading, and gardening.

Co-Director of the UCSF Leadership Institute

KT Waxman, DNP, RN, FAAN, is Co-Director of the UCSF Leadership Institute. In addition, Waxman is a professor and Director of the DNP program at the UCSF School of Nursing. She also serves as Director of the California Simulation Alliance and Editor-in-Chief of Nursing Administration Quarterly. An internationally known nurse leader, author, and speaker, she is a mentor and coach to many nurse leaders on financial management and simulation, having written two books on healthcare finance and budgeting and one book on simulation. She is known by many as an innovator and disruptor.

Jyu-Lin Chen, PhD, RN, PhD, FAAN, co-Director of global programs for the Leadership Institute; Program Director of the Ting Tsung and Wei Fong Chao Foundation Nursing Executive Leadership and Evidence-Based Practice Fellowship Program and Minkun Yang Memorial Global Initiative; chair of the Department of Family Healthcare Nursing; and TT and WF Chao Presidential Professor in Global Health Nursing. Chen is an implementation nurse scientist leading interdisciplinary research teams to develop and test technology-based interventions to reduce health disparities in diverse pediatric populations and their families, both locally and globally. She has developed programs to train nursing students and nurse leaders on evidence-based practice and leadership development across the globe.

Adam Cooper, DNP, RN, NPD-BC, co-Director of global programs for the Leadership Institute; Program Director of the Hong Kong Sanatorium and Hospital Medical Group (HKSHMG) Partnership and Director of Nursing Continuous Improvement and Affiliate Nursing Quality, UCSF Health. In his full-time role, Cooper oversees the development of nursing continuous improvement strategies, frequently collaborating with the UCSF Health Continuous Improvement team. In addition, he leads nursing quality initiatives across the UCSF Health Affiliate Network in addition to serving as the director of the UCSF JBI Center. He has a passion for evidence-based continuous improvement and professional development, is married to a nurse, has two kids, and loves jazz hands.

Lisa Lommel, PhD, MPH, FNP, RN, is a nurse leader with extensive experience as a direct service provider, educator, and administrator across various settings. She currently serves as Interim Director of the Master’s in Healthcare Administration and Interprofessional Leadership (MS-HAIL) Program at UCSF and clinical professor in the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Program within the UCSF School of Nursing. Dr. Lommel also hold a visiting professorship at Xiangya School of Nursing in Central South University in Changsha, Hunan Province, China.  Dr. Lommel received a PhD in Nursing from UCSF, a master’s degree in Public Health from UC Berkeley, and is board certified as a Women’s Health and Family Nurse Practitioner. As a reproductive health specialist, Dr. Lommel has co-authored three books on obstetrics and women’s primary care for which she received several awards. Her current research is focused on health outcomes of rural-to-urban migrant women in China.

Lauren Williams, MS, DM, NEA-BC, CENP​, delights in blending her professional experience as a senior healthcare organizational leader with that of a teacher of aspiring and developing leaders. Her ability to engage with others across disciplines, merge ideas, use new and emerging frameworks, and create sustainable change lends to practical strategies and effective solutions to today’s complex challenges. Williams has long blended her administrative and strategic know-how with the development of organizational leaders, be they novices or experts, in academic and professional development programs. She has extensive experience as a senior leader, including as a chief nursing officer and strategy vice-president, professional development specialist, and clinician in community and academic institutions. In addition to graduate-level teaching, now as an Associate Professor at the University of California San Francisco’s MS in Healthcare Administration & Interprofessional Leadership program, she provides international advisory services as Director of Global Programs at Mass General Brigham Global Advisory (Boston, MA). Williams became a Registered Nurse after graduating from the Peter Bent Brigham Hospital School of Nursing. She received a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (Salve Regina University, Newport, RI), a Master of Science in Administration (Boston University, Boston, MA), and a Doctor of Management awarded by Case Western Reserve University (Cleveland, OH). She holds a certificate in advanced graduate studies in Global Health from the Massachusetts General Hospital Institute of Health Professions. While her work and interests are bicoastal and global, Williams lives with her family along the Rhode Island shoreline.

Aurora Snyder, RN, MAS, is the Program Lead for UCSF’s Population Health Management Certificate Program. She is also the Lead Outreach Nurse on the Care Transitions team in the Office of Population Health at University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). She has been with the Care Transitions Outreach Program since its inception in 2013, a program that has received awards such as UCSF’s Patient Safety award and Team PRIDE award. She participates in the design and implementation of innovative interdisciplinary transitional care models for UCSF Health, including specialized follow-up phone calls for high-risk Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP) and Bundled Payment for Care Improvement Advanced (BPCI-A). She has been a nurse at UCSF for 16 years and is a DAISY award recipient. She is Orthopaedic Nurse Certified (ONC) and completed her Masters of Applied Science in Population Health Management from Johns Hopkins. 

Kathryn Wise, OTD, MHSc (Health Administration), OTR/L,​ is an Associate Professor and the Program Director for the Master of Science in Health Administration and Healthcare Leadership at UCSF, as well as an Executive Coach. As a health leadership futurist, Kathryn is committed to shaping the development of key competencies in future leaders. She has a strong personal focus on workplace well-being intelligence and the human elements of leadership in AI-driven business strategies. With her background in Occupational Therapy and Health System Administration, Kathryn is passionate about guiding the next and current generations of leaders to stay curious and innovative in their leadership practices.

Angel Kuo, EdD, CPNP-PC, is a Clinical Professor and former Vice Chair of Administration and Academic Programs in the Department of Family Health Care Nursing at the School of Nursing. She also holds the position of Associate Director for the UCSF Program for Interprofessional Practice and Education. With over 25 years of experience as a nationally certified Pediatric Nurse Practitioner, Dr. Kuo currently practices at the Pediatric Urology Clinic at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital. In addition to her teaching responsibilities, clinical practice, and leadership in HRSA workforce development grants with Federally Qualified Health Centers, Dr. Kuo is deeply committed to faculty and preceptor development. She is a member of the Academy of Medical Educators at UCSF and is a key contributor to the Teach for UCSF Teaching certificate tracks, which include Educator Essentials, Clinical Teaching, and Interprofessional Education. Dr. Kuo’s additional areas of expertise include inclusive learning environments, time-efficient clinical teaching, giving and receiving feedback, conflict management, leadership skills, and interprofessional facilitation skills. Dr. Kuo joined the UCSF Leadership Institute in 2023 as faculty, providing longitudinal Evidence-Based Practice training (In Chinese and English) to nurses, nurse leaders, and interprofessional clinicians in Taiwan and Hong Kong.

Jean Johnson, PhD, RN, FAAN, is a certified executive leadership coach. She has held executive positions in nursing leadership for the past 30 years, including as the founding dean of the School of Nursing at the George Washington University. Johnson remains committed to helping others develop their full potential and focus on opportunity and strengths while understanding the issues that might hinder their growth. Her broad leadership experience bridging education and practice provides a deep resource for understanding the context that healthcare professionals experience. She has worked closely with different health disciplines including pharmacy, nursing, medicine, physical therapy and others to find common ground, and in doing so, has aided numerous healthcare leaders in large organizations to become more effective leaders.

Eileen O’Grady, PhD, RN, NP-BC, is a certified nurse practitioner and wellness coach. She is certified as a life coach (ICF) and has worked for over 13 years with hundreds of clinicians to set and achieve goals and improve their capacity for leadership, so they can effectively lead others and organizations. She believes deeply that more attention must be paid to getting us unstuck from lifestyles that do not support well-being and that focusing on relationships is a leadership master skill. O’Grady holds three graduate degrees: a Master of Public Health from George Washington University, a Master of Science in Nursing and a Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing/Health Policy from George Mason University.

Gregory Pawlson, MD, MPH, FACP, centered his career before coaching on internal medicine and geriatrics, health services research and public policy in academic medicine, and later around quality of care, public policy and payer organizations in the not-for-profit private sector. Pawlson is a Hudson Institute and International Coaching Federation certified executive coach, and a fellow of the Institute of Coaching at McClain Hospital, Harvard University. His coaching experience has included healthcare executives, government officials, academic deans and department chairs. However, his primary focus is in working with emerging leaders, medical residents and fellows, and other trainees.

Dr. Susan Leggett-Johnson, M.D. MBA​ is an established and highly skilled practitioner with 30+ years of experience providing exceptional care to adult patients as an Internal Medicine physician. She has an extensive background as a clinician, healthcare executive, and diversity and inclusion strategist with experience as an operational leader and a healthcare leader managing HR functions, DEI, professional development, and clinician wellbeing.  She recently retired from her role as senior executive with the Mid-Atlantic Permanente Medical Group within Kaiser Permanente (KP), a multi-billion-dollar operating segment located in Rockville, Maryland, and serves as an executive coach.

Dr. Susan Hassmiller, PhD, RN, FAAN is a national leader in nursing, health equity and leadership development. She has devoted her career to strengthening the nursing profession, improving population health and advancing health equity. During her 25 years at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), she served as the Senior Adviser for Nursing and the Senior Scholar-In-Residence/Senior Adviser to the President at the National Academy of Medicine (NAM). She helped to lead the landmark reports at NAM on the Future of Nursing ─ the 2010 Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health and The Future of Nursing, 2020-2030: Charting a Path to Achieve Health Equity. She also established and served as the director of the Future of Nursing: Campaign for Action, a nationwide initiative led by AARP, the AARP Foundation, and RWJF, to transform health and healthcare through nursing to build a healthier America.

Lewis Sandy, MD, FACP is a seasoned physician-executive, clinical strategist and leadership/executive coach. He served as EVP, Clinical Advancement, at United Health Group and focused on clinical innovation, quality and patient safety, payment/delivery reform and physician/health professional collaboration. An internist with over 20 years in practice, Sandy received his MD degree from the University of Michigan and an MBA from Stanford. He was a faculty member, fellow and RWJF clinical scholar at UCSF and served his internship and residency at the Beth Israel Hospital in Boston. He serves on many Boards and Advisory Groups, including the Panel of Health Advisors for the Congressional Budget Office and the Specialty Medical Advisory Group for the Department of Veteran Affairs. He is a visiting fellow of the Duke-Margolis Center for Health Policy. 

Penelope Hsu, MD, PCC, is a board certified, practicing pediatrician with over 20 years of clinical experience. She is also accredited as a Professional Certified Coach by the International Coaching Federation as well as a professional actor. Her current practice includes clinical pediatric care as well as a cultivated list of private coaching clients. Her particular interest is in cultivating deep insight and practical strategies for the medical and Asian American community, so that they can grow as leaders, thrive, and enjoy longevity, happiness, and success in their careers. Penelope has coached medical trainees, frontline workers, and clinical leaders on leadership development, communication coaching, clinical and administrative efficiency, resilience, well being and emotional regulation. Her current and past clients include Memorial-Sloan Kettering, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, the Charles B Wang Community Health Center, and Adventist Health. She is a nationally recognized keynote speaker and is known for bringing her stage presence and energy to her dynamic and memorable trainings.