New role allows Dr. Hood to assist AHF’s Board of Trustees  with making crucial grant-making decisions

San Diego, CA (October, 1 2012) – Alliance Healthcare Foundation (AHF), a nonprofit organization working to advance health and wellness for those in need in San Diego and Imperial Counties, announced today that Dr. Rodney Hood has been unanimously elected by AHF’s Board of Trustees to its Program Committee. The committee, which consists of seven members, provides crucial grant-making recommendations to AHF’s Board for its annual Mission Support and Innovation Initiative (i2) grants.

“Dr. Hood has played a vital role at AHF and in the community, both locally and nationwide, as a leader addressing health issues that persist in our most vulnerable populations,” said Nancy Sasaki, executive director of AHF. “We’re honored to welcome Dr. Hood to our Program Committee and look forward to the outstanding contributions he will make in this new role.”

A frequently sought speaker who articulately addresses U.S. healthcare concerns, Dr. Hood has lectured extensively to diverse audiences of healthcare providers and administrators, medical students, federal and state governmental agencies, and national private and public audiences.

“As a Blue Ribbon panel member with AFH since 2010, I’ve been able to help the foundation identify out-of-the-box, grant-making opportunities for its annual Innovation Initiative grant. I’ve also become very familiar with the innovative ideas our providers have to offer the community,“ said Dr. Rodney G. Hood, AHF Program Committee member. “I’m proud to accept my role on AHF’s Program Committee to continue identifying and rewarding outstanding organizations that are advancing health and wellness for those in need in San Diego & Imperial Counties.”

Dr. Hood’s areas of expertise include health disparities, medical history and racism, health policy and advocacy, and cultural competency in healthcare. Beyond his new role at AHF, Dr. Hood currently serves as the vice chairman of the National Medical Association’s Cobb/NMA Institute, which works to develop, evaluate, and implement strategies to promote wellness and eliminate health disparities and racism in medicine. He is also the current president & CEO of MultiCultural IPA, an organization designed to improve longevity and quality of life, and eliminate all ethnic and racial health disparities for the served population.

In August 2000, Dr. Hood became the 101st president of the National Medical Association (NMA) after serving as the association’s chairman of the board. During his tenure, he served as an advocate for strengthening African American physicians and protecting the medically underserved.

Dr. Hood is an honors graduate of Northeastern University School of Pharmacy, and a graduate of UC San Diego School of Medicine. He completed his residency in Internal Medicine at UC San Diego Medical School where he currently serves as an assistant clinical professor of medicine.

About Alliance Healthcare Foundation

Alliance Healthcare Foundation (AHF) works to advance health and wellness for the most vulnerable – the poor, working poor, children and homeless in San Diego & Imperial Counties. We look for ways to collaborate with nonprofit, government and community agencies to further this goal. For more information visit alliancehf.org.