Karen Feinstein Interviewed on Business as Usual Program

Audrey Russo and Karen Feinstein discuss JHF’s work during the Business as Usual webinar.

On April 15, Jewish Healthcare Foundation President & CEO Karen Wolk Feinstein, PhD was a guest on the Pittsburgh Technology Council's noontime program, Business as Usual. The Pittsburgh Technology Council launched the daily zoom interview series to create direct access for the business community to influential leaders during the COVID-19 crisis.

Every day, President and CEO of the Tech Council Audrey Russo interviews prominent government officials, business executives, and members of the nonprofit and foundation community. Dr. Feinstein was invited to share JHF's work during the pandemic and its intersections with the Pittsburgh Technology industry.

During the April 15 installment, Dr. Feinstein shared how, during the pandemic, JHF went into a different mode and chose to focus relentlessly on three areas where the Foundation could make a difference: senior care, patient safety, and maternal health. Through the Full Court Press initiative, JHF is advancing policy for a new model of senior living, proposing a National Patient Safety Authority based on the National Transportation Safety Board, and exploring how international models could redefine successful childbirth for the United States. JHF also awarded grants to 14 local, community-based organizations serving teens with programs to support their mental health, which has presented a particular struggle with the effects of online schooling and the pandemic.

Dr. Feinstein recapped Liftoff PGH, sharing how the initiative convened Pittsburgh's top innovation and technology leaders to inspire the next generation of solutions for health. JHF also partnered with Innovation Works to offer the 2021 "Hardware Cup" JHF Healthcare Safety Challenge, which will award the top innovations for patient safety.

JHF looks forward to partnering with the Pittsburgh Technology Council to offer sessions on maternal health, "digital twin" personalized medicine technology, and many more topics through a program called High Tech + High Touch Health Care. The program will launch a series of Business as Usual webinars and podcasts, which will be part of JHF's work to highlight technology-enabled health care. Beginning in May 2021, these sessions will highlight national and local leaders—as well as JHF staff and board members--to explore the frontiers of health innovation. Sign up for our newsletter at liftoffpgh.org to receive updates.