Kathleen Frisbee, Ph.D., MPH, Connected Care Executive Director of Connected Health, was named a finalist for the inaugural Under Secretary for Health Robert L. Jesse Award for Excellence in Innovation. In her role as executive director, Dr. Frisbee oversees VA's Connected Health portfolio, including My HealtheVet and VA Mobile Health. The initiatives under her purview are designed to improve services to Veterans, their families and Caregivers by increasing access, fostering continuity, and promoting patient empowerment through electronic health technologies.

The Excellence in Innovation award is a new Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) initiative that recognizes and honors outstanding employees who have demonstrated excellence and enabled the discovery and expansion of health care innovation that exceeds expectations, restores hope, and builds trust. A committee composed of leadership from across the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) selected awardees based on a variety of criteria, including vision, community involvement/service, interpersonal effectiveness, and Veteran-centric outcomes.

The program named a second finalist, Dr. Beth Ripley, Senior Innovation Fellow and Radiologist from VA Puget Sound Health Care System, as well as this year's winner, Dr. Thomas Osborne, Director of the VA National Center for Collaborative Healthcare Innovation (NCCHI), and the Chief Medical Informatics Officer (CMIO) at VA Palo Alto Health Care System. Awardees were recognized at the VHA Innovation Experience on Oct. 23, 2019, at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.

Read the VA news release and please join Connected Care in congratulating Dr. Frisbee and all those honored.