Former therapist returns to Rancho as an executive

DOWNEY - Shawn Phipps, PhD, MS, OTR/L, FAOTA, this week began a new assignment as Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center's chief strategic development officer."Dr. Phipps will drive service line development, leadership growth, direct the implementation of key strategic initiatives and engage all levels of our organization in developing a culture and commitment to quality improvement and innovation," said Rancho Chief Executive Officer Jorge Orozco. "I am honored to return to Rancho to serve the patients, families, and staff," Shawn said. "Rancho has a long tradition of excellence, and I hope to build on the strong foundations of Rancho's past to promote the highest level of organizational performance and to position Rancho as the international leader in medical rehabilitation." Dr. Phipps returns to Rancho after three and one-half years at the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health's Children's Medical Services, where he served as the Regional Manager for the California Children's Services Medical Therapy Program. In this capacity, he managed a large team of therapists and support staff in several therapy units throughout the county. "Shawn also developed and implemented a leadership development program, led the departmental planning process and executed key strategic initiatives," Jorge said. During his time away from Rancho, Shawn completed his PhD in Healthcare Administration at Touro University with an emphasis on healthcare leadership, management, strategic planning and the utilization of research methodologies to measure organizational performance and patient outcomes. He also holds a Master of Science degree in Occupational Therapy from San Jose State University and a Bachelor of Science degree in Occupational Therapy from USC. He came to Rancho as an Occupational Therapist in 1998 and four years later was promoted to an Occupational Therapist II position. He advanced to Occupational Therapy Clinical Specialist in 2004, a position he held until 2008. He has also served on the clinical faculty of Cal State Dominguez Hills. "In addition to being a master clinician, Shawn's leadership abilities and creativity came to the fore as a leader in our Service Excellence Initiative and many innovative patient-centered Rancho programs," Jorge said. Dr. Phipps has also been a leader in the Occupational Therapy Association of California, where he has served two elected terms as President. He is a Fellow of the American Occupational Therapy Association, has published extensively, and has presented at many state, national and international conferences.

********** Published: January 5, 2012 - Volume 10 - Issue 38