Five Questions for ZERO's New Chief Mission Officer

What motivated you to pursue ZERO's Chief Mission Officer role?

Brian: I’ve always been driven, and this is through my parents, to work really hard and to leave the world a better place than how I found it. This is cliche, but it’s something that really is central to my work, the decisions that I made regarding my professional ladder, and the things I intend to do.

There’s really a great fit here with ZERO’s mission and my personal ambitions to get involved and get engaged with other smart people to take it to the next level.

What are you most proud of during your career in healthcare?

Brian: I think it’s the skill of listening to the communities that I’m endeavoring to serve. And so having been tasked to develop certain programs or implement certain programs, it took a while for me to understand that the communities that we normally term as vulnerable or at risk actually have a lot of assets and most of those assets involve the people that have lived there by choice for many years. 

Also, learning the collective community wisdom. I had the opportunity to help bring that voice in to inform the development of a particular program and to implement that particular program was really an invaluable skill that has served me well once I got it down pat.

What's something about you that might surprise our community?

Brian: I’m not a national duck-calling champion. Nor have I won an Olympic medal. So, a unique skill may be my background in theater. I think that the skill of learning to pay attention to what’s happening around you, learning to listen to what the other person is saying and doing, and responding in real time really helps build connections.

What are you most excited about as you start your role at ZERO?

Brian: The opportunity to build equity initiatives in community areas that are more adversely impacted by prostate cancer and develop programs, staffing models, and so forth to help reduce disparity gaps within those communities and help raise the boat for all folks that are suffering or living with a prostate cancer diagnoses.

What do you hope to accomplish in your first year?

Brian: Better connections to my partners and fellow collaborators within ZERO, but also getting to know our national partners more intimately. I’d like to know those who are participating in support groups and leading support groups and those who are contributing passionately through the run/walk program. I’d like to know some of these folks by name and get them to know me by name.