Dr. Ramin Baschshi, M.D., named Chief Administrative Officer

Chapter becomes only one in the country to have a physician on administrative staff

LOS ANGELES (Monday, June 21, 2010) – Dr. Ramin Baschshi, M.D., was today named Vice President, Chief Administrative Officer for the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Greater Los Angeles. With her appointment, Greater Los Angeles becomes the only one of the Foundation’s 65 national chapters to have a physician on its administrative staff.

Baschshi (pronounced Bas-hee) joins the Make-A-Wish Foundation from St. Mary Medical Center in Long Beach where she served for the past year as Vice President, Physician Relations/Strategic Operations. St. Mary is one of the top Make-A-Wish referring hospitals in Los Angeles County.

“Beyond her strong background as an administrator, Dr. Baschshi brings to our chapter the ability to speak the language and share the prospective of an important partner in the wish-granting process,” said Suzanne Sutter, President and CEO of the Greater Los Angeles chapter.

“Outside of the families we serve, there is not a more important constituency we work with daily. The medical community not only refers children to the Make-A-Wish Foundation, but is involved in granting the heartfelt wish of every child.” Prior to joining St. Mary’s to oversee physician relations in August 2008, Dr. Baschshi served as an operations analyst for two years at Mission Hospital Regional Medical Center in Mission Viejo. There she developed numerous programs to improve patient satisfaction.

“Providing immense acts of kindness goes a long way, especially where a child’s physical, mental and emotional well-being is concerned,” said Dr. Baschshi. “I’m excited about this new journey and having the opportunity to work with a wonderful staff and the hundreds of volunteers who make wishes come true for children who have been diagnosed with life-threatening medical conditions.”

A Magna Cum Laude graduate of the Xavier University School of Medicine in 2008, she earlier earned Bachelors of Science degrees in Biology at California State University, Fullerton in 1999 and Medical Science at the University of Sint Eustatius in 2003.