Neuroscientist Dr. Joanne Berger-Sweeney named board chairwoman at Hartford HealthCare

Hartford HealthCare has announced the election of Dr. Joanne Berger-Sweeney as chairwoman of its board of directors.

Berger-Sweeney is a neuroscientist and president of Hartford-based Trinity College. She chairs the Hartford HealthCare board”™s governance committee and will succeed Greg Deavens, whose term as chairman ended. Deavens remains a board member.

“Joanne is a force in higher education with a passion for helping students make a difference in this world. A scientist, researcher, mentor and visionary, she has blazed a transformational trail,” said Hartford HealthCare President and CEO Jeffrey Flaks. “I have relied on Joanne”™s level-headed approach to critical situations and the way she embraces change with an understanding and appreciation for the evolution of healthcare and science. Her view of how the healthcare industry must care for all members of our community meshes with my own, and her work to date demonstrates commitment to dissolving barriers and improving systems for everyone. We are thrilled in our anticipation of the difference she will help us make here at Hartford HealthCare.”

Prior to taking the leadership role at Trinity, Berger-Sweeney served as dean of the Tufts University School of Arts and Sciences from 2010-2014. Her academic career began in 1991 as an assistant professor in the Wellesley College Department of Biological Sciences. She holds a doctorate in neurotoxicology from the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health and completed her post-doctoral training at the National Institute of Health in Paris. She has authored more than 60 scientific publications, holds several scientific patents, and earned grant support from the National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation and private foundations.