Our Leadership Team
Robert Allen
Chief Executive Officer
Bob has more than three decades of executive-level experience in the healthcare industry. His versatile skill set includes roles at stand-alone facilities in both for-profit and not-for-profit organizations in the Southern California market.
Prior to joining the executive team at Pipeline Health in November 2020, he served as Global Group Chief Executive Officer for CHA Health Systems and CEO of CHA Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center. He also previously held CFO positions at Keck Medical Center of USC, Dignity Health, Valley Presbyterian Hospital, and Sherman Oaks Hospital & Health Center.
Bob became CEO of Pipeline Health in February 2023.
Mark Bell, MD, FACEP
Co-President
Mark is an emergency medicine physician who co-founded what is now Pipeline Health in 2008. His current role is to assist the Pipeline CEO with a variety of growth strategies for the company.
Over more than 30 years in the healthcare industry, Mark has developed strong expertise in hospital efficiencies, physician outreach, paramedic education, strategic planning, data analytics and leadership training.
Prior to co-founding Pipeline, Mark served as President and Co-founder of Benchmark Hospitalists, as well as President of Emergent Medical Associates, a large Los Angeles based emergency medicine management company.
Meghan Bisping
Chief Information Officer
Meghan has not only deep knowledge of IT systems, but also 13 years’ experience in clinical care as a physical therapist. She joined the Pipeline corporate IT team in February 2021 as Chief Clinical Informatics Officer. In that role she had a wide scope of responsibility for overseeing all aspects of clinical, departmental and revenue cycle information systems to ensure optimal operations and service delivery.
Prior to joining Pipeline, Meghan held the position of Director of Clinical Informatics for two Chicago hospitals. Meghan was named interim CIO for Pipeline Health in May 2022 and became CIO in October 2022.
Meghan earned a bachelor of science degree in exercise science and a doctorate of physical therapy degree, both from Marquette University.
Steve Blake
Chief Financial Officer
Steve has more than 35 years of experience in multi-hospital financial management, including experience in financial management roles with public, private and non-profit companies. He previously served as Chief Accounting Officer for Pipeline Health and as Chief Financial Officer for Pipeline’s Los Angeles market.
Steve has held leadership positions with Integrated Healthcare Holdings, Inc., and Tenet Healthcare. He is a California licensed Certified Public Accountant including public accounting experience with international firms. Steve became CFO for Pipeline Health in February 2023.
Jane Brust
Vice President for Marketing and Communications
Jane offers deep experience in hospital system marketing and communications, including brand development, media relations and crisis communications, social media strategy, website development and community engagement, among other program areas.
Prior to joining Pipeline Health in July 2021, she held leadership positions at Verity Health, Cedars-Sinai Health System, Keck Medicine of USC and M. D. Anderson Cancer Center.
Vincent W. Green, M.D., FACEP
Chief Medical Officer
Vince is an emergency medicine physician who served Pipeline Health between 2018-2022 as Chief Medical Officer and then as Chief Medical Informatics Officer. He returned to his role as Chief Medical Officer in February 2023.
Prior to joining Pipeline, Vince served in several roles — Chief Medical Informatics Officer, Regional Director and Director of Medical Education — for Emergent Medical Associates/Pacific Healthworks in Manhattan Beach. Before that, he served Avanti Hospitals (later renamed Pipeline Health) as Chief Medical Officer, among other roles. Vince earned his medical degree at UCLA and completed his residency training at New York Methodist Hospital.
Lisa Guzman
Chief Human Resources Officer
Lisa joined Pipeline in April 2023 with more than 40 years of diverse Human Resources experience and expertise including organizational development, strategic recruitment and retention, employee engagement, compensation planning, benefits design and more.
Lisa previously served as Vice President for Human Resources at Redlands Community Hospital (2016-2023). Prior to that, she served in leadership roles at Dignity Health, California Hospital Medical Center, Olympia Medical Center, Verdugo Hills Hospital, St. Luke Medical Center and Citrus Valley Health Partners.
Edward Gyimah
Chief Compliance Officer
Ed serves as Vice President for Internal Audit Services and Chief Compliance Officer. He leads a group tasked with providing independent and objective evaluations of company financial and operational business activities and is responsible for monitoring overall compliance with regulatory matters.
Ed has more than two decades of healthcare leadership experience with roles in Finance, Audit and Compliance. Prior to joining the company in August 2019, Ed served as Chief Financial Officer for the Howard University Hospital, an academic medical center, and as a Regional Compliance Director for Tenet Healthcare.
Nick Orzano
Co-President
Nick is a businessman with a wealth of experience in real estate, private equity, investment banking, and financial management. His expertise also includes the areas of transaction structures, due diligence, underwriting and portfolio management. He started his career in investment banking and focused on turnaround deals of distressed or bankrupt entities.
He co-founded what is now Pipeline Health in 2008. Nick’s current role is to assist the Pipeline CEO with a variety of growth strategies for the company.
Nick previously served as Director at Paladin Capital, LLC, a boutique investment bank in Los Angeles.
Patrick Rafferty
Chief Operating Officer, Los Angeles Market, Pipeline Health
Chief Executive Officer, Coast Plaza Hospital
Patrick Rafferty is an accomplished healthcare industry executive with more than three decades of leadership experience. He has a strong background in management, operations and strategic planning and in maximizing the potential of facilities and organizations in dynamic and evolving environments.
He joined Pipeline Health (formerly Avanti Hospitals) as hospital CEO in 2019. Prior to that he served in executive positions at Community Medical Centers and Western Medical Center. Patrick holds a bachelor of business administration degree from Kent State University and an MBA from Saint Mary’s College.
Patrick assumed the additional role of Chief Operating Officer for Pipeline Health’s Los Angeles market in February 2023.
Elaine Stephenson
Vice President for Human Resources
Elaine joined Pipeline in 2021 as director of workforce planning and quickly assumed a growing portfolio of responsibility that includes strategic partnership with executive leaders across the system, development of plans to meet operational goals and implementation of a new Human Resources Information System.
She has more than 20 years’ experience in human resources management, training and development, including positions at Adeptus Health and at OB Hospitalist Group. Elaine was promoted to Vice President in February 2023.
Brittany Whitman, Esq.
General Counsel
Brittany serves Pipeline Health by advising the Board of Managers and senior management on legal and regulatory matters, while also overseeing all legal operations.
She joined Pipeline (previously Avanti Hospitals) in March 2015. Prior to joining the company, Brittany worked at a boutique law firm specializing in the provision of outside general counsel services to healthcare companies, including physician groups, ambulatory surgery centers, and management service organizations.
Brittany earned her juris doctor degree from Loyola Law School, Los Angeles. She is admitted to practice in California and Arizona.
Hospital Leadership
Coast Plaza Hospital
Patrick Rafferty
Chief Operating Officer, Los Angeles Market, Pipeline Health
Chief Executive Officer, Coast Plaza Hospital
Patrick Rafferty is an accomplished healthcare industry executive with more than three decades of leadership experience. He has a strong background in management, operations and strategic planning and in maximizing the potential of facilities and organizations in dynamic and evolving environments.
He joined Pipeline Health (formerly Avanti Hospitals) as hospital CEO in 2019. Prior to that he served in executive positions at Community Medical Centers and Western Medical Center. Patrick holds a bachelor of business administration degree from Kent State University and an MBA from Saint Mary’s College.
Patrick assumed the additional role of Chief Operating Officer for Pipeline Health’s Los Angeles market in February 2023.
Downapha Britton, R.N.
Chief Operating Officer/ Chief Nursing Officer
Downapha Britton has more than 15 years of healthcare experience, including responsibilities in the areas of hospital operations, quality management, risk management, and clinical education. She comes from a strong academic background and has been a guest lecturer for several universities, including California State University, Long Beach.
Prior to joining Coast Plaza Hospital in July 2014, Downapha served as Director of Nursing at Olympia Medical Center. She holds her Doctorate and MBA from La Trobe University, School of Nursing.
Community Hospital of Huntington Park
Matt Whaley
Chief Executive Officer
Matt is a seasoned healthcare executive with expertise and experience in leadership, nursing, policy formation, change management and innovation.
His special interests include staff development, physician engagement, expansion, improvement of operational efficiencies and building great teams—all interests that align with Pipeline Health.
Whaley came to Pipeline in February 2022 from KPC Health in Orange County, where he had responsibility for South Coast Global Medical Center and Chapman Global Medical Center. Previously, Whaley served as an administrator at Southern California Hospital at Hollywood, part of the Alta Hospitals System, Inc.
Colleen Bauer, R.N.
Chief Nursing Officer
Colleen is an experienced clinical leader who assumed the role of Chief Nursing Officer at Community Hospital of Huntington Park in September 2022.
She previously served as Director of Surgical Services and OR Manager during previous employment at the Huntington Park hospital. A results-oriented clinical leader, Collen has a proven track record of building high-performing, patient-centered clinical teams focused on patient safety, positive outcomes and patient satisfaction.
Colleen previously worked at Foothill Regional Medical Center, where she served as manager of Surgical Services from 2019 to 2022. Prior to her time at Foothill, she held positions at Community Hospital of Huntington Park and at Promise Hospital in Paramount, California. Colleen holds a bachelor’s degree in nursing and BLS, ACLS and PALS licensure and certifications.
East Los Angeles Doctors Hospital
Rick Rufino
Chief Executive Officer
Rick Rufino has more than 20 years’ experience as a strategic leader and operations manager in the healthcare arena. A results-driven executive with expertise in team management and talent development, Rick brings a caregiver’s perspective to his position from his time as a respiratory therapist.
Rick came to East Los Angeles Doctors Hospital from Kindred Healthcare, where he served as chief executive officer. Previously, he held a director level position in business development at Kindred Healthcare. He also worked with Kaiser Healthcare Southern California and Tenet Healthcare in Fountain Valley.
He holds a bachelor of science degree in healthcare administration and a master of science in strategic marketing, both from Bellevue University, and an associate of science degree in respiratory therapy from California College of Health Science.
June Dumaguet, R.N.
Chief Nursing Officer
June Dumaguet joined our East Los Angeles Doctors Hospital as Chief Nursing Officer in October 2022. She is quality-driven and patient-focused – qualities that are essential to the care of our patients and the success of her hospital.
She has expertise in the areas of acute care, staff development, patient and family advocacy, leadership and management—along with exceptional interpersonal skills. Her nursing career spans 14 years.
June previously served as Chief Clinical Officer for Kindred Healthcare, where she held several positions over 12 years. She holds a Master of Science in Nursing degree from the University of Phoenix and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from Cebu Doctors’ University in the Philippines..
Memorial Hospital of Gardena
Victor Carrasco
Chief Executive Officer
Victor Carrasco returned to Pipeline Health System in May 2023 as Chief Executive Officer of Memorial Hospital of Gardena.
Carrasco previously served Pipeline as CEO of East Los Angeles Doctors Hospital (2019-2022). During his tenure at East LA, he managed more than 20 physician contracts as well as a $3 million capital expansion program.
More recently he served as CEO and COO of Providence Milwaukie Hospital in Milwaukie (2022-2023). With more than 15 years of diverse experience in hospital systems, ambulatory care facilities, Managed care organizations, multi-specialty and multi-location physician group practices and management service organizations, Carrasco is known as a strategic and decisive leader.
Kathryn McLaughlin, R.N.
Chief Nursing Officer
Kathryn is a healthcare executive with more than 20 years of leadership experience. She is responsible for the management of day-to-day operations of clinical services as well as for assuring sound fiscal operations.
Her experience includes service at Hemet Valley and Menifee Valley Medical Centers where she held the titles of Chief Nursing Officer and Chief Operating Officer. She also worked at Saint Joseph Hospital in Orange County for more than 20 years.
Kathryn completed her Doctrinal of Nursing Practice with a specialty in Executive Leadership at Drexel University. She earned a Master’s of Science degree in Nursing and a Certificate in Nurse Midwifery from the University of Southern California. Her Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing was completed at the University of Phoenix.
White Rock Medical Center
James Parobek
Interim Chief Executive Officer
James “Jim” Parobek joined White Rock Medical Center as interim CEO in March 2023. He has a wealth of healthcare experience – from the patient bedside early in his career to executive leadership roles, including several positions with Texas Health Resources (THR).
Most recently he served as President of Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas, a position he held for four years (2016-2022) under the THR umbrella. Prior to that he served as THR’s Executive Vice President for the Physician Enterprise and as Chief Operating Officer for the Southwestern Health Resources Clinically Integrated Network (2016-2018). He also held the positions of Senior Vice President for the Physician Enterprise and Chief Operating Officer of the Texas Health Physicians Group (2014-2016), both roles with in the THR organization.
Jim holds an MBA degree with honors from Webster University, a bachelor of science degree in physical therapy from Ohio University, and a bachelor of arts in chemistry from Miami University.
Inna Makievsky, R.N.
Interim Chief Nursing Officer
Inna joined White Rock Medical Center in February 2023 as Interim Chief Nursing Officer, bringing 40 years of experience in nursing and healthcare leadership at hospitals across the country. Her nursing experience includes managing a wide range of specialties, including intensive care, inpatient, ambulatory, outpatient, operative and emergency services.
Prior to joining White Rock, Inna served as Interim Chief Nursing Officer at Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare South Hospital in Memphis, Tenn. She holds a bachelor’s degree in nursing from the University of Louisville, a master’s of business administration from Indiana Wesleyan University and a master of science degree in nursing from Capella University.