Casa Colina’s Loverso to Receive Prestigious Luminary Award from UCLA

Presented by collaborators from UCLA’s Department of Neurosurgery, the award honors Loverso’s visionary leadership in establishing “gold standard” of rehabilitative care at Casa Colina and beyond.

POMONA, Calif., October 2, 2018 — Casa Colina Hospital and Centers for Healthcare CEO and President Felice Loverso, PhD, has been selected to receive the UCLA Department of Neurosurgery’s Luminary Award. Loverso will be honored Thursday, October 18, 2018, at UCLA Neurosurgery’s Visionary Ball, a high-profile gala that welcomes more than 800 prominent members of the health care, philanthropy, business, and entertainment sectors.

Bestowed annually, the Luminary Award recognizes remarkable members of the Los Angeles community for outstanding professional accomplishments, as well as ongoing advocacy and efforts to improve community well-being. Recipients demonstrate initiative, influence, and leadership to establish a standard of excellence in their field of endeavor, and do so in a manner that gives back to the community.

Since joining Casa Colina, Loverso has been a catalyst for continued change and growth. Upon his arrival in 1998, he refocused the institution back to its core business of patient-centered, acute hospital-based rehabilitation and established it as a Center of Excellence. Loverso presided over major infrastructure enhancements, including a complete rebuild of the Casa Colina campus and the more recent addition of a state-of-the-art Medical-Surgical Wing. He recently launched Casa Colina’s Three Pillars initiative, a stated commitment to Clinical Excellence, Education, and Research.

These “pillars” have been critical to Casa Colina’s burgeoning partnership with UCLA. Clinically, the collaboration between the two institutions has focused on providing unparalleled levels of care for their shared rehabilitation patients. They have also established a joint fellowship program designed to help educate new generations of elite clinicians. In 2017, the Casa Colina Research Institute entered into its second five-year collaborative research grant with UCLA and Caltech, an ongoing effort funded by the National Institutes of Health to help patients with spinal cord injuries communicate via computer.

“Under [Loverso’s] leadership, Casa Colina has set the gold standard in rehabilitative care and treatment,” wrote Linda M. Liau, MD, PhD, MBA, the W. Eugene Stern Endowed Professor and Chair at UCLA’s Department of Neurosurgery. “Quite notably, the collaboration of the UCLA Department of Neurosurgery and Casa Colina has benefitted so many of our patients and their families, and we hope to further deepen this collaboration.”

The honor drew acknowledgement from industry colleague C. Duane Dauner, a nationally recognized leader on health care issues, past President of the California Hospital Association, and recipient of the American College of Healthcare Executive's Gold Medal Award.

“Dr. Loverso has been a leader at the national, state, and local levels for his entire career,” said Dauner. “Health care policy and delivery, especially rehabilitative health care, will be permanently influenced by the intellect, ingenuity, and contributions of Dr. Loverso. Thousands of patients, their families and friends, are living productive lives together as a result of Dr. Loverso’s leadership. I have benefitted greatly from my relationship with this outstanding health care professional.”

Felice Loverso, PhD, is currently CEO and President of Casa Colina Hospital and Centers for Healthcare. He is a former Chairman of the Board of the American Medical Rehabilitation Providers Association (AMRPA) and continues to serve as a board member and committee chairman. Loverso is also the current Chairman of the FAIR Fund, a national organization that raises awareness of and builds support for policies that will preserve and increase access to inpatient hospital rehabilitation.

Loverso earned his MA and PhD in Speech Pathology from the University of Colorado at Boulder. He’s published 33 articles in professional journals and has served on the editorial boards of five journals. He has made more than 60 national and international presentations and has been awarded five major grants as principal or co-investigator.

About Casa Colina Hospital and Centers for Healthcare

Casa Colina Hospital and Centers for Healthcare is a nonprofit provider of highly specialized medical and rehabilitative care for people of all ages with disabling conditions resulting from accidents, disease, or illness. Its continuum includes 219 beds consisting of medical-surgical and intensive care, acute rehabilitation, residential rehabilitation, and long-term residential care. Outpatient services include rehabilitation, physician specialty clinics, diagnostic imaging, children’s services, and more. In addition, the Casa Colina Research Institute conducts clinical studies to improve patient care and discover new findings about disabilities. Casa Colina is located in Pomona, Calif., with more than 80 years serving the surrounding community and beyond. Visit www.casacolina.org to learn more.

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CASA COLINA CONTACTS

Stephanie Bradhurst
Director of Communications
909/596-7733, Ext. 2227
sbradhurst@casacolina.org

Eric Feezell
Public Relations Coordinator
909/596-7733, Ext. 2231
efeezell@casacolina.org