Solving complex health challenges requires collective actions.
Now more than ever.
It is a challenging time for organizations working to improve community health. Volitility in funding. Erosion of public trust. Strained capacity. Rising community needs.
Realities across the health ecosystem compound these challenges.
Organizations working in silos. Researchers struggling to translate evidence into action. Funders encouraging collaboration within systems that make coordination difficult.
Bridges 2 Health was built for this moment.
We break down silos, enable collaboration, strengthen systems, and help communities move forward together.
We create the conditions for collaboration so innovation can move faster, travel further, and improve community health.
Capabilities
Collaboration does not happen by chance.
It must be designed, resourced, and sustained.
Leadership
Board President
Elizabeth Cohn, PhD, FAAN
Distinguished Professor of Medicine and Women’s Health Research, Professor of Medicine, City University of New York
Dr. Cohn has spent four decades caring for women in the most underserved communities in New York and nationally, serving them as a nurse and a Distinguished Professor of Medicine at the City University of New York, School of Medicine. Her most recent publication is The Principles of Community Engagement 3rd Edition, now in its 30th year, the seminal text published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health on how research can improve our nation’s health.
Dr. Cohn was awarded the Obama Champion of Change as well as the Blue Cross-Blue Shield Anthem Whole of Health Hero award for Service to the Health of Women in New York. She was selected as a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) Nurse Faculty Scholar and is a 15-year Board member of the Communities of Harlem Health Revival, a group of faith-based and community-based organizations in Harlem, New York, that fosters health in mind, body and spirit for residents of Central Harlem.
Board Secretary
Karen Kippen (ret.)
Executive Director, Patient Engaged Research Center, Henry Ford Health (ret.)
Karen is a consultant for Public Health Sciences at Henry Ford Health (HFH). In 2024, she retired as the Executive Director of the Patient-Engaged Research Center (PERC) dedicated to patient-centered outcomes research at HFH. The Center includes resources to recruit and train patient advisors who are involved in quality improvement and research projects for HFH and other organizations.
From 2017 to 2024 she was the Engagement and Retention Lead for the Henry Ford led Consortium award for the NIH’s All of Us Research Program, developing and implementing engagement and outreach strategies to educate and encourage participation.
Karen has been dedicated to the Henry Ford Health System for over 30 years with a diverse background in clinical laboratory operations management, strategic planning, patient engagement and patient centered research. She was a member of the HFH Baldrige Team and the lead for the Strategic Planning category and has worked with numerous clients across the System to facilitate their strategic plan development.
Board Treasurer
Michele Brennan
Associate VP, Strategic Communications, East Region, HDR
Michele Brennan is a strategic communications executive with more than 30 years of experience helping organizations navigate complex, high‑stakes initiatives with clarity, collaboration, and purpose. As Associate Vice President for HDR’s East Region, she leads strategic communications and engagement efforts that help clients anticipate and manage social, political, and community‑level risks through inclusive outreach, grassroots education, and community‑centered dialogue.
Michele’s passion is helping people and organizations thrive. A CliftonStrengths Coach and Prosci Certified Change Management Practitioner, she empowers leaders and teams to navigate change by focusing on their unique talents and building authentic, collaborative relationships.
Before joining HDR, Michele served as the City of Orlando’s Director of Communications and Neighborhood Relations, leading engagement strategies for major civic‑pride campaigns, economic development initiatives, transportation and infrastructure projects, and community‑wide events. She has also guided organizations through emergency response, leadership transitions, and community healing efforts.
A consensus builder at heart, she excels at forging partnerships and translating complex initiatives into solutions that are practical, sustainable, and aligned with community values.
Executive Director
Ronnie Tepp, MPP
Founder/CEO, Rooted Momentum
Ronnie has spent the past three decades working with organizations across the health ecosystem to improve community health. Her talent for breaking down complex issues, bringing individuals and organizations together, and aligning organizations around shared outcomes has enabled her clients to advance their priorities and achieve measurable impact.
Ronnie has served as a Principal Investigator on multiple National Institutes of Health awards and has built and managed large teams. She conceived and scaled a national network of over 100 community and healthcare provider organizations who brought awareness of the National Institute of Health’s All of Us Research Program to their communities. They conducted over 3,500 activities across 300 cities in 42 states and contributed to the building of a participant community of over 850,000.
While at the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF), Ronnie managed a national network of volunteer leaders and led national advocacy campaigns that resulted in over $1 billion in federal funding for Type 1 diabetes research and Type 2 diabetes prevention programming for American Indian and Alaska Native communities.
Get in Touch
703.944.8540
Bridges 2 Health is a federally recognized 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to improving community health by creating the conditions for collaboration across the health ecosystem so innovation can move faster and travel further.