Joe is the Director of the Brain Tumor Program at Children’s Hospital & Research Center Oakland (CHRCO). He came to CHRCO in 2004 after 25 years in the Navy Medical Corps, and recognized quickly the opportunity to develop a brain tumor program that would feature “excellent care, close to home”. Since then, he has developed an integrated model of pediatric brain tumor care that has tripled the volume of brain and spinal cord tumor patients being treated at CHRCO.


Joe received his training in Pediatrics at the Oakland Naval Hospital, and completed a fellowship in Pediatric Hematology/Oncology at Childrens Hospital of Los Angeles. He served 10 years at the Naval Medical Center in Portsmouth, VA where he held the positions of assistant department head for academic affairs, division head of hematology/oncology, and director of managed care for the Pediatric Department. In that role he developed several innovative agreements between the hospital and the newly established Managed Care Support Contractor for the region. He then transferred to San Antonio TX where he served as the Director of Clinical Operations at the Department of Defense Pharmacoeconomic Center, marking the first time this position had been held by a physician. In this role he led the transition of the directorate from a primarily academic perspective to a more business-like orientation, resulting in a more integrated approach to clinical analysis, procurement strategy development, contracting, formulary management, and provider education. During this time he also received his MBA degree from the University of Texas at San Antonio. During his time at CHRCO he has also been active in expanding the department’s outreach program in Reno NV.


Besides being the proud father of a PPF performer, Joe is extremely committed to the mission of the PPF and to enhancing the relationship between the PPF and CHRCO. He believes his background in process improvement and organizational dynamics will prove useful as the Foundation grows in size and continues its progress toward being a regional leader in providing opportunities for children to become confident in their talents while learning to become responsible members of their communities.

board of directors