Please join in congratulating Dr. Jennifer Cohen on her new position as the Chief Medical Officer for CIFC Health. Originally from Terrell Texas, a small town outside of Dallas, Dr. Cohen attended University of Texas Southwestern Medical School and completed her residency at Columbia Presbyterian in New York City. She has been with CIFC Health for 3 years, serving previously as the Chief of Adult Medicine. Dr. Cohen praised her predecessor’s leadership through what has been a transformative period for CIFC Health, “I am excited to carry on the work of Dr. Joan Draper as CIFC Health continues to grow and evolve with the greater Danbury community and region. The compassionate care provided by every member of the CIFC Health family inspires me to work harder to elevate the health and wellbeing of our patients and the employees that serve them.”
Outgoing CMO, Dr. Joan Draper, who ushered CIFC Health through the COVID-19 pandemic years, will be staying with CIFC Health as the Dedicated Institutional Official (DIO) for CIFC Health’s Teaching Health Center Residency programs, which include Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) accredited programs in Internal Medicine and Psychiatry. Dr Draper noted, “With the conclusion of the COVID pandemic, it is a natural juncture for both the organization and me to transition towards the next phase of leadership. I am stepping down from my role as CMO to devote my energy to two important endeavors: nurturing our thriving Internal Primary Care Residency and our new Psychiatry Residency program in my capacity as the Dedicated Institutional Office and being a grandmother to my 2-year-old granddaughter.”
Dr. Draper’s service to CIFC Health has been essential to CIFC Health’s strength and growth throughout the turbulence of the pandemic, but she knows the Health Center is in good hands. “One of the highlights of my tenure was welcoming Dr. Jenny Cohen to our team. With her background in integrative medicine, Dr. Cohen brings expertise in both clinical care and holistic patient well-being. As she steps into the role of Chief Medical Officer, I am confident that she will lead CIFC into a new era of growth, placing significant emphasis on the physical and mental well-being of our patients.” Katie Curran, CIFC’s President & CEO, echoed these sentiments: “Dr. Joan Draper led our CIFC Health medical staff through COVID with selflessness, kindness, and empathy for our staff, our patients, and the greater community. It is these same attributes that also make her so successful in working with our new physician residents, and we’re pleased she will remain with us to continue that work. Dr. Cohen leads from these same shared values and has spent considerable time on positive team building since her start with CIFC Health. This makes Dr. Cohen the ideal next leader in the Chief Medical Officer role, and I’m thrilled to work with her in this new capacity.”
Dr. Cohen’s practice of integrative medicine is a perfect fit for the Health Center. She is a certified acupuncturist and leads multiple treatment groups that encourage the use of lifestyle changes to address physical and behavioral health challenges. Outside the center, Dr Cohen centers herself with Kung-Fu and spending time with her wife Michelli, their second-grade twins Alex and Axel, and their dog, Lovey.
