Our Leadership
We are dedicated at every level.
Leading The Doctors Company is a distinguished group of board members who are passionate about defending, protecting, and rewarding the practice of good medicine.
Richard E. Anderson, MD, FACP, is chairman and chief executive officer of The Doctors Company, the nation’s largest medical malpractice insurer. Dr. Anderson was a clinical professor of medicine at the University of California, San Diego, and is past chairman of the Department of Medicine at Scripps Memorial Hospital, where he served as senior oncologist for 18 years.
Dr. Anderson is the editor of a book, Medical Malpractice: A Physician’s Sourcebook, and the author of a number of peer-reviewed publications on medical malpractice, the Harvard Medical Practice Study, and the impact of defensive medicine.
He has been invited to address numerous medical and legal forums, including the American Medical Association, the American College of Surgeons, the American College of Physicians, the American Academy of Neurological Surgeons, the College of American Pathologists, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons®, a number of medical school faculties, and the law schools of Columbia, Stanford, Northwestern, and the University of Richmond.
Industry presentations include the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC), the Physician Insurers Association of America (PIAA), the Professional Liability Underwriters Society (PLUS), Crittenden, the American Association of Health Plans, and the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC).
Dr. Anderson currently serves on the Board of Overseers of the RAND Institute for Civil Justice, the Board of Governors of the National Patient Safety Foundation, and the Board of Directors of Californians Allied for Patient Protection.
Dr. Anderson is the first recipient of the PLUS Foundation’s Award for Outstanding Leadership in Healthcare Professional Liability.
After graduating from Stanford Medical School, Dr. Anderson did his internship and residency at Harvard Medical School’s Beth Israel Hospital, followed by his postdoctoral fellowship in medical oncology at Stanford. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree magna cum laude from Yale College. Dr. Anderson serves on all committees for The Doctors Company and is a director of The Doctors Company Foundation.
James P. Bagian, MD, PE, serves as clinical associate professor of Preventive Medicine and Community Health at the University of Texas Medical Branch, as well as adjunct assistant professor of Military and Emergency Medicine, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, F. Edward Hébert School of Medicine. He is also a diplomate of the American Board of Preventive Medicine; a member of the NASA Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel, National Academy of Engineering, and Institute of Medicine; and serves on the Board of Governors of the National Patient Safety Foundation. Prior to joining The Doctors Company’s Board of Governors, Dr. Bagian was an engineer and a NASA astronaut, flying aboard space shuttles Discovery in 1989 and Columbia in 1991. In 2003, he served as chief flight surgeon and medical consultant to the Space Shuttle Columbia Accident Investigation Board. Dr. Bagian received his medical degree from Thomas Jefferson University’s Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and his Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering from Drexel University. He is also a registered professional engineer. He is a member of the Government Relations, Patient Safety, and Technology Committees at The Doctors Company.
Eugene M. Bullis, CPA, is the former executive vice president and chief financial officer of the Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:THG). Mr. Bullis has more than 35 years of experience as chief financial officer at a Fortune 500 insurance company as well as at start-ups and several publicly held technology companies. Mr. Bullis’ experience includes senior financial positions at Conseco, Inc., Nynex, Eastman Kodak Company, and Wang Laboratories, Inc. His 44-year career in finance began with a predecessor firm of Ernst & Young, where he was an audit partner and member of the Insurance Industry Practice Committee. Mr. Bullis received his BA in business administration from Colby College and is a certified public accountant. He is chair of the Finance Committee and a member of the Audit, Compensation & Benefits, and Investment Committees at The Doctors Company.
David M. Charles, MD, practices and consults in plastic and reconstructive surgery in Denver and is a member of the Colorado Medical Society. He is the former president of the Denver Medical Society and the Colorado State Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons. He is chair of the Investment Committee and a member of the Audit and Compensation & Benefits Committees at The Doctors Company.
Kenneth R. Chrisman is the former executive vice president and chief technology officer of Wells Fargo Bank, NA. Mr. Chrisman has more than 20 years of experience in corporate information technology management at the senior executive level. His extensive corporate experience also includes retail banking and financial services. Mr. Chrisman received his Bachelor of Science degree in agricultural economics from Oregon State University and earned his Master of Science degree in resource economics from the University of California at Davis. Mr. Chrisman’s corporate experience includes senior positions at TRW Financial Systems, American Express Travel Services, and Chevron. He is chair and lead director of the Governance Committee, chair of the Technology Committee, and a member of the Audit, Compensation & Benefits, and Finance Committees at The Doctors Company.
William J. Gallagher, MD, an orthopedic surgeon, is senior vice president and regional medical director, northwest, The Doctors Management Company. He has nearly 30 years of experience in the medical liability field, having been one of the founders of Northwest Physicians Mutual Insurance Company (NPM) in Oregon in the early 1980s. Dr. Gallagher served as president, chairman of the board, and chair of the Claims Committee at NPM. He is a member of the Marion-Polk County Medical Society, the Oregon Medical Association, and is an emeritus member of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons. He has served as a director of the Physician Insurers Association of America, the Medical Foundation of Marion and Polk Counties, the Foundation for Medical Excellence, and the Northwest Center for Doctor-Patient Communication. Dr. Gallagher served nine years in the U.S. Navy as an intern, resident, and practicing orthopedic surgeon. He has practiced orthopedic surgery in Salem, Oregon, since 1976. He is a member of the Governance, Government Relations, and Patient Safety Committees at The Doctors Company.
Charles R. Kossman, PhD, MD, has 30 years of experience in the fields of hematology and medical oncology in Southern California. He is a diplomate of the American Board of Internal Medicine. A member of the American Society of Clinical Oncology and the San Diego County Medical Society, Dr. Kossman is in private practice and is clinical professor of Medicine at the University of California at San Diego. He is former chief of staff and chairman of the Department of Medicine at Alvarado Hospital and former president of the San Diego Foundation for Medical Care. He serves as member of the Audit, Governance, Investment, Patient Safety, and Technology Committees at The Doctors Company and as a director of The Doctors Company Foundation.
Donald J. Palmisano, MD, JD, FACS, is a New Orleans general and vascular surgeon with over 35 years of private practice experience. He serves as clinical professor of Surgery and clinical professor of Medical Jurisprudence at Tulane University School of Medicine, where he also teaches a course, Leadership in Medicine. Dr. Palmisano is president of Intrepid Resources®, a medical risk management and patient safety company; was president of the Louisiana State Medical Society from 1984–1985; and was a member of the Board of Directors of The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations from 1999–2003. He served as the president of the American Medical Association (2003–2004). He serves on the board of governors of the National Patient Safety Foundation, has testified before Congress on numerous occasions, and is a frequent speaker who is widely quoted on medical liability reform, patient safety, and leadership. His book On Leadership: Essential Principles for Success was published by Skyhorse Publishing Company in September 2008, and the expanded second edition, On Leadership: Essential Principles for Business, Political, and Personal Success, was published in 2011. He serves as chair of the Government Relations Committee and is a member of the Compensation & Benefits, Finance, and Patient Safety Committees at The Doctors Company. Dr. Palmisano is also a director of The Doctors Company Foundation.
Robert W. Pike, Esq., is former executive vice president and chief administrative officer of the Allstate Corporation, where he also served on the company’s three-member Executive Committee and as a member of the Allstate Insurance Company’s Board of Directors. He is former chairman of the Board of Governors of the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America, was a member of the Executive Committee and former chairman of the Association of California Insurance Companies, and served on the RAND Corporation’s Board of Overseers of the Institute for Civil Justice. Mr. Pike is the recipient of a lifetime achievement award from the Insurance Education Foundation, Inc., and has testified as an industry spokesman before federal and state legislative bodies on the issues of insurance and tort reform. He serves as chair of the Audit Committee and as a member of the Governance, Government Relations, Investment, and Finance Committees at The Doctors Company.
Kathleen D. Ricord has more than 20 years of experience in the insurance and financial industry and is a former executive vice president and chief marketing officer of Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company, an Ohio-based Fortune 100 Company with more than $148 billion in assets and 16 million policies in force. Previously, she held the position of senior vice president, Marketing and Strategy, where she was responsible for market support for all property and casualty operations, as well as 45 Urban Sales and Service Centers. She serves as chair of the Compensation & Benefits Committee and as a member of the Finance and Technology Committees at The Doctors Company and as a director of The Doctors Company Foundation.
Mary Ann Thode, JD, MPH, RN, is a health care executive with decades of experience leading top health care systems. Ms. Thode is the former president and CEO of the Northern California Region of Kaiser Foundation Health Plan and Hospitals. Prior to her 10 years with Kaiser, Ms. Thode served as a senior vice president of Operations for the Catholic Healthcare West System (CHW). Ms. Thode was previously the president and CEO of St. Mary’s Medical Center, San Francisco, a division of CHW. Prior to joining The Doctors Company Board of Governors, Ms. Thode served on the Board of Directors of the California Hospital Association, the Bay Area Council, the American Cancer Society, the California State Chamber of Commerce, Mercy Housing Corporation, and Larkin Street Youth Services. Ms. Thode was also a member of the advisory board for the joint MPH/MBA program at the University of California, Berkeley. She serves as a member of the Government Relations, Investment, and Patient Safety Committees at The Doctors Company.
David B. Troxel, MD, is secretary of the Board of Governors and medical director of The Doctors Company. Dr. Troxel is clinical professor emeritus of the Joint Medical Program at the University of California, Berkeley. He is past president of the American Board of Pathology and the California Society of Pathologists. He serves as chairman of The Doctors Company Foundation and as a member of the Patient Safety and Technology Committees at The Doctors Company.
Ronald H. Wender, MD, FACA, is a Los Angeles–based anesthesiologist and co-chairman of the Department of Anesthesiology at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, where he also serves as academic chair of the Cedars-Sinai Anesthesia Residency Program and director of Anesthesia Training Programs. Dr. Wender is a diplomate of the American Board of Anesthesiology, a fellow of the Federation of State Medical Boards, and former president of the Medical Board of California. He serves as a member of the Audit, Government Relations, and Patient Safety Committees at The Doctors Company.
Bryan Lawton, PhD,* is chief governance officer and chief of corporate development for The Doctors Company. Dr. Lawton has over 30 years of experience improving organizational effectiveness, including strategic development, leadership and management development, culture change, and creating high-performance teams. Prior to joining The Doctors Company, he was the principal at Lawton Consulting for 12 years as a corporate psychologist and executive advisor. He also spent 14 years as a vice president and manager at Wells Fargo Bank as an internal management consultant. Dr. Lawton has served as chairman on the Board of California State Psychological Association, Industrial/Organizational Psychology Division, as well as on many public and private boards. A licensed psychologist, Dr. Lawton earned his undergraduate and Master’s Degrees from Loyola College in Baltimore, Maryland, and his PhD from the California School of Professional Psychology in Berkeley, California.
*Not a board member.
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