Who We Are

Bridget Hogan Cole, MPH

Executive Director

Bridget Hogan Cole, MPH is the founder and Executive Director of the Institute for High Quality Care. She has a unique combination of education and experience in healthcare technology and public health administration, with more than 25 years of program leadership, organizational development, project development, and technology planning/implementation experience. Bridget has held operations, consulting, and administrative positions with community health centers, hospital systems, Blue Cross of California, Kaiser Permanente Foundation Hospitals, healthcare engineering firms, and divisions of the Hospital Council of Southern California. She led the development and expansion of Blue Cross of California’s statewide Telemedicine Program – a collaborative of more than 60 rural provider locations and multiple specialty resources to improve access to care through the use of telemedicine.

For more than ten years, Bridget has led regional and statewide quality improvement and specialty care access programs; facilitated numerous panels and conferences; supported the design of funder/foundation initiatives and has been called upon as an expert resource on the advancement of quality improvement, specialty care access, and efficiencies across the safety net.

Bridget holds a Master’s in Public Health from the University of California, Los Angeles, and a B.S. in electrical engineering and biomedical engineering from the University of Vermont.

Chris Hunt, MPH, LSSBB

Senior Program Director

Since joining the IHQC team in 2009, Chris has been supporting health centers, county health systems, and community-based organizations build their capacity to plan, implement, and sustain quality and performance improvement initiatives. Chris oversees IHQC’s portfolio of programs, collaborating with IHQC staff, sponsors, and other key stakeholders is tailoring programs to help our clients achieve their goals. Leveraging his background in quality improvement and public health, Chris often leads trainings and coaches teams on topics like problem assessment and root cause analysis, project design, quality improvement science and strategies, measuring and monitoring impact, implementing and standardizing change, project management skills, and building effective teams, among others. He has supported teams in the design and implementation of initiatives aimed at improving diabetes outcomes, reducing wait times, improving operational efficiencies, implementing planned/proactive care, improving patient and staff satisfaction, and redesigning organizational infrastructure and support systems to expand organizations QI Capacity

Prior to joining IHQC, Chris worked at LA Health Action, a Los Angeles-based health policy and advocacy organization. Chris also worked at Amgen, a biotechnology company in California, as a research associate. Chris attended the University of California, Los Angeles where he received a Master’s in Public Health with a concentration in healthcare management and policy. Chris also holds a B.S. in psychobiology from UCLA, and is a certified Lean Six Sigma Black Belt.

Teresa Hofer, MPH, PMP, CHES®

Program Director

Teresa leads and supports the design, coordination, and implementation of IHQC’s programs and initiatives, and explores opportunities to further the growth and development of the organization. She leverages her Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES®) and Project Management Professional (PMP) certifications to coach clients in program development and project management for quality improvement efforts. Prior to joining IHQC, she served as a Program Manager at City of Hope National Medical Center leading community expansion projects that added new clinic locations, service lines, and providers throughout southern California. As a Research Assistant at Tufts University, Teresa supported the development of a validated survey tool assessing afterschool organizations’ capacity to provide opportunities for healthy eating and physical activity to participants. She traveled to urban and rural areas throughout Maine, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire to facilitate program implementation and establish strategic partnerships with afterschool program directors, staff and volunteers. Teresa holds a B.A. in Psychology from Stanford University and a Master’s in Public Health from the University of California, Los Angeles, with a concentration in Community Health Sciences.

Sharon Lau

Operation Manager

Sharon provides operational support to IHQC program staff and the Executive Director, including large-scale conference planning and management, site visit and travel coordination, contracts, grants, and invoice management, IT support, and additional program office support. Prior to joining IHQC, she worked as a community organizer with FWD.us, advocating for comprehensive immigration reform with the San Francisco and Silicon Valley tech communities. She also spent time in Washington, DC at a strategic communications and advocacy firm, working on issues such as immigration reform and implementation and advocacy for the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid expansion. Sharon holds a B.A. in Political Science from the University of California, Berkeley.

Lexine Lin Mackenzie

Program Manager

Lexine provides programming support for IHQC, aiding staff with the planning, coordination and roll-out of program content, convenings, and peer learning sessions. Prior to joining IHQC, she worked as a Special Projects Coordinator with Asian Youth Center, managing and leading a range of anti-hate initiatives within the organization and with community and county partners. She also brings experience in housing justice organizing, office administration, and peer support facilitation. Lexine holds a B.A. in Geography from the University of British Columbia.