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Upcoming book pays tribute to Scottsdale physician

BY ALEX GALLAGHER Progress Staff Writer

Dr. Mitzi Krockover has devoted her career to working on women’s issues, especially those related to their health.

And given her resume, it’s no wonder that Krockover shares the spotlight with 47 other female dynamos in the new book, “48 Women: Arizona’s Most Intriguing Women,” which hits online and brick-andmortar stores next month. A board-certi�ied internist, she was the founding medical of the Iris Cantor-UCLA Women’s Health Center and eventually became vice president of women’s health for Humana, Inc.

She is a partner in her husband’s Scottsdale consulting company, SSB Solutions, which helps physician groups, hospitals and other healthcare clients develop strategies in a rapidly changing industry.

She co-chairs the Golden Seeds Health Care Sector Group and is a managing director of GoldenSeeds, an angel investment organization dedicated to funding women entrepreneurs.

“I realized that these new women’s health startup companies were the next way to move the needle on women’s health,” she said. She was a founding director of the Health Futures Council at Arizona State University, which comprises business leaders who are helping ASU advance its initiatives.

And she chairs the board of the Institute for Mental Health Research, helping that group grow its impact.

“When I had joined the board of the Institute for Mental Health Research, I saw such a potential for the organization and we began working diligently to build it up,” she recalled, explaining that she felt the growing mental health crisis required �inding was to �ind money for research. “When I think about the trajectory of the Institute for Mental Health Research, I think about how over 21 years ago, people weren’t talking about mental health. But there was a recognized need that this was a challenge for a lot of people,” she said. “We were also losing a lot of our scientists, which is where IMHR came into play.”

“We can have all of the counselors in the world but we still don’t have enough to deal with the mental health challenges we have,” she adds. “Where we have made the best strides has been through research.”

Although Krockover came into the institute to help fund research, nothing could prepare her or the rest of the world for what came not long after she joined in 2019.

The pandemic created a torrent of mental health concerns, prompting the institute to create a funding mechanism devoted to dealing with issues arising from COVID-19.

“COVID-19 was a real wakeup call and one of the reasons we developed the COVID-19 fund was because at the beginning of the pandemic, it became apparent that there would be a tsunami of mental health issues that were going to happen from the trauma of our �irst line workers and healthcare workers to isolation of children and the elderly during the lockdown,” she said.

“COVID-19 is a great example of the spectrum of mental health from coping with daily challenges to neurological and psychiatric issues caused by the virus itself.”

Krockover has great hopes for what researchers have been able to produce.

“Research will eventually provide solutions from therapies and diagnostics to consumer products, which can be very exciting in how it helps people deal with their day-to-day issues,” she said.

As if she doesn’t already have a lot on her plate, Krockover recently joined the board of the Black Women’s Health Imperative, run by CEO Linda Goler Blount. That nonpro�it targets the most pressing health issues affecting Black women and girls through investments in evidencebased strategies, programs and advocacy on health policies.

“Most of my professional career has been looking at the issues with women’s health and how so many factors impact on us as women in terms of how we experience our health, how we are treated in the healthcare system and how we access healthcare,” Krockover said.

“Those issues are everything – from our own individual genetics, our socioeconomic status to whether or not there has been research and policy decisions,” Krockover explained, stating she was sold on the chance of helping a demographic of women that oftentimes struggle cannot access healthcare.

“If you look at Black women’s health speci�ically, it’s an even more narrow prism but magni�ies the issues signi�icantly,” she said.

“I know the statistics but in order to make an impact, we have to look at speci�ic populations, their health care needs, as well as how those populations access healthcare and how they are treated in the healthcare system.”

Krockover is also excited to be a part of Blount’s latest initiative: �ighting breast cancer. “We know Black women die at larger numbers and earlier ages from breast cancer,” she said.

“One of the things that the Black Women’s Health Imperative has done is it has partnered with Hologic and at the Super Bowl we announced that we are helping drive a million Black and brown women into screening through the year for breast cancer, cervical cancer and �ibroids.”

Krockover has used her voice to inform women over 40 about health care issues and what they can do to make a difference in their own health through interviewing scientists, clinicians and innovators on her podcast, titled “Beyond the Paper Gown,” and working with the Scottsdale-based company Woman Centered LLC.

She said she feels honored that her efforts are documented in the upcoming edition of “48 Women: Arizona’s Most Intriguing Women.”

“There are so many women who are doing incredible kinds of things so I’m very humbled and truly honored,” she said. “I’m proud of what I’ve been able to do and it’s nice to be able to talk about some of the issues that are important, so to me, that’s the best opportunity.”

She also hopes that the readers of the book learn about the issues she is working towards and that they feel a sense of inspiration.

“I hope that people learn about the importance of the issues I work to overcome and perhaps that my journey inspires people who are thinking about their own journeys,” Krockover said.

Dr. Mitzi Krockover was nominated for her efforts in women’s health as well as mental health to be featured as one of six Scottsdale women in the next edition of “48 Women: Arizona’s Most In-

triguing Women.” (Special to the Progress)

SCOTTSDALE PROGRESS | WWW.SCOTTSDALE.ORG | MARCH 6, 2022

WestWorld manager makes hall of fame

Brian Dygert, the man behind WestWorld of Scottsdale, was inducted into the League of Agricultural and Equine Centers Hall of Fame in Austin.

Dygert has been a recognized leader in the equine management industry for nearly three decades and will celebrate his 15th anniversary with the city later this year.

Fittingly, Dygert’s journey to becoming an industry Hall of Famer started on a farm in Western New York. As the son of an equine veterinarian and the grandson of a standardbred horse trainer, he was born into the lifestyle of caring for and learning from horses.

Under his leadership as general manager, WestWorld has grown into a world-class, full-service events facility, which annually welcomes nearly 1 million visitors, across all seasons.

WestWorld serves as the venue for roughly 40 equestrian events each year, in addition to dozens of conventions, trade shows, concerts and other large-scale gatherings, including the Scottsdale Arabian Horse Show, the Arizona Quarter Horse Sun Circuit and the Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Auction.

“There is no one in the city more deserving of this honor than Brian Dygert,” said City Manager Jim Thompson.

“He has done much to advance the Western spirit in Scottsdale and make the city a destination for people from around the world. His work ethic, experience and values have made an indelible mark not only on the city, but also on the equestrian community nationwide. People who love horses, know that Scottsdale shares in, and respects, that passion, and we have Brian to thank for growing that legacy to what it is today.”

Among other career highlights, Dygert rode in an exhibition in the 1996 Olympics and served as the chair of the organizing team that introduced Reining as a discipline in the 2002 World Equestrian Games in Jerez de la Frontera, Spain.

Before coming to Scottsdale, he was widely recognized for his work with the Bob Martin Eastern Agricultural Center in Williamston, North Carolina. Dygert is the co-founder of the League of Agricultural and Equine Centers and served on its board of directors for 14 years.

“I am very humbled and extremely proud to be recognized in this way,” Dygert said.

“I have always approached everything I’ve done as leaving it better than I found it. My parents instilled this in me, and I am so grateful for them and my family. The league induction means to me that I worked hard to leave an industry better than I arrived and for this I am grateful, very proud and happy to know my work will carry on for some time for others to enjoy.”

Brian Dygert said he’s humbled to be inducted into the League of Agricultural and Equine Centers Hall of Fame. (City of Scottsdale)