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s President of Inova Alexandria Hospital (IAH) and Senior Vice President of Inova Health System, Dr. Rina Bansal has an incredible amount of responsibility. A practicing physician for nearly 20 years, she understands the needs of patients and brings that to her role in overseeing the operations of the local health care system. “The most important part of my work is serving our patients and my team members,” she says. “I believe in the Inova mission ‘to provide world class healthcare every time, every touch, to each person in every community we have the privilege to serve.’” Naturally, Bansal's work has greatly impacted the community of Alexandria. “It is a privilege and honor to be the President of IAH, founded in 1872 by a woman, Julia Johns,” she says. “In my role, I have the
opportunity to ensure that every patient who comes to IAH gets world class care, to serve the community, especially during the last 22 months of [the] COVID pandemic, to promote the well-being of our residents and partner with community organizations to foster their mission.” As a physician and a woman, Bansal feels that heart health should be given particular focus. “Being a female physician and an internist, the GO RED movement is very important to me because it focuses on women's heart health awareness and is a catalyst for women's health globally,” she says. “To me, women's health is the cornerstone of a family's overall health and the health of a community. Thus, we must ensure that women have access to healthcare as well as awareness of issues impacting them.” FEBRUARY 2022 • 53
