HopeHealth's Leadership
Senior Leadership Team
Diana Franchitto
Diana Franchitto has been a strong, leading voice for home care, hospice care and palliative care for more than a decade. She joined HopeHealth in 2007, and through her tenure the organization has experienced significant growth and an expansion of services in Rhode Island and Massachusetts.
Ms. Franchitto facilitated an academic partnership with the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, making HopeHealth the first non-hospital teaching affiliate for hospice and palliative medicine in the nation. She also established palliative-care consultation services with many hospitals, nursing homes and home health agencies. In addition, HopeHealth has a variety of preferred partnerships with ACOs, health systems and post-acute networks.
Earlier in her career, Ms. Franchitto was a senior leader at Caritas Christi Health Care, the predecessor organization to Steward Health Care, the second-largest healthcare system in Massachusetts at that time. In a variety of roles, she was responsible for marketing, communications, public affairs and network development.
Ms. Franchitto earned an MBA and a bachelor of science in business administration from Bentley University. She is a sought-after speaker at hospice and home care professional conferences and with regional civic organizations. She serves on the boards of the National Partnership for Hospice Innovation, Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce, the Rhode Island Quality Institute, Healthcentric Advisors, CareLink and Harbor Health Services.
Brian Berger, LICSW, ACHP-SW
Maureen Bischoff, MBA
Suzanne Fortier, MPA
Cara Hart
Addy Kane, CPA, MBA
Edward Martin, MD, MPH, FAAHPM
Mercedes Pacheco, MD
Jennifer Ritzau, MD
Sandra Wilkerson, RN
Diana Zapata, MBA
Board of Directors
Kenneth Arnold, Esq.
George Babcock
The Reverend Janet Cooper-Nelson
Deborah Cornwall
Barbara Cottam
Michael DiSandro
Ruth Fain
Diane Fasching
Diana Franchitto, President, Ex-Officio
Marc Gagnon
Marc Hudak
Peter Karczmar, MD
Keith Kelly, Chairman
Mayer Levitt, DMD
Christopher Marsella
Elaine Meyer, PhD
Vincent Mor, PhD, Vice Chairman
Arthur Robbins
Nancy Rogers
Fred Schiffman, MD
Stephen Soscia, Treasurer
Paul Stajduhar
Mark Tracy, Secretary
Our Medical Leadership
HopeHealth’s medical team includes more than 30 physicians, nurse practitioners and physician assistants who bring extraordinary expertise and special training in caring for people with serious illness. These medical providers are led by our chief medical officer, Dr. Edward Martin, and two medical directors, Dr. Jennifer Ritzau and Dr. Mercedes Pacheco, all nationally recognized in their fields.
Edward Martin, MD, MPH, FAAHPM
Dr. Edward W. Martin is HopeHealth’s chief medical officer and a professor of medicine (clinical) at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University.
His research focuses on end-of-life care and decision-making, and he has earned many awards for teaching. He also directs the Alpert Medical School’s Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellowship Program and is a section chief of palliative medicine.
Dr. Martin is a fellow of the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine. He also holds a master of public health degree from the Brown University School of Public Health.
Medical School: Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University
Residency: University of Rochester Associated Hospitals, Strong Memorial Hospital
Board Certifications: hospice and palliative medicine, internal medicine, geriatrics, addiction medicine
Mercedes Pacheco, MD
Dr. Mercedes Pacheco is HopeHealth’s medical director of hospice services and a clinical assistant professor at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University.
Dr. Pacheco began her career practicing as a primary care physician before realizing her deepest gratification came from helping patients and families navigate the advanced stages of illness. Today, she leads HopeHealth’s interdisciplinary teams that care for hospice patients in inpatient and community settings. She also oversees the Hope Palliative Care Center, an outpatient center for patients with advanced illness.
Medical School: University of Miami Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine
Residency: Brown University, general internal medicine
Fellowship: Harvard Medical School, hospice and palliative medicine
Board Certifications: internal medicine, hospice and palliative medicine
Jennifer Ritzau, MD
Dr. Jennifer Ritzau is HopeHealth’s director of palliative care, associate medical director at Hope Hospice, and medical director of Visiting Nurse of HopeHealth.
Driven by her passion for hospice and palliative medicine, Dr. Ritzau leads HopeHealth’s teams of physicians, nurse practitioners and physician assistants that provide palliative care across a continuum of settings, from hospitals to long-term care to home care.
Medical School: Medical College of Virginia
Residency: University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, internal medicine
Fellowship: University of Connecticut Health Science Center, geriatrics
Board Certifications: hospice and palliative medicine