2018 Latina of Influence | Ruth Lopez Novodor

Hispanic Lifestyle is pleased to recognize CEO and Community Leader Ruth Lopez Novodor as a 2018 Latina of Influence. Ms. Lopez Novodor along with our entire list of 2018 Latinas of Influence are invited to participate in Hispanic Lifestyle’s 2018 Latina Conference taking place April 4 and 5, 2018 in Ontario, California.

Ruth Lopez Novodor serves as CEO for Beverly Oncology and Imaging Centers (BOI) Medical Group, Inc., a position that she has held since 1980. In this capacity, Ms. Lopez Novodor is responsible for the company’s business planning and execution of strategic goals locally and internationally. The company’s medical professional team is known for building a family-like relationship with each patient by demonstrating compassion and cultural sensitivity to provide the highest-quality cancer treatment for the region’s multi-cultural population. Under her direction and execution, Ms. Lopez Novodor has helped this medical center achieve national recognition and industry credibility by receiving JCAHO-accreditation (Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations).

Ms. Lopez Novodor also served as CEO for Americade Home Health Agency (AHHA) for approximately 15 years prior to its sale. Americade was formed to fill a gap in service in the L.A. and surrounding communities as identified first by the needs of Dr. Thropay’s patients. With a staff of 50 skilled nurses, home health aides, social workers, and occupational, speech, and respiratory therapists, Americade provided much needed care to a broad base of multi-cultural patients confined to the home.

Ms. Lopez Novodor, along with her brother, John P. Thropay, M.D., co-founded VivaHealth Plan. Ms. Lopez Novodor served as CEO and developed the concept from its inception and early days of organizing in 1989 to licensure and operational status of the plan. This first-of-its-kind HMO to provide all-encompassing healthcare services in Spanish was specifically designed for the burgeoning Hispanic population in Southern California and it served as a catalyst for the evolution of ethnic and culturally responsive models of healthcare delivery.

Ms. Lopez Novodor has served as a Delegate to the White House on Small Business; was a two-term Chairman of the Board of the Latin Business Association (LBA); a four year member of Wells Fargo Bank’s Corporate Diversity Council and a Board Member for El Proyecto del Barrio. She currently serves as a Board Member of The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB); Chairman of the Leadership Council of NFIB California. She is a member of the Adaptive Business Leaders (ABL) Organization, a Healthcare Executive Roundtable, and holds appointments from the Mayor of Los Angeles and the Governor of California to the Workforce Investment Board of Los Angeles (WIB) and the California Citizens Compensation Commission (CCCC) respectively.

Ms. Lopez Novodor holds an MBA and Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Pepperdine University. In 1996, she completed the Executive Program for Managed Care at the University of Missouri, at Kansas City’s National Center for Managed Health Care Administration, and Henry W. Bloch School of Business and Public Administration. She is currently pursuing a PHD in Leadership and Change at Antioch University.