The Barbara
Bartosch Award
“We Should Be Able to Do Better”
Before she passed away in May of 2020, Barbara Bartosch wrote these words in what would become her final blog post for Upfront Healthcare. She wrote them not as a Client Services Executive, but as a patient battling Ovarian Cancer. Her words echo throughout our company, inspiring us every day to acknowledge how far we have come, and how far we still have to go, to bring equity, ease and empathy to healthcare delivery.
To honor her memory, and the difference she made for both our company and our clients, we are proud to announce the creation of The Barbara Bartosch Award, presented annually on Barbara’s birthday, March 5, to the Upfront Healthcare team member who best exemplifies Barb’s commitment to embodying Upfront’s Core Values.
The Barbara Bartosch Award Recipients
Nisha Dholakia, 2021
Director of Health Communications & Content Strategy
Nisha joined Upfront on a contract basis in June of 2019, and by that September she signed on full-time. During her tenure with Upfront, Nisha’s grit and determination to “Do Better,” learned from her 1:1 with Barb herself, has helped deliver impressive results for Upfront’s client partners.
Her leadership established health communications as a core part of Upfront’s strategy and reinforced the importance of necessary care to patients, resulting in industry-leading patient engagement and visit completion rates.
“Barb’s zeal and enthusiasm were evident from the day we met and her mentorship and encouragement are missed,” said Dholakia. “I strive to apply her words of wisdom every day. I am so grateful to receive the inaugural Barbara Bartosch Award, and I hope my work makes Barb proud!”
“We want each of our teammates to understand and celebrate Barb’s impact on our culture and everything she stood for as an individual, all of which is represented in our Core Values. We have a tremendously talented and passionate team here at Upfront, which made choosing an honoree extremely difficult. Nisha, like Barb, exemplifies our core values every day and inspires her teammates to do the same. I know with certainty that Barb would have absolutely celebrated this selection with an effusive ‘FABULOUS!’”
Carrie Kozlowski
Co-Founder and COO
