INDEPENDENT, Santa Barbara, CA
Monday, Oct. 20, 2025 – Ron Werft, President Emeritus and former President and CEO of Cottage Health, has been elected Board Chairman of World Telehealth Initiative (WTI), a nonprofit that is improving healthcare access in vulnerable communities worldwide.
Founded by MedTech pioneer, Dr. Yulun Wang, and CEO Sharon Allen, World Telehealth Initiative provides sustainable healthcare expertise to underserved populations across 18 countries. Through a corps of volunteer physicians and nurses paired with telehealth technology, WTI trains and supports clinicians in low-resource hospitals and clinics throughout the world. This collaboration improves the availability and quality of patient care long term, while raising the medical skills of local clinicians. Ron Werft has served on the WTI Board since 2019, and notes, “Because of WTI’s unique mission, serving on the Board has been incredibly rewarding.”
The nonprofit partners with health systems, including Cottage Health, offering physicians and nurses an efficient and fulfilling opportunity to volunteer their expertise, supporting colleagues worldwide. “This is incredibly rewarding,” says Werft. “Burnout is a major challenge for clinicians globally, but studies show that increasing the percentage of one’s day that is defined as meaningful work significantly reduces the symptoms of burnout. Expanding our global reach while providing meaningful volunteer experiences for physicians and nurses is a win-win.”
WTI Co-founder and CEO Sharon Allen shared that “World Telehealth Initiative is honored to welcome Ron as Chairman to lead our dedicated Board of Directors. WTI is on the precipice of exponential growth, fulfilling 95% of our partners’ requests for support—matching humanitarian providers with the desired medical specialty, language and availability. With Ron’s wealth of experience and gift for leadership, he is the perfect leader to take WTI to the next phase of global impact.”
ABOUT WORLD TELEHEALTH INITIATIVE
World Telehealth Initiative is an impact organization that is transforming global healthcare for vulnerable communities around the globe. A corps of philanthropic healthcare professionals provides medical expertise via telehealth to partner hospitals and clinics in underserved areas, resulting in higher quality of life and increased lifespans. By upskilling local clinicians and strengthening resource-constrained healthcare systems, World Telehealth Initiative ensures sustainable, high-quality care for both current patients and future generations.