Women in Leadership

Hanna Haptu’s journey is rooted in resilience, purpose, and a deep commitment to community care. From arriving in the United States as a young refugee to becoming a physician and now Interim Chief Medical Officer at Lynn Community Health Center, her story reflects what’s possible when determination meets opportunity.

Over the years, she has helped lead important initiatives, including expanding services and strengthening programs that support patients across the community. Following her Infectious Disease (ID) fellowship at Boston Medical Center, Dr. Haptu joined LCHC and developed an ID clinic to provide care for patients living with HIV, Hep C, Hep B, and STI. One milestone she’s especially proud of is the health center becoming the only community health center in Massachusetts to be designated as a DPH-funded TB clinic.

During COVID, she worked alongside colleagues at LCHC, reinforcing the strength and compassion of our teams, as healthcare workers continued tirelessly to support patients and families. When a team comes together with a shared purpose, what may appear as insurmountable challenges, can be overcome.

Today, her focus remains on continuing the patient centered work of LCHC and leading by example. She is passionate about improving patient access and ensuring high-quality care across all services, including medical, pediatric, dental, vision, and behavioral health. She is equally committed to supporting staff by strengthening job satisfaction and creating clearer paths for growth and advancement.

We’re always proud to recognize Women’s History Month, and Dr. Haptu’s story is a powerful example that leadership takes many forms. She hopes others, especially young people and those just starting out, see her journey as proof that their goals are within reach.

“Dreams are real, and they’re worth pursuing,” she says. “You can become everything you imagine.”

For this leader, the work is far from over. Every day is another opportunity to serve her community and work alongside colleagues who share that same dedication. Together, they can continue building something meaningful and lasting.

Elizabeth Quinn’s path to leadership at Lynn Community Health Center is rooted in family, history, and a commitment to equitable care.

As she steps into her role as Associate Chief Clinical Officer, Dr. Quinn carries the influence of the women who shaped her life. During Women’s History Month, she reflects on their impact. Her great-grandmother, Nora, immigrated from rural Ireland and built a life through factory work and later managing a college laundry. Her grandmother, Mary Jean, was a nurse who introduced her to the values of care and compassion. Her mother, Mary, was a special education teacher and a pioneer in inclusive education, dedicated to helping every student succeed.

These influences shaped Dr. Quinn’s perspective on medicine, instilling a deep respect for immigrants and a belief that everyone deserves high-quality care. This commitment has guided her career in community health centers, serving diverse and often under-resourced populations.

Since joining Lynn Community Health Center in 2016, she has focused on caring for families like her own and addressing both medical and social needs. At LCHC, she helped forge an enduring partnership with the Greater Boston Food Bank, led an initiative to screen patients for social needs, and founded the LCHC Moms Do Care Program for pregnant and parenting women with substance use disorders. As Director of Addiction Services, she has worked to expand access to substance use disorder treatment by strengthening collaboration across teams, including the medical outreach team and the school-based health centers.

In her new leadership role, Dr. Quinn will prioritize close collaboration between behavioral health and medical colleagues and will support collaboration across care teams. Her approach emphasizes personalized, inclusive, team-based care—reflecting both her family’s legacy and her decade of experience at LCHC.

For Dr. Quinn, this work is more than a career; it is a way to honor her past while serving her community with purpose.

For Nicole McKenzie, stepping into the role of Associate Chief Clinical Officer is both a new chapter and a continuation of a journey that began a decade ago at Lynn Community Health Center.

Her path to this role has been shaped by a mix of experiences, starting from a small city in Michigan, to a rural town in southern New Jersey, and eventually to Boston, where she built both her education and her career.

Nicole first came to Lynn Community Health Center as a student during her PA training, starting in urgent care. She spent her early years on the front lines, learning from and working with dedicated providers, nurses, and staff who helped shape her approach to care. Over time, she stepped into leadership as Urgent Care Team Medical Director, gaining a deeper understanding of both patient needs and team dynamics.

Now in this expanded role, she is focused on strengthening collaboration across departments. She sees one of the health center’s greatest strengths in its wide range of services and the expertise behind them. By further integrating every service provided at LCHC, there is a real opportunity to build more connected, effective systems of care.

Nicole is especially passionate about improving access, enhancing the patient experience, and continuing to raise the standard of care across the organization. In her experience, the teams at LCHC are united in their common mission, and remain entirely dedicated to improving the patient experience.

Nicole’s story is one of growth, adaptability, and leadership built from day-to-day experiences. She is excited about what lies ahead and the impact that can be made by working together to better serve the Greater Lynn community.

In recognition of Women’s History Month, we’re highlighting leaders who are making a difference every day. For Aishetu Abubakar, that impact is deeply personal.

LCHC has been part of her life for over 25 years, first as a patient and now as a leader. What has kept her here is simple. The mission reflects who she is: someone who believes in showing up for others and caring for her community.

One moment that stayed with her was an early visit to Urgent Care for a strep infection. The compassion she experienced from staff stuck with her long after she left. She remembers thinking, “this is where I belong”.

Her path into nursing was not something she mapped out from the start. After high school, she knew she enjoyed biology, math, and helping people, but she was still figuring out what that looked like. During her first semester at UMass Boston, a friend encouraged her to apply to nursing school. She got in, and quickly found herself drawn to public health, community health, and education.

Her growth into leadership came from people who believed in her. Mentors and managers gave her opportunities to step up, take on more responsibility, and trust her voice. That support built the foundation of how she leads today.

Now, as Associate Chief Nursing Officer, she sees her role as part of a larger effort to support nurses and strengthen care. When nurses are given the tools and trust they need, it makes a real difference for patients, students, and the community.

At the core of her work is a simple approach: show up and give your best. It is something she has carried with her throughout her career.

Aisha is an immigrant from Nigeria, one of eight siblings, and a mother of three; she brings resilience, perspective, and purpose to everything she does. One of her long-term goals is to open a school in Nigeria, giving others the same opportunity she values so deeply.