From Physician to President: Dr. Ramin Baschshi Brings Proven Healthcare Leadership to Pacific College
Long before Dr. Ramin Baschshi became a physician, healthcare executive or college president, she experienced healthcare from the perspective of a frightened child sitting beside her mother in a hospital room.
Her mother was frequently ill, and Dr. Baschshi and her sister would stay with her while their father worked. What stayed with her was the reassurance healthcare professionals brought each time they entered the room.
“Every time a physician or nurse walked in, they seemed to have answers,” Dr. Baschshi recalled. “They always had an incredible smile on their face, and they made my mom feel very well cared for. At such a young age, that was a really reassuring feeling.”
That experience sparked an interest in medicine and introduced her to the qualities that would define her career: compassion, curiosity and a commitment to serving others.
Now, as president of Pacific College, Dr. Baschshi brings more than 25 years of experience spanning medicine, hospital strategy, nonprofit operations, pediatric services and organizational growth. It is a remarkably broad background for a college president, and one that closely aligns with Pacific’s mission and its focus on preparing students for healthcare careers.
A Record of Growth and Transformation
Dr. Baschshi’s career has placed her inside several sides of healthcare: physician relations, hospital strategy, nonprofit operations, community services and executive leadership.
At St. Mary Medical Center in Long Beach, she served first as director of physician relations and later as vice president of physician and strategic operations. The roles gave her experience working with physicians, developing organizational strategy and helping a medical center respond to changing operational needs.
She then spent more than seven years as chief operating officer of Make-A-Wish Greater Los Angeles, overseeing the foundation’s operations, finances and programs. The position expanded her leadership beyond traditional healthcare settings and strengthened her ability to connect mission, organizational performance and community impact.
In 2018, Dr. Baschshi became president and CEO of Unlimited Possibilities, an Orange County nonprofit serving thousands of children with developmental disabilities and their families each year.
During her tenure, the organization grew its finances by approximately 65%, doubled its service capacity and opened a state-of-the-art pediatric therapy center. She led a workforce of more than 350 staff members and specialists while expanding the organization’s ability to provide therapeutic and community-based services.
In 2025, Dr. Baschshi helped guide Unlimited Possibilities through its integration into Rady Children’s Health Orange County. She then became vice president of restorative care and community support services, leading inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation programs across multiple locations while overseeing the integration of Unlimited Possibilities’ staff, mission and services into the larger health system.
The transition required more than completing a merger. It meant maintaining uninterrupted care for children and families, aligning teams and programs across organizations and protecting the mission of a 70-year-old nonprofit while giving it room to grow within a larger healthcare system.
That combination of clinical understanding, operational leadership and experience managing complex change distinguishes Dr. Baschshi’s path to the Pacific presidency.
“As a clinician, you are an investigator,” she said. “Every individual is different, and every case is different. Your job is to gather as much information as possible and apply what you have learned to determine what you can do next.”
It is an approach she also brings to leadership: understand the situation, listen to the people closest to it and make informed decisions.
Leadership Built on Listening and Accountability
Dr. Baschshi describes herself as a leader who loves to learn. She believes strong leadership requires transparency, adaptability and the willingness to be challenged by the people around her.
“Leadership is something you work on every single day,” she said. “It is about learning from others, adapting and creating opportunities for the people around you to bring their best selves forward.”
Listening is central to that philosophy, particularly during periods of transition.
“If you listen, you will learn more,” Dr. Baschshi said. “You have to remain open, flexible and willing to hear from your team before making an informed decision.”
Her first priorities at Pacific reflect that approach. She is focused on getting to know students, faculty and staff; understanding the college’s culture; and hearing directly about the community’s experiences, needs and aspirations.
She also begins from a position of trust.
“I tell my team, ‘You have an A. It is your job to keep the A,’” she said. “I walk into a situation trusting people.”
A Longstanding Connection to Westcliff
Dr. Baschshi enters the presidency with an established understanding of Westcliff University through her previous service on its Board of Trustees.
From that position, she witnessed Westcliff’s growth, strategic development and expanding impact on students. She also built a working relationship with the university through partnerships between Westcliff and Unlimited Possibilities, including the annual iCan Bike Camp.
“I saw what it takes to turn an institution into a recognizable and trusted brand,” she said. “I saw the lives it changed year after year and the impact it made in education. That experience helped solidify my decision to accept this position at Pacific.”
That familiarity is especially relevant as Pacific begins its first year as part of the Westcliff University family.
Dr. Baschshi has already led one mission-driven organization through integration into a larger healthcare system. She understands how greater infrastructure and institutional resources can extend an organization’s reach, but she also understands the importance of protecting the culture, relationships and mission that made it successful.
As part of the Westcliff University family, Pacific can draw upon established resources and expertise while building on its own 33-year history.
“Innovation does not exist without the root of a foundation,” Dr. Baschshi said. “You have to look at where the foundation began, what you want to keep and how you want to grow.”
Why Pacific College
Pacific’s mission of service and education immediately resonated with Dr. Baschshi.
“What drew me to Pacific was its mission of service and education,” she said. “When I look at this institution, its foundation and the legacy it has built, it makes me excited about the next generation.”
She has been particularly impressed by students who balance their education with careers, families and other significant responsibilities.
“We have resilient individuals walking through these doors,” she said. “We have compassionate people who want to give back, and they will do everything possible to get where they need to go.”
Dr. Baschshi also sees Pacific’s faculty as a direct connection between classroom knowledge and professional practice.
“Educating an individual takes patience, energy and storytelling,” she said. “It cannot just be facts. You have to humanize it and bring it to life so the student can take something meaningful away.”
Preparing Students for Healthcare’s Next Chapter
Dr. Baschshi’s industry experience gives her a practical understanding of what Pacific students will encounter after graduation. Healthcare professionals must be prepared to navigate new technologies, changing workplace expectations and advances in diagnosis and treatment while continuing to make patients feel heard and cared for.
“Healthcare is a continuous learning profession,” she said. “The willingness to learn, to have humility and to want to be better is a really important trait to have in this profession.”
She believes technology should help healthcare professionals manage information and logistics more effectively, freeing them to focus on the patient in front of them.
“Technology will advance the profession in many ways, but it is not going to take the place of human connection,” Dr. Baschshi said. “You cannot take away empathy or compassion.”
For Pacific, preparing students means looking beyond graduation. Dr. Baschshi wants students to receive the academic, personal and professional support they need to complete their education and enter healthcare with confidence.
Her message to students considering Pacific is direct:
“Jump in feet first. We’ve got you,” she said. “We will help you be successful, support you in reaching your goals and prepare you for success after graduation.”
Dr. Baschshi’s career has moved from medicine to hospital strategy, nonprofit operations, pediatric care and higher education, but the purpose connecting each chapter has remained consistent: build stronger organizations so they can serve more people.
As Pacific begins its next chapter, she wants students to carry that purpose forward.
“Embrace what is ahead,” she said, “and move forward with compassion.”