Executive Director

Tahlia Ruschioni is a dynamic healthcare leader whose career spans bedside care, systems-level advocacy, and medical education reform. With more than 20 years of experience across trauma centers, public health systems, and academic medicine, Tahlia brings a rare, interdisciplinary lens to the role of Executive Director at the Bateman Horne Center (BHC)—a nationally recognized nonprofit at the forefront of care, research, and education for ME/CFS, Long COVID, and related complex conditions.

Tahlia began her career in direct patient care, serving in intensive care units and rehabilitation settings at a Level II trauma center, where she advanced into leadership as a senior rehabilitation specialist. She played a central role in designing a community-wide fall prevention program and led hospital-based safety and quality improvement trainings for nurses and therapists. Her early focus on hands-on care evolved into broader systems advocacy, where she investigated abuse and neglect cases as a Senior Quality Improvement Coordinator for Colorado’s community center board system. There, she co-developed and led statewide training for adult protective services on trauma-informed interviewing of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Her shift into medical education took shape during her tenure at University of Utah Health, where she led clinician education and outreach efforts for more than 25 affiliate hospitals and clinics across a seven-state network. In this role, Tahlia developed and implemented accredited CME programs, built value-based learning initiatives, and launched Project ECHO series that expanded provider capacity in both urban and rural settings. Working in close partnership with C-suite leadership—including CMOs, CEOs, and system directors—she gained extensive experience in quality improvement, compliance, and the regulatory frameworks that shape clinical operations. Her work also included training healthcare leaders in educational strategy and system-wide engagement, further honing her skills in leadership development and program management. It was in this role that she first collaborated with Dr. Lucinda Bateman, now BHC’s Chief Medical Officer.

Since joining BHC in late 2019, Tahlia has led the transformative growth of the Medical Education Resource Center (MERC), establishing it in just three years as a global model for clinician education and training in post-infectious disease care. Under her leadership, MERC programs have reached more than 13,000 healthcare professionals across 90 countries and 46 U.S. states, offering accredited medical education in the clinical management of complex, multisystem illnesses. The Center has also facilitated over 1,200 hours of direct clinical training for residents and practicing clinicians across the U.S., Israel, and New Zealand. Through growing partnerships with institutions in Canada, Australia, and the UK, Tahlia is helping to elevate the global standard of care for patients with ME/CFS and infection-associated chronic conditions.

MERC’s reach and credibility have been further strengthened through collaborations with the NIH RECOVER Initiative, CDC, and multiple leading academic and medical institutions. Most recently, Tahlia led the development and launch of the Clinical Care Guide: Managing ME/CFS, Long COVID, and Infection-Associated Chronic Conditions—a groundbreaking tool that consolidates the in-house expertise of BHC’s medical team into an actionable roadmap for clinicians. Designed to equip both seasoned providers and emerging professionals, the guide is already transforming clinical practice nationwide.

Tahlia’s work proves that vision, when paired with execution, can change systems. She continues to champion BHC’s mission by expanding access, raising the standard of care, and building the infrastructure needed to serve more patients—because every person living with these conditions deserves to be seen, understood, and expertly supported.