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BWH mourns the loss of Mrs. Rhonda (Ronny) Zinner, who served as a longstanding member of the Board of Trustees and, more recently, the President's Advisory Council. "Ronny was a true friend to Brigham and Women's Hospital and touched our community in so many ways with her generosity, compassion and vision," said BWH President Betsy Nabel, MD. "In her work and in her personal life, Ronny's kindness and generosity knew no bounds."Mrs. Zinner, the wife of Department of Surgery Chair Michael Zinner, MD, impacted the department in several profound ways. "Ronny's influence and perspective has made me a better person, and that has changed the department for the better over the years," said Zinner. Because of the importance his wife placed on time with family, Zinner changed the department's Service Conference and Grand Rounds schedule from Saturdays to weekdays to enable staff to spend more time with their families when possible. "I was trained and grew up for over 25 years believing Saturday was Surgical Education day. She changed that," he said.Mrs. Zinner also transformed the department's annual holiday party into a family-friendly affair, encouraging staff to bring their children and ensuring child-friendly foods, games and activities were part of the festivities.As president of the Carl and Ruth Shapiro Family Foundation, Mrs. Zinner carried out her parents' philanthropic vision, overseeing many transformative gifts to BWH, including the Carl J. and Ruth Shapiro Cardiovascular Center. She was also deeply involved in the development of the contemporary art collection at the Shapiro Center, and worked tirelessly in partnership with staff to bring diverse and healing art into the center for patients, families, staff and visitors to enjoy. As foundation president, Ronny's leadership, empathy and thoughtfulness impacted the lives of countless Boston residents. During her tenure, the foundation was able to grant funds to more than 100 community-based organizations in Boston for efforts such as after-school youth arts programs, recreational opportunities for people with disabilities, ESOL instruction for immigrant adults and college access for aspiring Boston high school students."Ronny's legacy will endure in the hearts of the thousands of people she touched, including my own," said Zinner. "In this time of grief, I take comfort in knowing how blessed I was to spend the best years of my life with her."Mrs. Zinner is survived by her husband, Michael Zinner; her daughter, Jennifer Herman, son-in-law, Mark Herman, and their three children (Ashley, Zachary and Alexandra); her son, Jonathan Segal; her father, Carl Shapiro; her sister Ellen Jaffe and brother-in-law Robert Jaffe; sister Linda Waintrup and brother-in-law Daniel Waintrup; stepson Dan Zinner; stepson Darren Zinner, his wife, Tracy, and their two children (Coby and Ethan); five nieces and nephews and their spouses; two great-nephews; and a great-niece.In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial contributions be sent to the Surgical Cancer Care Fund at BWH, or the Surgery, Education and Program Support Fund at BWH, at 116 Huntington Ave., Boston, MA 02116.A link to her full obituary is available here.