Bernadette Rümmelin is chief executive officer and spokeswoman for the management board of the Catholic Hospital Association of Germany e.V. (kkvd) in Berlin. As the representative organ the kkvd bundles and advocates the interests of all the 344 Catholic hospitals and 56 rehabilitation facilities in the German health policy system. In addition she holds some mandates as a board member. From 2009 to 2013 she worked as a consultant for psychiatric hospital management in the German Hospital Federation (DKG) on the development of the PEPP-system, a flat-rate based reimbursement system for psychiatric hospital services. Before joining the DKG Bernadette was head of business development and chief operating officer of the day-patient and outpatient facilities at the Vinzenz von Paul Hospital gGmbH, Rottweil and responsible for establishing regional networks of mental health services. Trained as a social worker she also worked in community-based mental health services and workplace health promotion programs. She holds a diploma in social pedagogy, a diploma in business administration in healthcare management and a Master of Public Health of the Hamburg University of Applied Sciences.