Becker's Hospital Review

49 WOMEN'S LEADERSHIP Tricia Smith Edris. Senior Vice President and Chief Consumer Officer for Altamonte Springs, Fla.-based AdventHealth. Growth and comfort do not coexist. e ability to rec- ognize a good, but challenging, opportunity and fight the urge to run the other direction is a skill — one that great leaders possess. Lead- ership is a complexly balanced relationship of courage, compassion, strength, commitment and trust. As a woman in the healthcare in- dustry, I strive every day to lead by example — practicing the same behaviors I want oth- ers to follow and consumers to experience. Janet Hadar. President of UNC Health- care (Chapel Hill, N.C.). I feel fortunate to live at a time and work for an organization where women's contributions are recognized and celebrated. I don't take for granted the courage of generations of strong women and men whose actions have provided many of us the opportunities that might not otherwise have been possible. International Women's Day reminds us to pay it forward by taking every opportunity to encourage, inspire and support other women. I began my career as a nurse. My hope is that my accomplishments will enable the next generation of hospital leaders who today may be caring for patients at the bedside, to see themselves in my story and to aspire to the highest levels of personal and professional achievement. Carin Hagberg. Chief Academic Officer at e University of Texas MD Anderson Can- cer Center (Houston). At times, embracing change can be a challenge, but change is an opportunity for growth and further devel- opment. To effectively implement change, I think it's very important to connect with people, listen to their concerns and sugges- tions, be willing to embrace new ideas and concepts, as well as be open and transparent. Tracey Hoke, MD. Chief of Quality and Per- formance Improvement for the University of Virginia Health System (Charlottesville). When I was a little girl, my mom used to tell me that I could accomplish anything that I set my mind to. Now that I serve on a nearly all-female hospital leadership team, it is clear to me that other moms must have been delib- erately building strength, confidence and re- silience in their girls as well. is generation of women in leadership has extended the suc- cess of those who came before us, in no small part due to the efforts of those who believed in us from the beginning. anks, mom. Michelle Janney, PhD, RN. Executive Vice President and COO of Indiana Universi- ty Health (Indianapolis). Growing up, the message of "be good, do good" was instilled in me by my mother. For a kid, the idea of "be good" seemed black and white. Children are oen told by others what is and isn't right. Growing up and serving in leadership roles, I realized the concept of "be good" wasn't black and white at all. Leaders confront gray areas — complex situations where diverse perspec- tives and opinions about what's right or best or preferred collide. e gray area is where difficult decisions oen must be made. Being and doing good are about making decisions based on a set of values. I am inspired by the core values of integrity, positivity, service and connection. My mother's long-ago advice is still sound. Know what being good and do- ing good look like for yourself, then have the courage and discipline at the end of the day to stay true to it. Norma Kenyon, PhD. Deputy Director of the Diabetes Research Institute and the Martin Kleiman Professor of Surgery, Mi- crobiology and Immunology and Biomedi- cal Engineering at the University of Miami's Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine. rough my research in Type 1 diabetes, I've had the opportunity to meet T1D patients and their families, scientists from the private and public sector, businesspeople and many others. ese diverse interactions have had a significant impact on my research and on my approach to leadership roles within the orga- nization and more broadly at the university. It is also important to read back what you "heard" to those you work or interact with — I have learned that what one hears and what others meant and/or their interpretation of your own dialogue is oen different. Listen- ing carefully, "reading back" and demonstrat- ing that you are truly engaged is key to good relationships and good leadership. Allyson Kinzel. Senior Vice President of Regulatory Affairs at e University of Tex- as MD Anderson Cancer Center (Houston). I am honored to serve as MD Anderson's first female senior vice president for regulatory affairs. I am grateful to work at a place that values and promotes diversity and inclusion. We all benefit from these efforts. When I dis- cuss my leadership path with other women, I emphasize how important resilience has been in my life. Staying strong in the face of adver- sity and being humble enough to learn from setbacks are keys to success. Also, find con- fidence, gratitude and humor whenever you can — these three things will make the tough times easier to bear. Finally, always be willing to help those around you and to give back to your profession. e rewards of teaching and sharing are infinite. Alka Kohli, MD. Executive Vice President and Chief Population Health and Clinical Officer at Inspira Health Network (Vine- land, N.J.). As a female leader of color, I have had the good fortune of some excellent mentors — both male and female. As I asked them what I could do for them in return, I consistently heard the same thing: Pay it for- ward. As women in leadership, we have the ability to help cultivate a more diverse work- force and lessen the gaps at the top tiers. I also believe that opportunities come in different ways — oen ill-defined and sometimes com- plicated — but those are the ones that, while challenging, can bring about the best rewards. Learning to take on things that one has never done before and continuously learning from the experience is part of growth. Ronda Lehman, PharmD. Market Presi- dent of Mercy Health-Lima (Ohio). Bring- ing your "whole self " to the conversation is vitally important for your community, staff and fellow leaders to know that all are aligned as we work to improve community health. I believe strongly that women leaders can (and should) embrace our feminine side and our leadership side in these important roles. As healthcare leadership has been par- ticularly visible during the pandemic, I have also really enjoyed the opportunity to serve as a role model for young girls interested in leadership opportunities. S. Catherine "Katy" Longley. Executive Vice President and COO of e Jackson Laboratory (Bar Harbor, Maine). I feel very fortunate to have been a leader in the bio- medical field during this unprecedented past year. It gave me the unique opportunity to not only support people at work, but to help co-workers' families and children in many personal ways. As we celebrate International Women's Day in 2021, let's stop and applaud all of the women leaders around the world who demonstrated strength, compassion and empathy to others during the pandemic. Whether on the front line or doing research, we can guide, mentor and express gratitude to all of the women who advance our mission to improve human health. Vinitia Mathews. Senior Vice President and Chief Diversity and Patient Experience Officer at LifePoint Health (Brentwood, Tenn.). It is imperative to understand the great responsibility that comes with your role as a female leader. Your words and actions impact not only your own legacy but also the ability for other women to follow in the path you create. Never stop learning — expose yourself to different perspectives in people, books, podcasts and other resources. e macro view you develop from that knowl- edge will serve you well. Trust your instincts but also ensure you have a personal board of directors to be your trusted mirror and sounding board. Story continues on page 50

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