In honor of Black History Month, Becker's asked Black healthcare leaders to share their role models and why they look up to them.
Top Black healthcare leaders, including CEOs of health systems and the first African American woman to complete a prestigious Johns Hopkins fellowship in neurocritical care, answered our questions and shared their role models. From civil rights leaders to family heroes, role models from all walks of life inspire this set of leaders to excel in their positions.
Denise Brooks-Williams. Senior Vice President and CEO, North Market, for Henry Ford Health System (Detroit):
As a Black healthcare leader, I have many role models who have influenced me over the years. My earliest role model was my mother, who had a strong work ethic, a very altruistic giving spirit, and a strong sense of faith and community. While I was growing up, I was influenced by Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks for their courage and commitment to equality. I had the privilege to meet Rosa Parks and hear of her personal struggle and the perseverance she demonstrated to secure civil rights for Black Americans. Throughout my career, I have been honored to work with numerous healthcare leaders and trailblazers who show courage in the workplace and have a passion for closing the gap in racial disparities.
Chere Gregory, MD. Senior Vice President and Chief Health Equity Officer at Novant Health (Winston-Salem, N.C.):
Strengthened by my faith and motivated to make a difference for future generations, I have walked a path made by many amazing women, including my mother and grandmother who were pioneers in my family and medicine, respectively. They encouraged my academic and professional success. I have also been inspired by Dr. Alexa Irene Canady, the first African American woman neurosurgeon in the United States.
Eugene Woods. President and CEO of Atrium Health (Charlotte, N.C.):
One of my favorite quotes is by Muhammad Ali, who said, "Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth." Although I have a long list of leaders who inspire me and who I look toward for counsel, this quote, in particular, most informs what I aspire to be as a leader. The spirit of this quote also greatly aligns with our mission here at Atrium Health: to improve health, elevate hope and advance healing — FOR ALL. It motivates me, and our entire organization, to develop connections that extend care and compassion well beyond our facility walls and deep into the communities we serve — whether it be through initiatives to address homelessness, combat food insecurity or provide historically marginalized people with opportunities for economic mobility.
Ruth E. Williams-Brinkley. Regional President, Mid-Atlantic States at Kaiser Permanente (Oakland, Calif.):
I have several "favorite" role models, and I have taken something from each: Nerisee Kelly (my grandmother), Harriett Tubman, Martin Luther King Jr., John Lewis, Oprah Winfrey, Barack Obama. The things they all have in common are compassionate care and service to others, unflinching courage, resiliency, fairness and humility. There are many others, too numerous to name, who share these traits. I wish I had space to name them all. The extraordinary leaders I named above inspire me to do my best each and every day. I am in awe of their individual and collective accomplishments and courage in the face of tremendous odds. Each was expected to "fail," yet, they persevered and achieved great and small successes that made a tremendous impact on their families, their communities and our country.
Michael Ugwueke. President and CEO of Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare (Memphis, Tenn.):
In over three decades that I've spent in healthcare, I have had the privilege of working with many strong and impactful leaders, each with their own unique style and each inspiring me in a different way. Michael Covert, COO of Northeast Georgia Health System, was exceptional at developing strong, diverse management teams that were laser focused on delivering strategic and operational excellence. Later, former Methodist CEO Gary Shorb, a true servant leader, pushed me beyond my comfort zone into roles with increasing responsibility and impact. He paved the way for me to become the first Black president and CEO of Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare. Michael and Gary recognized my potential long before I did, and each played a role in shaping my leadership style focused on continuous improvement, high performance and results orientation, while keeping patients and associates at the center of decision-making.
Andrea Willis, MD. Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer at BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee (Chattanooga):
I have several role models. One is Rosalind Brewer, CEO of the Walgreens Boots Alliance. She confidently commands a world stage in healthcare. At her appointment, she was the only Black woman leading an S&P 500 company. She brings her experiences to innovate and transform healthcare. Even though I haven't met her yet (maybe 2022 will change that), I can still learn from her journey.
A role model I have met is Dr. James E.K. Hildreth, president of Meharry Medical College. He has tons of accomplishments as an HIV researcher, in his role on the Biden administration Health Equity Task Force and as an adviser to the FDA on COVID vaccines. While all of those things are impressive, what I love most is not when he's using big words but when you see his big heart. We serve on several boards together and have worked on a collaboration between our two organizations to improve COVID vaccine acceptance in minority communities. I like calling him a mentor but more importantly, I like calling him a friend.
I have other role models around me in my co-workers that champion health equity daily. And finally, I have wonderful role models in my parents, who are still living, and my grandparents (who have passed) — they experienced disparities up close and personally but used those experiences as opportunities to help boost me to where I am now. I am forever grateful.