Jennifer Nickoles has served Johns Hopkins Medicine for 27 years. In her latest role for the Baltimore-based system, she will make history as the first female president of the 250-year-old Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center.
In a Q&A with Becker's, Ms. Nickoles discussed her lengthy tenure at one health system during a period of high executive shuffle — and what it feels like to be "first."
Editor's Note: Some responses have been edited for length.
Question: Ms. Nickoles, you first came to Johns Hopkins in 1996. Executive turnover tends to be high in the healthcare industry. What has kept you engaged with the organization for more than two decades?
Jennifer Nickoles: If you're going to dedicate your time, talents and energy to an organization, you need to be inspired by the mission and connected in meaningful ways to the people. Like most of us who work at Johns Hopkins, the mission and the people are why I stay. We have the unique ability to impact so many by helping and healing them, pioneering medical and scientific innovations, teaching generations of doctors and scientists, and sharing knowledge with the world. I get to work with smart, talented colleagues whose energy and passion inspires me, even on the challenging days. Early in my career, I was lucky to have a group of mentors who invested in me and helped me to grow into the best leader I could be. Now, I am in a position where I can help grow the next generation of healthcare leaders and educators, who each bring their own set of experiences and perspectives to face the challenges of today.
The pandemic impacted each of us in unique ways. For me, it galvanized my interest in healthcare. Early in the pandemic, I had the opportunity — and great challenge — to stand up a 250-bed field hospital for COVID-positive patients at the Baltimore Convention Center in just four weeks. I served as the field hospital's chief operating officer, working with state, local and healthcare officials to provide the best care possible to our COVID patients. Our mission evolved multiple times from inpatient care to COVID testing, to a state-wide vaccination site, to a supply chain hub and even a monoclonal antibody infusion center. From this impossible challenge came great pride — and a new way for our institutions and government agencies to work together.
During the pandemic, I saw us come together in new, different and accelerated ways to create the change that was needed. I've come out energized about the possibilities of how we can leverage that work for the future of healthcare, and our ongoing commitment to improving the well-being of our communities. It takes all of us working together, amplifying our unique talents and creating opportunities for others to step in, join and lead with us.
Q: When you became interim president of Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center in July 2022, did you anticipate being named to the permanent position in May 2023? How did your time as interim prepare you for a longer tenure at the hospital?
JN: During my time at Johns Hopkins, I have had the opportunity to serve in several different interim positions. In each one, my role can be a bit different: Sometimes, I serve as a stabilizer to help bridge the organization into its next chapter. Other times, the mission has been to come in for a short time to help the organization navigate change. When I was named the interim president of Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, it was with the hope that I would be the right candidate for the permanent position.
Serving as interim president allowed me to connect with the organization, better understand its culture, build on existing relationships and establish new ones. The campus is a hybrid; supporting the needs of our community and the tripartite mission of Johns Hopkins Medicine. We benefit equally from the collective strength that comes from being part of a health system and from the sense of community and shared experience that is unique to Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center. Learning and listening as an incoming leader allowed me to synthesize and reflect back my vision for the future of Johns Hopkins Bayview, which is really our vision.
Q: What goals have you set for your first year as president of Johns Hopkins Bayview? What does successful leadership look like to you?
JN: As an anchor hospital in the Southeast Baltimore community for nearly 250 years, Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center must continue to evolve to meet the challenges of today's healthcare environment.
Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center's ability to stabilize and thrive relies on our efficient delivery of the highest quality and most innovative care in a personalized and culturally appropriate manner. We must leverage the strengths and talents of our workforce and partners who share in our mission to improve health for us all. That means that we must continue to improve on the ways we create an enriching environment that attracts and retains the brightest minds and most dedicated faculty and staff. We do this by investing in our employees' well-being and providing paths for them to learn and grow at Hopkins.
Successful leadership means supporting and amplifying the campus culture; a palpable dynamism where tradition and innovation intersect. Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center was established in 1773 as an almshouse for the impoverished. We continue our commitment to improving health through innovation, compassionate care, education and research. Yet, we are met with the reality of an aging infrastructure. As we celebrate our 250th anniversary, we are also beginning the important work of developing a plan to modernize our facility.
Q: You're the first woman to lead the hospital in its 250-year history. That has generated some buzz. What does being first mean to you?
JN: While I am incredibly humbled by this opportunity, I honestly do not feel like the first. That is because I come from a long line of changemakers and trailblazers at Johns Hopkins. This legacy is built on our school of medicine's precedent, set in 1893, that women should be admitted on an equal basis with men. That spirit of equality has given me the benefit of learning from some profound examples of strong women leadership. It is an honor to leave my own footprint as the first woman president at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center.
Of course, my personal journey was not without sacrifice, nor without an incredible amount of support from my family, colleagues and friends. We don't do these things alone. Earlier in my career, many of the women leaders who I knew did not have families. I did not know if it was possible to have four children and achieve this level of leadership. When my four boys were young, there were moments when I purposely decided to hold back in the advancement of my career. I am thankful to have had managers who supported me in those decisions. Now that those boys have grown into four young men, I can see that investment was well worth it. My own life experiences have taught me that when you as a leader understand the needs of your individual employees — when you honor the dimensions of who they are outside of work — the return on investment is profound. Employees are incredibly engaged and loyal when you recognize what matters most to them in the different phases of their lives. That is the kind of leader I aspire to be.