WittKieffer Impactful Leaders Podcast

Accelerating Physician Leader Impact: Paul Viviano

While the ROI of physician leadership development is hard to quantify, Paul Viviano, President and CEO of Children's Hospital Los Angeles, sees the benefits in many places – from better care to improved team culture to, importantly, happier physicians. "We demonstrate to all of our team members . . . that we care about them," Viviano says. "The organization wins, the physician wins, and healthcare writ large wins," he says.
In this Accelerating Physician Leader Impact podcast – part of WittKieffer's Impactful Leaders series – Viviano speaks with WittKieffer Senior Partner Michelle Johnson and Principal Mike Anderson, M.D., co-Executive Director of the Physician Leadership Institute. They talk about the headwinds facing healthcare today and how, at CHLA, physicians are more inspired to work together to provide excellent care and move the industry forward. They also discuss CHLA's leadership development programs which offer aspiring and current physician leaders the opportunity for 360-degree feedback, coaching, and customized growth plans. They conclude with Viviano's advice for other leaders who, like him, must decide how to make the most of 24 hours each day.

Blossom Where You Are Planted: Michelle Riley-Brown, MHA, FACHE

When Michelle Riley-Brown became President and CEO of Children's National in Washington, D.C., it was the culmination of many formative experiences over decades – in New Orleans growing up a doctor's daughter, in Texas for the bulk of her career in healthcare, and now in the DMV area since 2023. It was a pastor in Houston who gave her the advice, "Blossom where you are planted." In other words, focus on the job you have and the situation you're in presently, and good things will come.
Focusing on each role along her leadership journey has allowed Riley-Brown to thrive. As CEO of the only independent, freestanding children's hospital in Washington, D.C., Riley-Brown plays a critical role in giving voice to issues around children's health and pediatric care in the U.S. and globally. She regularly exercises that voice with lawmakers, to lobby for children who cannot speak for themselves. As she notes, children's healthcare in the U.S. is funded less than healthcare for adults, it's important to close that difference. "It's our job in pediatric healthcare to be that voice," she says.
In this Impactful Leaders Podcast with WittKieffer Senior Partner Rachel Polhemus, Riley-Brown shares her leadership journey (she's one of four out of five siblings who pursued healthcare careers), the tremendous impact of her physician father, and her leadership style of listening carefully to the input of others while using her own voice for greatest impact. Enjoy their conversation. 

Higher Education After the Tsunami: Paul LeBlanc, PhD (Part II)

"AI is like a tsunami washing over society," says Paul LeBlanc, PhD, higher education innovator, author, and cultural visionary. The world changed with the advent of ChatGPT, he believes, and AI is quickly becoming more powerful than humans in knowledge fields.  
The implications for higher education are dizzying, yet few institutions are ready, he says. In the second installment of their two-part conversation, Dr. LeBlanc speaks with WittKieffer Senior Advisor Elsa Núñez, EdD, about how institutions can prepare for an entirely different landscape. Many of the challenges are ontological and existential, he notes: What is the future of work as knowledge economy jobs diminish? What is the university's role in preparing students for this radically different future? What will it mean to have a "good life" in the coming decades?  
Drs. LeBlanc and Núñez wrestle with weighty questions, yet settle upon the fact that kindness, humanity and, indeed, "love" will remain central to higher education and institutional success in the future.  

An "Immigrant Kid" on Higher Ed Innovation: Paul LeBlanc, Ph.D. (Part I)

The child of a blue-collar Canadian family, Paul LeBlanc, PhD, has gained notoriety as one of the most successful innovators in U.S. higher education. What drew Dr. LeBlanc to academia was the human interaction between teacher and student and its transformative power. No matter how higher education evolves and innovates, he believes, that fundamental connection must remain.   
Disruptive innovation doesn't just happen by "throwing spaghetti at the wall," Dr. LeBlanc says, but requires forethought ("knowing what kind of innovation you are trying to do"), the right people, and the right incentives. Most institutions, he notes, say "We care about our students" and yet don't incentivize faculty and staff to truly care and prioritize the student experience.  
In this first installment of a two-part series with WittKieffer Senior Advisor Elsa Núñez, EdD, Dr. LeBlanc speaks about his career journey and how it led him to innovate and find new and better ways to reach students, most notably as president of Southern New Hampshire University, author of Broken, and co-founder of the company Matter and Space. Innovating and advocating for change hasn't always been easy, he shares: "You do more by getting kicked to the mat than you do by winning the fight." 

Comfortable in a Leader's Skin: Susan Huang, M.D.

Like many physician executives, Susan Huang, M.D., didn't begin her career with leadership in mind but gravitated in that direction when it became clear she could have a greater impact – impact "at scale". That realization has led her to her current role as Chief Physician Executive at Providence and Chief Executive of Providence Clinical Network.  
In our latest Impactful Leaders Podcast, Dr. Huang speaks with Consultant Vinny Gossain about her career journey and approach to leading others. Whether overseeing a handful of physicians or hundreds, Dr. Huang has learned to embrace a learning mindset, to exercise humility, and to trust the expertise of those around her in an increasingly complex healthcare environment. One might say that Dr. Huang, a dermatologist by training, is comfortable in her own skin as a physician leader.  
While the current environment is complex and unpredictable, Dr. Huang reminds those around her that healthcare has always been daunting and uncertain. The key, she says, is to adapt. "With change our responsibility is to think, 'How do we change?'" 
Dr. Huang's career advice for other physician leaders is twofold: "Just say yes" in looking for opportunities to grow as a leader; and "Find a way" in terms of seeking unique solutions for seemingly intractable challenges. Enjoy their conversation.  

Rewriting the Rules in Higher Education: Teresa Flannery, Ph.D.

At age 14, Teresa Flannery, PhD worked a short stint on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., teaching visitors to the city how to play American children's games, from Red Light Green Light to Red Rover. It was a memorable experience that foreshadowed her current leadership as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of the Council for Advancement and Support of Education. Terry has worked with CASE colleagues and leaders across higher education in an ongoing effort to review and revise the standards and metrics by which higher education institutions operate – the rules of the game – in areas such as philanthropy, alumni engagement and, currently, marketing and communications, and to disseminate them to more than 3,000 member institutions in more than 80 countries worldwide.
Higher education, she admits, faces immense challenges today in justifying its value to an increasingly skeptical public. In this conversation with WittKieffer's Melissa Fincher, Terry shares insights into industrywide efforts CASE is supporting to better communicate what makes higher education special and how it is a "strategic asset" for countries around the world. She maintains optimism and a broad perspective on the future—higher education has been around for more than 1,000 years and has adapted to challenges before; it will do so again, she believes.
Throughout her career Terry has learned to "lean more into curiosity and less into judgment" in approaching challenges and guiding her colleagues and team members. Wrapping up the conversation, she advises other leaders to exercise patience in their careers: "You can have everything," she says, "you just can't have it all at once."

Exchanging a White Coat for a Suit: Brian Erling, MD, MBA

In this Impactful Leaders Podcast conversation with WittKieffer Senior Partners Nelson Mann and Michelle Johnson, Dr. Erling looks back upon his leadership journey – back to his time as a nursing assistant in high school to his current role helping to turn Renown's fortunes around. Continuous learning has been a common thread for him, including pursuing an MBA degree. "There's almost a stigma that . . . clinical leaders are not business people, that we can't make the tough decisions," he says. The MBA "was tangible for me. It wasn't just letters after my name." 
As is true for many physician executives, Dr. Brian Erling's transition from "white coat to suit" was not easy but has been extremely rewarding. While no longer practicing, he leverages his clinical expertise every day as President and CEO of Nevada-based Renown Health. "You don't walk away completely from medicine when you become an administrator," he says. "You can wear both hats and you can do it effectively." 

Flipping Leadership on Its Head: Chad Lefteris

As President & CEO of UCI Health in Southern California, Chad Lefteris makes it a point to put himself in the shoes of others, a kind of golden rule that ensures he and his leadership team treat others the way they would want to be treated. It has allowed them to make bold changes with concern and consideration for how those changes impact the people involved.  
In this Impactful Leaders Podcast with WittKieffer Senior Partner Michelle Johnson, Lefteris shares insights on leadership gleaned from his career across various roles. They also discuss UCI Health's talent management and leadership development approach which aims to, among other things, help technical experts see themselves as having the potential to lead beyond their immediate space.  

A Mandate for ROI and Transformation: Jens Frederiksen, Ph.D.

Jens Frederiksen, Ph.D., President of the University of New Haven in Connecticut, is laser-focused on ensuring not just return on investment for students but a transformative experience that positions them for an uncertain, complex future. "Impact and transformation is what motivates me and gets me up in the morning," he tells Sandra Chu for WittKieffer's Impactful Leaders Podcast.  
Dr. Frederiksen's success derives from his past experience in the classroom as well as in key functional university roles, especially enrollment and fundraising, as well as work with the state of Tennessee in economic development. He grasps the complexity of the institution and how all of the pieces are integral and must work together. New Haven is what Dr. Frederiksen would consider a "high-stakes university" in which margins are tight, and nothing is taken for granted. What is necessary, therefore, is attention to ROI and providing "concrete deliverables" for students. It also requires engaging with donors and ensuring they feel their contributions have a direct impact. "You can't save your way out of trouble; you need to invest," he says.  

Leaning into Leadership Development: Jim Dover

Avera Health President and CEO Jim Dover got his start in medicine as a phlebotomist and EKG technician in Idaho, thinking he wanted to be a lab scientist until a friend suggested he think about leadership. That nudge led him to pursue an M.H.A. degree, to read up on leadership, and pursue an executive path. Along the way he made sure to lean into difficult situations -- "you end up learning more from those experiences than any others," he says, speaking with Senior Partner Michelle Johnson for WittKieffer's Impactful Leaders Podcast.  
Difficult situations for health system CEOs include discussions around succession planning and leadership development. It's easy for organizations to "kick the can down the road," he says, since these activities involve tough conversations with current leaders about their futures. It requires organizations to take time to assess the potential of executives, help them develop individualized plans for growth, and reassure them that discussions about their futures (including potential successors) won't impact their ability to do their jobs in the here and now.