Worcester Business Journal

wbjournal.com | May 1, 2023 | Worcester Business Journal 5 Celebrating the Legacy Of supporting women and children Presented By 7-Day Celebration & Online Auction Thursday, May 11 - Thursday May 18, 2023 In-Person Event Thursday, May 18, 2023 at The Hanover Theatre and Conservatory for the Performing Arts Visit abbyshouse.org/spring-tacular to learn more about the weeklong giving campaign, make your gift, RSVP to the in-person event, and learn more about the online auction! 10th Annual Spring-Tacular DR. LYNDA YOUNG CHAIR OF BOARD OF TRUSTEES FOR UMASS MEMORIAL HEALTH, IN WORCESTER PROFESSOR OF PEDIATRICS AT UMASS CHAN MEDICAL SCHOOL, IN WORCESTER STEPHEN KERRIGAN PRESIDENT & CEO EDWARD M. KENNEDY COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER, IN WORCESTER DR. ERIC DICKSON PRESIDENT & CEO UMASS MEMORIAL HEALTH, IN WORCESTER Residence: Princeton Colleges: Merrimack College in Andover, UMass Chan Medical School, Harvard University in Cambridge As the leader of more than 17,000 caregivers at the largest healthcare provider and largest employer in Central Massachusetts, Dickson has a wide-spreading domain. Still, the vast size of UMass Memorial Health has not make the system immune to the financial and staffing challenges impacting every aspect of health care. Despite this, the system launched its Hospital at Home program, one of the largest similar programs nationwide, which won an American Academy of Home Care Medicine awards for its efficacy. Under Dickson's leadership, the system more fully integrated UMass Memorial - Harrington Hospital in Southbridge, bringing additional healthcare resources and technology to the communities southwest of Worcester. UMass Memorial, which generated $3.5 billion in revenue for fiscal 2022, is the only safety-net hospital in the region, elevating its and Dickson's responsibility to vulnerable populations who might not otherwise have access to care. With a level one trauma center, a level three neonatal intensive care unit, stroke center, and liver center, the hospital provides services that can be the difference between life or death. Extending beyond his role at UMass, Dickson became chair of America's Essential Hospitals' board of trustees, a role allowing him to advocate nationally for patients and the community. n How should professionals best use the power they wield? "Leaders should use their positions to implement the ideas of their people, not their own ideas, but those of their front-line people who are closer to the work. They should be the Chief Barrier Removers to help teams break through obstacles that may prevent them from implementing ideas to improve their daily work." n Actual horseshoes: At age 55, Dickson enrolled in farrier school to train to care for horses' hooves, including shoeing them. H E A L T H C A R E P O W E R 5 0 Residence: Lancaster College: University of Maryland Kennedy Community Health Center is not essential only because it serves tens of thousands of patients each year, but rather because it makes those needed services available for those who would otherwise not be able to access care due to finances or lack of insurance. Under Kerrigan's leadership, Kennedy Community Health opened its 11th location in March, which added 30,000 square feet to the organizational footprint and additional services in behavioral, dental, and pharmaceutical care. In the expansion of the Milford-based center, Kerrigan led the organization to triple its capacity. Kerrigan and the $40-million community health center nonprofit have elevated health equity across the region by providing lacking quality care. The team hired its inaugural director of diversity, equity, and inclusion in 2022, signaling the furthered commitment to equal access to health care. A former government leader with extensive consulting experience to boot, Kerrigan has partnered Kennedy community health with elected officials across the region to bring in millions in grant funding. On April 25, Kerrigan was elected as chair of the Massachusetts Democratic Party. n How should professionals best use the power they wield? "Power is fueled by a leader's ability to galvanize, energize, and mobilize people to a common goal or ideal. It should be wielded sparingly with care, compassion, and grace with a focus on the mission at hand to better the organization and the people it serves." n Puzzled? Kerrigan is a crossword aficionado. Residence: Worcester College: State University of New York at Buffalo Young is a board-certified pediatrician and professor of pediatrics at the UMass Chan, previously serving as chief of the division of community pediatrics at UMass Memorial Medical Center's Children's Medical Center. In early 2023, Young was named chair of the board of trustees at UMass Memorial Health, making her the first female chair of the largest employer in Central Massachusetts. Young has seen the ins-and-outs of numerous operations. She previously chaired the UMass Memorial Medical Group's board for eight years, and beyond Central Mass., she served as president of the Massachusetts Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics and president of the Massachusetts Medical Society. In her positions at both UMass Memorial and UMass Chan, Young played a role in critical coronavirus pandemic responses, through ensuring care for patients in the hospitals, as well as developing resources to support the community and uplift vulnerable populations. As a physician, she knows first- hand the priority needing to be placed on reducing caregiver burnout and is pushing for the development of more programs to support providers. n How should professionals best use the power they wield? "The leaders in this region are not in these roles for themselves. They lead because they believe in the work that they do for the communities they serve and the organizations they represent. As long as they keep focused on their true north, they can leverage their authority for the greater good of the region." n All in the details: Young does (non-medical!) needlework in her leisure time and has hand-made embroidered Christmas ornaments for her children and grandchildren.

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