We’re all human. Wayne Keathley gets that.
And the newly named executive vice president and chief operating officer of the UTMB Health System understands that with humanity come flaws and frailties. But he also gets that there’s beauty in those frailties and that flaws are best thought of as opportunities for growth.
Humanity and its flaws and failures and frailties resonate with Keathley—something that works well for a health system administrator, one would think.
Look at his hero— Muhammad Ali. More than just a fan of the boxing great’s prowess in the ring, Keathley admires what the fighter stood for. He’s met Ali and his family and attended a New York City fundraiser for Parkinson’s research with him.
To Keathley, Ali is a hands-on hero who “embraced his human frailties and imperfections but set lofty goals for himself and others.”
“I met him a couple of times years ago—after he retired, of course, but before he became so fully incapacitated by Parkinson’s. He projected more grace, strength and presence than anyone I have met before or since—and I’ve met three U.S. presidents,” Keathley said. “Ali made an incredible personal sacrifice—financial, reputational, etc.— to stand up for his beliefs.
“He wasn’t perfect—he was flawed like any man—but his strength of character overcame those flaws to inspire others, build a legacy and change the lives of many,” he said. “An amazing athlete, incredibly articulate, witty, clever, funny, courageous in the ring—look who he boxed—and out of it; he went to prison to protest the war. It’s often said but rarely this true that he was a one-of-a-kind human being.”
Keathley has a dry humor that can catch you off guard, given that he seems fairly reserved at first. But get him talking about the things that move him, and all bets are off.
He was ebullient in a recent Health System Executive Leadership meeting, talking about a visit that he made to Hospital Galveston, where TDCJ inmates are treated.
Both he and UTMB President and Health System CEO Dr. Jochen Reiser were deeply impressed.
“Honestly, I’m blown away by the service and commitment of our physicians and nurses to our incarcerated care programs,” Keathley said, describing the Hospital Galveston staff as “leaning into humanity”—another sensibility that would seem to serve a health system administrator well.
Lessons that resonate personally and professionally
Collaboration, cooperation and community also play into Keathley’s personal ethos. He describes a pivotal point in his career that helped form some of his guiding beliefs. It came during his tenure as the first non-physician, non-Jewish president of the oldest Jewish hospital and academic medical center in the United States.
“It was an incredible honor but also an all-hands financial and operational turnaround. I had the honor of building and leading a team that— at that time—engineered and executed the largest financial turnaround of an academic medical center,” he said.
“It was a deeply intense and personal experience that taught me legions about the complexities of academic medicine but also reinforced the importance of ‘team’ and ‘community,’” he added. “Academic medical centers are small communities, and they must be nurtured and protected. Physicians, nurses and other clinicians are drawn to health as a calling to help patients and their families. For me, this early career experience brought to life that same sense of purpose as a non-clinician.”
Keathley’s vision for his role at UTMB echoes lessons learned throughout this career. He said he wants to contribute to structures, processes and culture that break down barriers between education, research and clinical care and move thinking from the old “silo” model to a more holistic “village” model.
“I hope to contribute by example and in leadership to an environment that fosters collaboration, innovation and entrepreneurship,” Keathley said. “I want everyone to understand and to value the unique role they serve in advancing our mission.
“Our success takes a village, and my goal is for everyone to understand, embrace and celebrate their contribution,” he said.
Another “lesson learned” came during Keathley’s time as chief operating officer of a health system that experienced a small paper fire (ironically, he said, caused by careless fire safety contractors).
That “small” fire developed into a “smoke condition” that required the evacuation of over 600 patients and hundreds of staff in the middle of the night.
“I know UTMB has confronted its share of environmental and weather challenges and threats, and we are battle hardened,” Keathley said. “My experience was a poignant reminder of the value of training, drills and discipline. I am also forever sensitive to the speed at which a ‘small’ event can escalate to something life threatening.”
Keathley has a cadre of Winston Churchill quotes that he holds close and describes as “classic, instructive and inspirational.”
Among them:
- “Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm.”
- “Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.”
- “Attitude is the little thing that makes a big difference.”
- “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.”
Whereas a person’s favorite quotes can be telling, it’s been said (on Facebook, anyway) that if you want to really know someone, ask them their favorite song.
Prompted to share what song would be his “walk-in” song if he were a professional wrestler, Keathley said “Like a Rock” by Bob Seger.
The song has a certain pathos to it, but Keathley reframes it into something positive that, again, touches on the fascinating dichotomy that is human nature: fragile yet resilient at the same time.
“The lyrics remind us that we can’t be young and strong forever, but the things that inspire and guide us can keep us ‘like a rock’ forever,” he said. “Some things fade, but with care the important things remain.”