Wayne Keathley on leaning into humanity
In this episode, Dr. Jochen Reiser, UTMB President and CEO of the UTMB Health System, introduces Wayne Keathley, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. In his role, Keathley is responsible for overseeing operations across UTMB campuses, including inpatient services, diagnostics, therapeutic areas, and the unique Correctional Managed Care program. His role also includes managing ancillary support services such as supply chain, pharmacy, and clinical laboratories.
Keathley is a dynamic health care leader, focused on aligning health system operations, advancing strategic goals, and fostering a responsive management culture. He reflects on his career at UTMB, particularly a meaningful experience early on when he visited UTMB’s Correctional Managed Care program. Keathley was moved by the staff's deep connection to their work. He observed how they "leaned into" their patients with compassion, going beyond mere professionalism to demonstrate a genuine connection to their roles. This emotional and personal investment, Keathley notes, is not only evident in caregivers like doctors and nurses but also in support staff, creating a unique culture that binds the UTMB community together.
Throughout his time at UTMB, Keathley has found this authenticity inspiring. He believes that this connection to the mission is what sets UTMB apart, helping the health system achieve its goals and serve the community more effectively. He highlights how UTMB’s staff, regardless of their role, feel a strong attachment to the institution's history and mission, which he describes as "something that binds us all" in an exceptional way.
- 100:00:00,840 --> 00:00:09,600Welcome to The Pulse, The UTMB health podcast, your gateway to the latest insights, ideas and innovations shaping our community and beyond.200:00:10,230 --> 00:00:16,530Stay tuned for engaging discussions, compelling stories, and the information you need to stay informed and connected.300:00:16,830 --> 00:00:24,280Right here, on The Pulse. Hello and welcome to The Pulse podcast.400:00:25,030 --> 00:00:30,910I'm Doctor Jochen Reiser, president of UTMB and CEO of the UTMB Health System.500:00:31,660 --> 00:00:35,440Today I'm honored to introduce to you Mr. Wayne Keathley,600:00:35,830 --> 00:00:43,420Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of the UTMB Health System. As EVP and COO,700:00:43,840 --> 00:00:54,130Wayne oversees health system operations across UTMB campuses, inpatient, diagnostic and therapeutic areas, as well as Correctional Managed Care.800:00:54,820 --> 00:01:05,020His portfolio of responsibility includes select ancillary support and core services including supply chain, pharmacy and clinical laboratories.900:01:05,620 --> 00:01:13,300He's an experienced and dynamic health care leader, and at UTMB, he's working to align and integrate health system operations,1000:01:13,780 --> 00:01:21,280advance strategic and operational goals and objectives, and create an accessible and responsive management culture.1100:01:21,700 --> 00:01:25,390Wayne, welcome to The Pulse. Yeah. Thank you doctor. It's a pleasure to be here.1200:01:26,530 --> 00:01:30,520So since ... on the pulse we're focused on having a conversation.1300:01:31,150 --> 00:01:36,340I wanted to ask you about something you've mentioned in the recent Health System leadership team meeting,1400:01:36,700 --> 00:01:39,790and also in a recent issue of Health System Heartbeat.1500:01:40,660 --> 00:01:44,770You brought up the idea of leaning into our humanity.1600:01:45,490 --> 00:01:50,500Could you talk more about what that means to you and why you think that applies here at UTMB?1700:01:50,890 --> 00:01:51,610Absolutely.1800:01:52,060 --> 00:02:00,740Very early in my career at UTMB, I had the chance to visit and speak with staff at Correctional Managed Care, and obviously that's a unique program.1900:02:00,760 --> 00:02:03,760UTMB... we're one of the few in the world that have such a thing.2000:02:04,390 --> 00:02:09,310And, when I met with staff, toured the facility and saw them interact with patients,2100:02:09,880 --> 00:02:16,030I remember thinking to myself, um, and this is not the kind of thing that typically inspires me, frankly.2200:02:16,030 --> 00:02:19,870But, I thought to myself, um, if this isn't God's work, I don't know what is.2300:02:20,260 --> 00:02:29,229And, what I witnessed and observed, um, consistently across the program were staff, sort of as... I felt like leaning into their patients,2400:02:29,230 --> 00:02:33,790leaning into what they were doing, having a connection to their work that was more than professional.2500:02:34,600 --> 00:02:39,550And, um, as I got to tour the rest of the UTMB health system and meet staff in other areas,2600:02:40,270 --> 00:02:48,520what I realized was there's an authenticity to the way people work at UTMB... that really connects them and connects us to our mission.2700:02:49,150 --> 00:02:54,729And, um, you know, you kind of expect that, in a sense, from caregivers, physicians and nurses and others.2800:02:54,730 --> 00:03:01,630But what really impresses me about UTMB, is you feel that sense of connection, even for people who are clearly in a support role.2900:03:02,260 --> 00:03:08,200So, they have this emotional connection to the organization, they have a personal connection to its history,3000:03:08,590 --> 00:03:13,270and there's this sense that there's something that binds us all that's really quite unique and exceptional.3100:03:13,630 --> 00:03:20,260And, I found that inspirational, frankly. And, um, at this point in my career, that really brings a passion to the work.3200:03:21,220 --> 00:03:24,910Very interesting. I have another question for you.3300:03:24,970 --> 00:03:27,340Our Health Systems is a dynamic place.3400:03:27,850 --> 00:03:36,010Could you expand a bit on what makes UTMB unique, and where you believe there might be opportunities for us to excel further into the future?3500:03:36,070 --> 00:03:43,030Sure. Well, one of the things you know, which you and I have even talked about is that UTMB never ceases to amaze and surprise us.3600:03:43,030 --> 00:03:46,810You turn a corner and you discover some unique thing that's here... that we didn't know about.3700:03:46,930 --> 00:03:51,520You know, so we talk about all these well kept secrets, and there's no doubt that that's true of UTMB.3800:03:52,240 --> 00:03:58,510We have the national lab, we've got correctional care, we've 've got basic science that would rival any place on the planet.3900:03:58,990 --> 00:04:03,219And, yet these are kind of unknowns to many of us. Right. So our education continues.4000:04:03,220 --> 00:04:05,320And, I now know about all the amazing things that are here.4100:04:05,960 --> 00:04:11,410Um, I've always been a bit of a science nerd and frankly, was drawn to academic medicine very early in my career.4200:04:11,500 --> 00:04:14,890I had the good fortune early on of working with physician-scientists.4300:04:15,280 --> 00:04:20,290And as one said to me one time, well, you're not a doctor, but if you're going to work with physicians and scientists,4400:04:20,290 --> 00:04:23,710you know, work someplace where we write the books that others read.4500:04:24,310 --> 00:04:28,510And, I found that particularly word of advice, um, very inspirational, frankly.4600:04:28,510 --> 00:04:33,940And I've always been drawn to an environment where there's learning and there's discovery... also with patient care.4700:04:34,600 --> 00:04:39,610And so again, what I think UTMB does, and I know this is really critical to your vision for us,4800:04:40,120 --> 00:04:44,770is it removes those silos and barriers between those that are discovering new science,4900:04:45,070 --> 00:04:48,640those that are teaching it, and those that are delivering care based on it.5000:04:49,060 --> 00:04:54,790And I just think that we're the right size. We've got that unbelievable mix of all that talent.5100:04:55,240 --> 00:05:01,240And, so by being part of the team that helps bring that to the focus, um, it feels like mission driven work.5200:05:02,320 --> 00:05:06,820Very well said Wayne. Uh, you you brought some really life to that question.5300:05:06,820 --> 00:05:07,630Thank you for that.5400:05:08,410 --> 00:05:15,970I'm also wondering if you could finally share with our viewers some lessons you have learned throughout your career that you often relay to others.5500:05:16,150 --> 00:05:24,280Sure. Well, a couple things. One, um, the first time that I, um, actually became a chief operating officer of a large academic medical center,5600:05:24,700 --> 00:05:31,120I was overwhelmed, frankly, by the size of the job, the size of the institution, the pure scale of activities.5700:05:31,660 --> 00:05:36,370And, so I'll never forget walking through the lobby of this amazing institution.5800:05:36,370 --> 00:05:43,5405,000,000ft² for the main campus. And frankly, again, overwhelmed by the magnitude of what I was supposed to be doing.5900:05:44,200 --> 00:05:47,799And, as I was walking to the lobby, I noticed that somebody had dropped a piece of paper.6000:05:47,800 --> 00:05:50,050So I picked out, bent down and picked it up.6100:05:50,140 --> 00:05:56,150And, uh, one of the faculty physicians noticed and came over to me and said, you know, that's, uh, that's the right first move.6200:05:56,170 --> 00:06:00,909He said, if you make things small, if you don't let problems overwhelm you by scale,6300:06:00,910 --> 00:06:04,450but you bring them down to the basics and you saw them as small problems.6400:06:04,930 --> 00:06:07,660They accumulate... And before you know it, you have a big solution.6500:06:08,230 --> 00:06:14,590And so I guess my advice would be to others starting out in their career is don't be overwhelmed by the size.6600:06:14,620 --> 00:06:20,860All problems begin with a single step and understanding it. Thank you viewers who have taken the time to join us.6700:06:21,970 --> 00:06:23,290Thank you for tuning in to The Pulse.6800:06:23,770 --> 00:06:29,020We hope you've gained valuable insights, discover new perspectives, and feel inspired by the stories shared today.6900:06:30,310 --> 00:06:35,110Please join us for future episodes to stay informed and connected right here on The Pulse.
More Information
Wayne Keathley, MPH, serves as the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of the UTMB Health System. In that role, he oversees select operations across UTMB’s campuses and inpatient diagnostic and therapeutic areas as well as Correctional Managed Care. He has worked closely with finance to support alignment of strategic, operational and financial performance.
Wayne is an internationally recognized leader with over 40 years of experience in clinical and financial management of complex health care organizations, clinical program development and academic medicine.
Prior to UTMB, he was Executive Vice President and COO of Rush University System for Health and Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, where he was responsible for the operating and financial performance of the enterprise, and he worked closely with clinical leaders to develop and execute strategy, recruit clinical leadership and expand the organization’s regional network.
Previously, he was Executive Vice President of Baylor College of Medicine Health System, President and CEO of Baylor St. Luke’s Hospital, President and COO of The Mount Sinai Health System in New York City and served in a variety of leadership positions at St. Peter’s Healthcare Services, Lenox Hill Hospital and The Brooklyn Hospital. He also spent one year as strategic advisor to the CEO of The Cleveland Clinic in Abu Dhabi and previously served on the board of several charity health care entities in Africa.