Charles Drew University of Medicine and Science

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Speeches and Messages

DR. SUSAN KELLY

First Presidential Address
Charles Drew University of Medicine and Science
Faculty and Staff
May 3, 2006

Thank you for coming today. It is truly an honor for me to have been chosen to lead this unique university and to have the opportunity to speak with you on this my third day as President of Drew.

When asked why I accepted this position and not others – particularly the other offer that I had on the table in the same week – it was clearly the mission: to address health disparities and serve the underserved.

In a very real sense, I have been preparing for this job all my life. While my first teaching experience was in Papua New Guinea, my first paid job was as a Youth Field Officer with the Australian Red Cross Society which included the Blood Bank. I was then a migrant and remedial English teacher in disadvantaged schools in Melbourne. In my life, I have been an activist with Amnesty International, Community Aid Abroad, the organization that became the Tasmanian Aboriginal Center, a charter member of the Fred Hollows Foundation that has now restored the sight of a million of the world’s poorest people, an active supporter and donor to the Victorian Aboriginal Health Service and Médecins Sans Frontiers, among other organizations. So, you can see why the mission of Drew appealed to me. Its integration of early childhood education, Saturday Science, magnet schools, its powerful applied research record, and commitment to preparing doctors and other health professionals to build healthy communities was irresistible. There is easier work to do but not more important work. And to do it with people of your caliber and commitment is an overwhelming privilege. So, I thank you for the contribution you have already made the Charles R. Drew University. As I have said in other forums, if this university did not already exist, it would need to be invented. The need has never been greater.

This morning, I plan to tell you a bit about my background, my values, the way I work and what you can expect from me, my view of our future and my broad goals for the next five to seven years.

But I want to start by thanking the visionaries and activists who created Drew. There were many but they include community leaders like Mary Henry, Mrs. Mobley; physicians like Dr Henry Williams, and legislators like Lieutenant Governor – now Assemblyman – Dymally. They agitated, strategized, gave time, raised money, never gave up and never gave in. My kind of people!

My thanks go to the previous Boards, Presidents and Interims who have brought Drew to 2006, most recently Dr Tom Yoshikawa who oversaw the successful ACGME reaccreditation on that very Good Friday just a few weeks ago – that was so critical to Drew’s future. This achievement (so ably led by Dr Nancy Hanna) and a range of decisions made by the recent leadership team have set the university up well to move into its next important and necessary development phase.

Clearly, I also thank the current Board, led by its Chairman, Bart Williams, for the confidence they showed in me by unanimously choosing me to lead Drew at this time.

As the Drew community, we face new challenges and some of the old familiar ones as well.

We need to raise funds for research, buildings and other infrastructure, recruitment and retention of top faculty, chairs and staff, for scholarships and programs, for international initiatives, the library and other educational resources.

We face competition from other institutions who want new or expanded medical schools – namely UC Riverside and UC Merced.

We face the challenge of improving community relations with our existing and especially our newer communities.

We need to develop a sustained, positive media image that tells the story of the real difference that Drew makes in people’s lives.

We need to develop a new and better relationship with one of our key funders: LA County Department of Health Services and a deep and co-operative relationship with our most important ally, King Drew Medical Center. We are on our way in both relationships. I had a breakfast meeting this morning with Dr Bruce Chernof of LADHS and we’ve agreed to meet weekly, and Ms Antionette Epps of KDMC and I are going dining and drinking tonight! (Oh, shouldn’t I have told them that, Antionette?)

Drew is poised now to look outwards as well as inwards – to grow, develop and shine on the local, national and international stages. But it will take a lot more than a new leader to make that dream a reality. It will require a team effort.

In a minute I will tell you about my vision, values and goal – and what I bring to this role – but before I do, I must acknowledge that I am well aware that there has been a ‘lively debate’ about the Board’s decision to hire a person with a different pedigree from that of all previous Drew Presidents and leaders. I know that some of you expressed shock, disappointment and concern for the future of Drew. Others have taken quite the opposite view. But, let me say that I am neither the Messiah nor Conan the Barbarian.

The skills and interests required to lead a small but complex, unique and frankly, troubled institution, to fulfill its potential are many. They include: vision, business and strategic planning, financial skills, communication and negotiation skills, persuasiveness, media savvy, relationship building and fundraising competencies, marketing, people development knowledge and capacities, experience at building a team, fear reduction skills, high energy, creativity, tenacity, resilience and of course – the hide of a rhinoceros. Nobody has all these attributes. But, it’s worth noting that 75% of the 100 US universities that have within them the top medical schools are not headed by physicians. For example; until recently the President of the University of Chicago was a musicologist; the President of Cornell is a classicist; the Presidents of NYU and Columbia and the Medical College of Wisconsin are lawyers; Harvard’s is an economist and number 41 on the list, the University of Cincinnati’s is a teacher educator.

I have said this before in other forums. If it’s any consolation, this is the fourth time in my life that I have been the “What-on-earth-were-they-thinking-candidate!” And if it’s further comfort to you, with the aid of strong teams of dedicated and skilled people, I have never failed to leave a place much better than I found it. We can do the same here! We must.

To succeed, Drew needs everyone here to row with me in the same direction. I anticipate that over time, most of you will see what each member of the Board saw when they made the decision to offer me the position. As I said at my first Drew community event, on March 27th, I ask that you judge me by both the What (the results) and the How (the methods and style) of my performance.

What we have to do won’t be easy. It won’t be quick. And it can’t be done by me alone.

I have heard that behind every successful man, there is a surprised woman. But that’s hardly fair is it guys? More seriously, behind every successful leader – woman or man – there is a team of successful, recognized, rewarded, trained, competent and committed people working at every level. My invitation to you today is to be on that team. Get into this boat because it’s setting off.

So what do I bring as the new President of Charles Drew University?
Apart from success in a number of previous turnarounds of mission-driven institutions, I bring a set of skills and to me, more importantly, a set of values and behaviors.

First among them, is integrity. This story will give you an insight into who I am. As a mother, I have asked only three things of my twin daughters who are now nearly 19, and my two stepdaughters in their thirties – that they be honest and kind and that they bounce back from disappointments. To me, from honesty and kindness, all worthwhile human behaviors flow. From honesty comes hard work, commitment to developing your talents, reliability, courage, accountability, decisiveness, integrity… And from kindness comes generosity, caring, patience, charity, forgiveness of self and others….

So it follows that I value honesty and kindness in my friends and work colleagues as well.

What else do I value, encourage, respect and reward at work?

People matter to me – the whole person.
I accept honest mistakes, especially those made in the pursuit of a new, creative and better way to do something of value. I agree with my favorite American President, Abraham Lincoln, when he said: “People who don’t make mistakes, don’t make much of anything!”
Mature, grown-up behavior is important to me. I don’t appreciate – in fact, I don’t tolerate – unprofessional and emotional outbursts on the phone, email, or face to face from anyone in the organization. We don’t pay people to like each other. We pay people to do a good job, work together and make their contribution to a productive, civil, respectful workplace culture and climate.
I value directness. I am more direct than most, I know that. It’s common among Australians and I’m even at the third standard deviation over there. I practice an open door policy. If I can’t see you there and then, I will do my best to commit to a time not too far out.
I celebrate diversity. Tolerance is not enough. Drew is a fabulous example of a multicultural organization serving diverse communities and we must treasure and extend that. When I say diversity, I include much more than diversity of gender, color, race and ethnicity. I include the diversity of opinion, ideas, personality and problem solving style. It is my experience and sincere belief that people together make better decisions and that people of different cultures and experiences make even better decisions. So a combination of enlightened self-interest and a commitment to social justice tells me that multiculturalism is the only way forward.
I work to establish a culture of creativity, of ideas, pilot studies, business plans, and as I said some mistakes and false starts are OK, as long as we are prepared to review, admit responsibility and try again, There is no single and right way.
I foster a culture of accountability that includes skill-building, role clarity, performance planning, delegated authority, results orientation and, as I mentioned before, equal emphasis on the What and the How of performance
My background is in education, training and professional development so I have an unusually strong commitment to training, coaching and mentoring. I believe we should practice what we preach. As a learning institution, we teach others but we also explore ideas and continue our own learning.
You’ll find me relentless on promoting a service culture – serving the internal and the external customers and clients, going the extra mile, and that includes everything from phone greetings and voicemail systems, the website, turnaround times, signs on doors…
And I’m an advocate of Continuous Improvement – processes, systems, programs, curriculum, services…the lot.

You will find this about me - what you see is what you get, and I’m an unrepentant optimist. I’ve been described as tough and demanding but I’m also known as fair and focused. I welcome people’s ideas and suggestions for improvements, new programs and services. No-one ever got into my bad books for saying “I wouldn’t do it like that. Have you considered doing this…?” And, I do change my mind when faced with new facts, insights and a better solution. I hope that you will all do the same.

So, as I am fond of saying: “When a new leader starts, you get a chance to reinvent yourself. Don’t waste it. I don’t plan to.”

As far as I’m concerned, you all started on Monday with me.

Before I finish, I will outline the broad goals for the next 5-7 years, as I see them from this early point in my tenure. They are to:

Unite and consolidate Charles Drew University so that it can grow in size, scope, reputation and influence, serving more people;
Improve community relations and media image;
Secure all accreditations;
Raise external funds from corporations, foundations, grants and contracts, government, educational partners and individuals – first for the Life Sciences Research and Education Building. But much of this fundraising must come AFTER image and accreditations are positive and sustained. People don’t give to distressed institutions. They just don’t.
Build on our already stellar research productivity, profile and impact;
Move towards our becoming a successful four year school,
Fulfill the potential of the first forty years;
Make the 50th a truly memorable birthday
Set us up for a great 75th
And long before the Centenary, make Charles Drew University of Medicine and Science a household name identified with its unique mission in much the same way that the Smithsonian, Johns Hopkins University, Habitat for Humanity, and Doctors Without Borders are.

I say again what an honor, thrill, and to some extent daunting challenge, it is to take on the mantle of leadership of this amazing university at this time.

So many good people who are creative, optimistic, skilled, hard working, and dedicated way beyond their pay and rank have made me very welcome. Thank you to all those who have worked to make my first transition days so pleasant and smooth.

To you, my colleagues who work as I now do for Drew, I invite you again to get into the boat. Pick up the oars and row with all of those of us who want to see Charles Drew University become the gold standard for addressing health disparities through the preparation of physicians and other health professionals, by research that really makes a difference, by the delivery of excellent clinical services by compassionate and skilled practitioners, and by community capacity building ventures here and overseas. Your colleagues, the whole community that Drew now serves – and could serve – and I, will thank you.

Now, it’s over to you for questions, comments or just a translation into English!

Susan