Leadership, Community And Values Initiative
VISION & VALUES
Gaining Credibility, Building Relationships, and Forecasting and Planning Future Needs
Johnese Spisso, Clinical Operations Officer for UW Medicine and Vice President for Medical Affairs for the University of Washington, talks about how her experiences, coupled with the University's values, helps guide her career.
I have spent the past 25 years in health care. I am currently the Vice President for Medical Affairs and Clinical Operations Officer for the UW Medical Centers and UW Physicians Network. My past experiences, evolving through every level of management, have given me first-hand knowledge and insights into what it takes to empower and motivate staff and to effectively deliver the mission. Our mission is to improve the health of the public by advancing medical knowledge, providing outstanding primary and specialty care and preparing tomorrow’s physicians, scientists and health professionals. Knowing the actual business of the hospital – patient care – has been tremendously important in gaining credibility, building relationships, and forecasting and planning for future needs and vision.
Among the challenges I face is to provide greater clinical and operational coordination among the clinical components of the UW Medicine system - the medical centers, clinics, and clinically-active faculty – while providing executive leadership that supports the vision, mission, and values of UW Medicine. The University’s core values of excellence, collaboration, innovation, integrity, diversity, and respect underlie all that we do.
