BIPOC Perioperative Leaders to Know 2021

Whitman Partners’ BIPOC Perioperative Leaders to Know 2021 edition highlights leaders from diverse cultural backgrounds who bring their unique skills, experience, and thought leadership to the field of perioperative services. By giving voice to distinct and important viewpoints, our industry will continue to grow and excel in the areas of surgical services management, high-quality patient care, and organizational improvement.

Tashma Watson is the Assistant Vice President of Surgical Services at the State University of New York Downstate Medical Center.

7:04 – the importance of having a good mentor in order to advance your career

8:51 – don’t set a ceiling for yourself

10:35 – the importance of health education to the public about vaccine hesitancy

Keeli Stith is the Associate Director of Perioperative Services at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.

5:30 – Keeli has an advantage to recruiting a diverse workforce through their partnership with a nursing school

6:05 – Keeli has all new hires complete implicit bias training

11:35 – Keeli’s advice for the up and coming BIPOC leader: Find a mentor, regardless of ethnicity.

Loren Bernard is the interim SPD Director at Long Beach Memorial Medical Center.

1:48 – Hear how Loren’s military background prepared him for working in the hospital.

6:42 – Hear how Loren gracefully responded after experiencing discrimination in the operating room.

Ebenezer Nkong is the Chief Nurse of Perioperative services at Washington DC VA Medical Center.

3:41 – Ebenezer discusses the importance of having a diverse workforce in the OR

4:38 – Ebenezer shares how recruitment firms can help organizations see the need for diverse candidates in the recruitment process

6:24 – Ebenezer touches on the importance of the C-Suite seeing the need for diversity

Jarred Kershaw is the SPD Manager at Saint Anne Hospital.

5:09 – Jarred describes a unique certification from IAHCSMM and even leaks the title of his dissertation

7:33 – Jarred describes the importance of another certification called “CHL” : Certified Health Leader

9:35 – The Importance of telling the “Why” not just the “What”

DeAndre Delsol is an interim sterile processing leader who also works as a consultant in OR education and management.

8:52 – Why DeAndre looks at the hospital hiring practices prior to applying at the facility.

11:39 – Bring yourself and your talent to the table instead of trying to fit the mold.

14:12 – The importance of being transparent with people and having an informed understanding of how healthcare has been perceived by the black community in the past.

Cherie Allen is a BSN registered nurse and currently works as a consultant and interim director of surgical services.

3:52 – Cherie has a unique approach to improving First Case OnTime Starts.

7:09 – A fascinating story about working in Minnesota as Director of Surgical Services during the George Floyd protest.

19:45 – Cherie has advice for reaching out to the BIPOC community particularly to address vaccine hesitancy: the Church.

Kevin Youmans is the former Vice President of perioperative services at Inova Fairfax Medical Campus. Kevin makes many great points during his discussion with Carisa Brewster. We have outlined some of the main takeaways below.

4:08 – Organizations need to think about how to retain diverse candidates.

6:20 – The right kind of networking that needs to occur to have a diverse pool of candidates to choose from.

7:01 – More awareness of the industry at school job fairs to show students the opportunities available to them in perioperative services.