July 22, 2025 • 10 mins
In this episode, Keisha Mullings Smith, Vice President and Chief Consumer Experience Officer at UChicago Medicine, shares how her team is aligning workforce well-being and patient experience through integrated strategies, innovation, and culture-building. She also highlights upcoming initiatives focused on retention, smart care delivery, and expanding access across the community.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Hello, and welcome to the Becker's Healthcare podcast.
My name is Chanel Banger. Today, I'm thrilled
to speak with Keisha Molling Smith, the vice
president and chief consumer experience officer at UChicago
Medicine.
She joins the podcast today to share insights
on her background, health care changes, keeping an
eye on, and a bit more. Keisha, thank
you so much for joining me. Could you
get us started out by introducing yourself and
sharing a little bit about your background and
(00:21):
organization?
Sure. Thanks so much for having me. Keisha
Willing Smith, vice president and chief consumer experience
officer at Chicago Medicine.
I, come to the organization
after a number of years in academic medicine
primarily
with an incredible passion for improving the patient
experience,
the experience from our caregivers and families.
(00:43):
And now,
under my organization umbrella
is something incredibly exciting that I've wanted to
do,
for a number of years is integrating the
workforce
experience into all that we do,
and ultimately
transforming
the way our employees, our clinicians, our trainees,
(01:04):
deliver care, experience care, caring for them as
whole people
and individuals serving our communities. So incredibly thrilled
to share
a number of great things we're working on
at the University of Chicago Medicine to achieve
just that,
the ultimate experience
and care for our patients and families in
in the South Side Of Chicago.
(01:27):
By way of background,
I am someone who has spent,
time in operations,
performance improvement,
systems management,
and improving the patient
experience in academic community
and urban areas,
areas where we deliver complex care
(01:47):
and serving the communities,
with high,
needs and vulnerability,
allowing us to achieve
best outcomes for those in underserved communities
and those who seek care, at our facility
from across the world.
So really happy to talk about the ways
in which we are transforming
(02:08):
care
using a number of tools,
innovations, and resources that we draw from our
community and our, resources
within our own doors or through the ideas
and,
ideation
from our workforce.
Perfect. Thank you so much for that introduction.
I'm looking forward to digging a little bit
deeper into what you're doing at UChicago today.
(02:31):
Well, to get us started into the meat
of the podcast a bit, can you talk
about what trends in health care you're currently
watching in your role today?
Yeah. We're watching trends around,
our workforce,
development
trends, specifically
around retention,
ensuring that we can grow our talent pipeline,
(02:53):
from within the organization.
So development of our own existing workforce, but
attracting the best of the best to the
University of Chicago.
Also watching trends around
innovation
and technology improvements
to allow our clinicians to do their best
work to reduce burden, particularly around load management
for those who are,
(03:14):
directly interfacing with our patients and families,
and also looking at ways in which we
can expand to meet the needs of our
community
and beyond.
So looking to grow our footprint
outside
of Hyde Park and our local campus and,
bring the best innovations
in care.
(03:35):
We are growing our cancer footprint by standing
up a brand new cancer pavilion, which opens
in,
2027
and and ensuring that that is a smart
hospital
meeting the needs of our patients and families.
Got it. So a lot of exciting things
happening at UChicago right now. And kind of
in that same vein and looking to the
(03:56):
future a bit, can you talk about what
you're most focused on and excited about going
into the second half of twenty twenty five?
Sure. We're incredibly focused
on combining
the,
the voice of our workforce
and how we manage and optimize the patient
experience at University of Chicago.
(04:16):
So for years past, we've looked at, the
experience of the workforce and that of our
patients and families in different tracks.
At University of Chicago, we've combined both. And
so drawing on the ideas
and the experience from those who care for
our patients,
and ensuring that we're building a culture and
(04:37):
we're strengthening the foundation
of our workforce to meet their needs so
they can,
deliver their very best. And that means from
taking a look at those things that may
be burdensome to our employees,
redesigning
benefits for today's generation,
and the the needs that they have outside
of our organization.
(04:58):
Many of our employees are caring for their
own children, but also parents. And so ensuring
that what we offer,
allows them to live their best life outside
of our organization
and come into the organization feeling as though
they they can give their all to those
who, seek care at University of Chicago.
(05:18):
We are focused on more integration
at the University of Chicago,
pulling
in more of the voice from our,
our different entities across the campus,
from our biological services,
division,
and then also our Prince George School of
Medicine, ensuring that those voices are represented
(05:39):
and the work that we do and how
we build our talent
and retain our talent, going into the future.
So bringing all of those streams together to
designing the culture,
and the experience that meets all the needs,
for those that deliver care and those who
seek care at the University of Chicago
makes us a a a health system leading
(06:00):
at the forefront.
Got it. Got it. Love it. And now
that we've looked into the future a bit,
looking back at the last six to eighteen
months, can you talk about an initiative or
a project that you're most proud of?
Initiative or a a project that we're most
proud of is something that's also brand new
to the organization is designing care,
sites that allow us to ensure that we
(06:23):
are keeping the workforce well.
So eliminating barriers for our employees and our
clinicians and faculty
to get care where they deliver care.
But the same top notch clinicians that they
partner with, they work alongside,
but allowing them the time and the space
in order to take care of themselves.
(06:44):
So focusing on
the the fitness of our organization,
the well-being of our clinicians, of our
employees,
to lighten the load around
burnout, to really dig into those things,
that burden their day.
So looking at efficiencies through our technology,
(07:06):
integrating Ambient AI,
to allow our,
clinicians to be more present with our patients
and families,
and,
having our the voice of our workforce and
also our patients serve as advisory in everything
that we do. So looking to their feedback
as we design new workflows,
new processes,
(07:27):
how we ensure,
that we continue to be among the top
hospitals for patient safety as we celebrate our
twenty seventh consecutive
a at the University of Chicago as awarded
by the Leapfrog Foundation.
So incredibly excited to continue that work. And,
what we're most happy about is the continued
(07:50):
collaboration
across the entire enterprise. So,
ensuring that everyone gets a say in in
what we do in designing,
safe workflows,
designing our our workforce wellness benefit offerings,
and how do we make access easier to
our patients and families at the University of
(08:10):
Chicago.
Wonderful. And now in the short conversation, I
can definitely tell that you're passionate about what
you do.
And with that, can you maybe share some,
actionable advice for evolving leaders maybe looking to
have the same impact and success in their
careers as you have? 100%
be very in the know
(08:30):
in how the work happens. Be close to
the work.
And alongside,
your efforts,
partner with those who are seeing our patients,
those who can share firsthand
the sentiments of our of our patients and
families,
and how the different changes
impact the frontline.
(08:50):
And what we find is that when you
have insight outside of your bubble, outside of
your lane and and the operations and those
challenges
facing the workforce,
facing our patients in feeding ways, you are
better
in tune and you have an opportunity,
to design processes
and systems that meet their needs, but proactively
(09:13):
meet the needs that we know the future
of our workforce will have, so coming into
the door. So
that we can continue to be a nest
of sort and caring for our our employees
as well as our patients.
Excellent advice. Well, Keisha, I wanna thank you
for your time today. But before I let
you go, is there anything else that listeners
(09:33):
should know?
Listeners should be very focused on integrating the
voice of the workforce in patients
and how we manage change
that is undoubtedly
at our front doors today.
We can't do this work and,
meet the demands of the future without hearing
their voices
and putting them right at the center. And
(09:55):
it sounds cliche.
However, with rapid change, we know that in
order to be as successful as we need
to
and continue to meet the growing needs of
an aging population,
we have to better understand what's most important
to them in real time and act on
the sentiment that they've shared with us.
(10:17):
Absolutely. Well, that's a great spot. And, Keisha,
I wanna thank you once again for your
time today and for sharing your insights on
the Becker's Healthcare podcast. Thank you. Wonderful. Thank
you so much.
Hello, and welcome to the Becker's Healthcare podcast.
My name is Chanel Banger. Today, I'm thrilled
to speak with Keisha Molling Smith, the vice
president and chief consumer experience officer at UChicago
Medicine.
She joins the podcast today to share insights
on her background, health care changes, keeping an
eye on, and a bit more. Keisha, thank
you so much for joining me. Could you
get us started out by introducing yourself and
sharing a little bit about your background and
(00:21):
organization?
Sure. Thanks so much for having me. Keisha
Willing Smith, vice president and chief consumer experience
officer at Chicago Medicine.
I, come to the organization
after a number of years in academic medicine
primarily
with an incredible passion for improving the patient
experience,
the experience from our caregivers and families.
(00:43):
And now,
under my organization umbrella
is something incredibly exciting that I've wanted to
do,
for a number of years is integrating the
workforce
experience into all that we do,
and ultimately
transforming
the way our employees, our clinicians, our trainees,
(01:04):
deliver care, experience care, caring for them as
whole people
and individuals serving our communities. So incredibly thrilled
to share
a number of great things we're working on
at the University of Chicago Medicine to achieve
just that,
the ultimate experience
and care for our patients and families in
in the South Side Of Chicago.
(01:27):
By way of background,
I am someone who has spent,
time in operations,
performance improvement,
systems management,
and improving the patient
experience in academic community
and urban areas,
areas where we deliver complex care
(01:47):
and serving the communities,
with high,
needs and vulnerability,
allowing us to achieve
best outcomes for those in underserved communities
and those who seek care, at our facility
from across the world.
So really happy to talk about the ways
in which we are transforming
(02:08):
care
using a number of tools,
innovations, and resources that we draw from our
community and our, resources
within our own doors or through the ideas
and,
ideation
from our workforce.
Perfect. Thank you so much for that introduction.
I'm looking forward to digging a little bit
deeper into what you're doing at UChicago today.
(02:31):
Well, to get us started into the meat
of the podcast a bit, can you talk
about what trends in health care you're currently
watching in your role today?
Yeah. We're watching trends around,
our workforce,
development
trends, specifically
around retention,
ensuring that we can grow our talent pipeline,
(02:53):
from within the organization.
So development of our own existing workforce, but
attracting the best of the best to the
University of Chicago.
Also watching trends around
innovation
and technology improvements
to allow our clinicians to do their best
work to reduce burden, particularly around load management
for those who are,
(03:14):
directly interfacing with our patients and families,
and also looking at ways in which we
can expand to meet the needs of our
community
and beyond.
So looking to grow our footprint
outside
of Hyde Park and our local campus and,
bring the best innovations
in care.
(03:35):
We are growing our cancer footprint by standing
up a brand new cancer pavilion, which opens
in,
2027
and and ensuring that that is a smart
hospital
meeting the needs of our patients and families.
Got it. So a lot of exciting things
happening at UChicago right now. And kind of
in that same vein and looking to the
(03:56):
future a bit, can you talk about what
you're most focused on and excited about going
into the second half of twenty twenty five?
Sure. We're incredibly focused
on combining
the,
the voice of our workforce
and how we manage and optimize the patient
experience at University of Chicago.
(04:16):
So for years past, we've looked at, the
experience of the workforce and that of our
patients and families in different tracks.
At University of Chicago, we've combined both. And
so drawing on the ideas
and the experience from those who care for
our patients,
and ensuring that we're building a culture and
(04:37):
we're strengthening the foundation
of our workforce to meet their needs so
they can,
deliver their very best. And that means from
taking a look at those things that may
be burdensome to our employees,
redesigning
benefits for today's generation,
and the the needs that they have outside
of our organization.
(04:58):
Many of our employees are caring for their
own children, but also parents. And so ensuring
that what we offer,
allows them to live their best life outside
of our organization
and come into the organization feeling as though
they they can give their all to those
who, seek care at University of Chicago.
(05:18):
We are focused on more integration
at the University of Chicago,
pulling
in more of the voice from our,
our different entities across the campus,
from our biological services,
division,
and then also our Prince George School of
Medicine, ensuring that those voices are represented
(05:39):
and the work that we do and how
we build our talent
and retain our talent, going into the future.
So bringing all of those streams together to
designing the culture,
and the experience that meets all the needs,
for those that deliver care and those who
seek care at the University of Chicago
makes us a a a health system leading
(06:00):
at the forefront.
Got it. Got it. Love it. And now
that we've looked into the future a bit,
looking back at the last six to eighteen
months, can you talk about an initiative or
a project that you're most proud of?
Initiative or a a project that we're most
proud of is something that's also brand new
to the organization is designing care,
sites that allow us to ensure that we
(06:23):
are keeping the workforce well.
So eliminating barriers for our employees and our
clinicians and faculty
to get care where they deliver care.
But the same top notch clinicians that they
partner with, they work alongside,
but allowing them the time and the space
in order to take care of themselves.
(06:44):
So focusing on
the the fitness of our organization,
the well-being of our clinicians, of our
employees,
to lighten the load around
burnout, to really dig into those things,
that burden their day.
So looking at efficiencies through our technology,
(07:06):
integrating Ambient AI,
to allow our,
clinicians to be more present with our patients
and families,
and,
having our the voice of our workforce and
also our patients serve as advisory in everything
that we do. So looking to their feedback
as we design new workflows,
new processes,
(07:27):
how we ensure,
that we continue to be among the top
hospitals for patient safety as we celebrate our
twenty seventh consecutive
a at the University of Chicago as awarded
by the Leapfrog Foundation.
So incredibly excited to continue that work. And,
what we're most happy about is the continued
(07:50):
collaboration
across the entire enterprise. So,
ensuring that everyone gets a say in in
what we do in designing,
safe workflows,
designing our our workforce wellness benefit offerings,
and how do we make access easier to
our patients and families at the University of
(08:10):
Chicago.
Wonderful. And now in the short conversation, I
can definitely tell that you're passionate about what
you do.
And with that, can you maybe share some,
actionable advice for evolving leaders maybe looking to
have the same impact and success in their
careers as you have? 100%
be very in the know
(08:30):
in how the work happens. Be close to
the work.
And alongside,
your efforts,
partner with those who are seeing our patients,
those who can share firsthand
the sentiments of our of our patients and
families,
and how the different changes
impact the frontline.
(08:50):
And what we find is that when you
have insight outside of your bubble, outside of
your lane and and the operations and those
challenges
facing the workforce,
facing our patients in feeding ways, you are
better
in tune and you have an opportunity,
to design processes
and systems that meet their needs, but proactively
(09:13):
meet the needs that we know the future
of our workforce will have, so coming into
the door. So
that we can continue to be a nest
of sort and caring for our our employees
as well as our patients.
Excellent advice. Well, Keisha, I wanna thank you
for your time today. But before I let
you go, is there anything else that listeners
(09:33):
should know?
Listeners should be very focused on integrating the
voice of the workforce in patients
and how we manage change
that is undoubtedly
at our front doors today.
We can't do this work and,
meet the demands of the future without hearing
their voices
and putting them right at the center. And
(09:55):
it sounds cliche.
However, with rapid change, we know that in
order to be as successful as we need
to
and continue to meet the growing needs of
an aging population,
we have to better understand what's most important
to them in real time and act on
the sentiment that they've shared with us.
(10:17):
Absolutely. Well, that's a great spot. And, Keisha,
I wanna thank you once again for your
time today and for sharing your insights on
the Becker's Healthcare podcast. Thank you. Wonderful. Thank
you so much.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!