National Association of Health Services Executives (NAHSE)
Member Spotlights
March 2023
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Rudmilla Raphael,
NAHSE NJ Public Policy Action Chair
Administrative Assistant, University Hospital
As a recent graduate from an MHA program, what led you to want to work in the healthcare industry?
My interest in healthcare administration was first established when my mother was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease and I was a frequent visitor to the hospital she was admitted. With every visit, I was exposed to the invaluable role of healthcare administration in the effective treatment of patients, and within me, a passion for helping people was birthed, propelling me to pursue a career in the medical field. Coupled with this, the summation of my experience living in Haiti, a third-world country where access to quality healthcare is a luxury very few can afford, enhanced, and consolidated my interest in the healthcare industry.
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What are your career aspirations?
One of my career aspirations is to become a highly knowledgeable and skilled healthcare specialist to serve the cause of improving the delivery of healthcare services, particularly to vulnerable populations that historically have been marginalized.
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What is one piece of advice that has helped you navigate school and your career thus far?
One piece of advice that has helped me navigate school and my career thus far is having a mentor. For two years, I was fortunate to be mentored by Dr. Chris Pernell who served as the Chief Strategic Integration and Health Equity Officer at University Hospital.
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How has NAHSE been beneficial to you and why did you decide to join NAHSE NJ leadership team?
Given my ultimate goal to build a career rooted in being of immense benefit to vulnerable populations, I believe that NAHSE NJ leadership team will serve as a springboard to my goal. Being part of the team also provide a unique opportunity for me to connect with professionals of like minds and draw from their knowledge, learn from their mistake, and create effective solutions as an expert.
February 2022
Suzette Robinson,
Vice President
Corporate Office of Diversity and Inclusion
RWJBarnabas Health
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Tell us about your current role as VP of Diversity and Inclusion at RWJBarnabas Health.
As the Vice President of the Corporate Office of Diversity and Inclusion (CODI), my role consists of supporting the expansion of the CODI’s operational plan for RWJBarnabas Health. In addition to focusing on strengthening integration efforts among our hospitals, I am also responsible for assisting with the successful implementation and ongoing management of targeted diversity and inclusion initiatives. One of my primary focuses is project development for CODI’s diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives with the goal of achieving health equity within the populations served.
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What led you in your decision to work in the healthcare industry?
As far back as I can recall, I have always wanted to work in healthcare. I am sure, everyone had a teacher who made a memorable impact on their life. For me that teacher was Mrs. Washington, who I spent a lot of time with outside my loving single parent home. Both my mother and Mrs. Washington instilled the value of education and broadened my horizon on the many rewarding careers in healthcare. Knowing that I wanted to pursue the administrative side of healthcare, I majored in Public Health at Rutgers University to establish a solid foundation that allowed me throughout my career to lead efforts that challenge unequal access to care, disparities and inequities in the communities served. For this reason, I have encouraged my two daughters to also pursue a career in healthcare.
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What impact are you looking to have on the healthcare community in New Jersey?
I want to support and be a part of work that identify and systematically address the “true” needs of the communities served. This ambition originated in my prior career as Vice President of Ambulatory Care. This function allowed me to go beyond the hospital’s walls and, with a team of great leaders, identify the “true” needs of the communities served from care delivery to combating social determinates of health. This period in my career has helped me to have the “lens” needed to do the work that I am doing today with our CDO and CODI team.
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What advice do you have for early careerists as they advance in their career?
First, I would encourage early careerists to choose a career that they find interesting and well-suites for their innate qualities. Next, I would advise them to be dedicated and passionate about their craft. Early careerists should also actively seek mentorship to support and guide their professional development. Along with mentorship, they should also seek sponsorship because this sponsor can be their change agent and vital to enhancing their career trajectory. They may also find membership into committees and/or professional organizations meaningful. An additional piece of advice, that I wish I knew earlier in my career, is to create a personal board of directors, filling all Board positions, to advise, support and provide feedback when needed both professionally and personally.
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This month is Black History Month. What does this mean for you?
As a Black woman, I understand that I stand on the shoulders of Black people who paved the way for me and others in many ways. For starters, they shattered glass ceilings, opened doors for the first-time and made unlimited sacrifices beyond belief. While I routinely reflect on their experiences, it is heightened during the month of February. I make a point to honor and pay homage to their triumphs and struggles and to celebrate the achievements of our ancestors and Black leaders.
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What are two book recommendations you would offer to someone looking to grow professionally?
While there are many exceptional works/books, I would recommend reading “The Five Dysfunctions of a Team” and “Who Moved My Cheese”, of which both teach simple yet profound life and professional lessons.
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Armond Kinsey,
Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer
Atlantic Health System
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Tell me about your current role as Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer at Atlantic Health System.
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I joined Atlantic Health System three years ago as their inaugural Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer. It’s been a great experience thus far, primarily because they’ve had a strong infrastructure from which to build. Coming to Atlantic I noticed that there were many things in place across the system that supported a diverse and inclusive culture however, some initiatives needed to be scaled, some streamlined, and some built from scratch. After meeting with team members from all of our medical centers and a few physician practices, I then went to work to build a strategic plan that wouldn’t lose any of the great work already begun but would leverage that work for system-wide impact. It was important to me that team members who invested in this work would see their fingerprints embedded in future initiatives.
As a result, the AHS diversity and inclusion strategic plan was formed focusing on Patient Care, Team Members Experience, Community, and Supplier Diversity. As you may imagine there are several programmatic initiatives under each of these four pillars aimed at eliminating health disparities, SDOH, increasing access, team member engagement, community, and others.
Since joining Atlantic Health, I’ve also assumed the role of Vice President for Talent Management as well as Corporate Social Responsibility. It’s a unique opportunity for me to further leverage and integrate the work of diversity, equity, and inclusion into varying aspects of the organization. From education to community, an inclusive, diverse, equitable AHS is better suited to serve our patients and neighbors.
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What led you to your decision to work in the healthcare industry?
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Healthcare wasn’t my first option; I sought a career in entertainment with an interest in journalism. Post college, I did some work in entertainment before starting an almost eight-year career in the financial industry. An interest in seeing immediate impact coupled with my curiosity for social causes led me to my first opportunity in healthcare with The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and have remained in the healthcare space since that time. While in college, I loss my mother to heart disease and there’s always been a piece of me that wondered if she would have had a positive outcome had the paramedics took her to the best hospital vs. the closest hospital, which was ill-equipped and since has closed its doors.I don’t want anyone having that thought when they walk into our doors, so I use that as motivation.
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Whether it’s here inside Atlantic Health System or the broader communities of New Jersey, I feel as if we have an obligation to ensure everyone has access to high quality, affordable healthcare regardless of demographics or zip codes. Partnering with and learning from leaders across the state and country, including those within NAHSE, will help us achieve these goals.
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What advice do you have for early careerists as they advance in their career?
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My advice to early careerists who are looking to advance would be to study your craft, be confident in your voice and find mentorship. Keep an appetite to learn in an effort to be better than yesterday and prepared for tomorrow. Identify what ‘lights your fire’ and couple that with a career. Your said position or title might not exist today, don’t let that deter you. Roles such as chief diversity officers, chief people offices, head of innovation, etc. continuously evolve so be agile in your quest and understand that you can make a significant impact with or without a C-suite title. Mentorship and sponsorship played critical parts in my career advancement so reach out to people with whom you believe you could learn and grow from. Relationships matter, so I’d encourage early careerists to reach out and develop meaningful relationships. And in doing so, think about how you can contribute to that relationship being mutually beneficial for all involved.
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This month is Black History Month. What does this mean for you?
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I’m a firm believer in studying and honoring the past and I have a particular interest in my own ancestry.I find strength in learning about black thought leaders, innovators, scientists, educators, etc.I’ve always seen the month as not just a time for reflection and rejuvenation, but also as a time to be introspective. Challenging myself to think about my own legacy and what I can do to make space for more African Americans at this table or any table.
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What are two book recommendations you would offer to someone looking to grow professionally?
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John Lewis’ “Carry On: Reflections for a New Generation”
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Marshall Goldsmith’s “What Got You Here Won’t Get You There”
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