S. Rob Todd, MD, Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer at Grady Health System in Atlanta, proves daily that safety net hospitals can deliver the same standards of quality and excellence that other top systems do. In fact, because Dr. Todd and his colleagues so embrace the organization's mission, it makes it easier to commit to its success and impact. "We don't get to turn people away; that's both a privilege and a challenge," he states. "Every decision we make . . . needs to be filtered through that lens." In this Impactful Leaders Podcast episode with WittKieffer Principal Dan Dimenstein, Dr. Todd recalls his journey to medicine and leadership. Drawn to trauma care from a young age due to its high-stress, high-impact nature, he also gravitated toward leadership roles that presented similar risks and rewards. He emphasizes that clinical excellence doesn’t automatically translate to effective leadership, though qualities he honed in the trauma ward such as decisiveness and teamwork serve him well as a CMO. At Grady, a network of safety net facilities in Atlanta, Dr. Todd is focused on building a culture centered on equity, alignment, and accountability. He underscores the importance of supporting physician leaders in their development, as well as the next generation of clinicians through Grady's academic partnerships with the schools of medicine at Emory University and Morehouse College. Looking ahead, Dr. Todd envisions Grady continuing to expand its reach beyond its walls and deeper into the community, including a new freestanding health center being built in South Atlanta. The future for Dr. Todd is about maximizing impact and sustaining excellence, a pursuit that never ends: "It should be a lifestyle," he says.

Ask this episode

“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.

Transcript

Related