It is extraordinary what we can do today that would have been unimaginable decades ago — the result of research discovery and technological innovation. Such advances in medicine are reasons to be extremely proud. We do great work but to improve overall community health, we must do more. Medical care delivery, as great as it is, only contributes about 20% to the improvement of overall health. We must go upstream to address lifestyle and behavior issues as well as societal issues, such as poverty, inequity, gun violence, environmental health issues, etc. All this is in addition to the growing addiction to social media and its impact on mental health, especially in children. 

Health providers have a major responsibility here — and at Northwell, we take it seriously — but it must be seen as a responsibility of all industry and business leaders. It’s a collective responsibility. 

Northwell Health has taken a leadership role in addressing gun violence. Have you seen progress in tackling this public health issue? 

There is one statistic that I believe is shocking — guns are the leading cause of death for children and adolescents. This is not how the U.S. should be distinctive. We at Northwell have been taking a leading role on this issue for many years. We created the Center for Gun Violence Prevention and we hold an annual forum each year, and we have established a national CEO Council on Gun Violence to also focus on prevention and safety. We work with other organizations and government to address this important public health issue and we’re very satisfied recently to see President Biden establish a White House Task Force on the issue, and we applaud Senator Chris Murphy for his national leadership for the passage a few years ago of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act. 

The good news is that there has been some incremental improvements — ones worth celebrating. Over the past two years, gun homicides have dropped nearly 8%, according to provisional data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention. 

I see a growing recognition and activity by more leaders in all businesses that progress must continue. It is gaining more traction as a public health issue. It’s a long-term issue just like the effort years ago to improve automobile safety (airbags and seat belts). Of course, it will eventually require major and additional legislative action out of Washington.

How can business leaders address these long-term challenges with the pressures for short-term, quarter-to-quarter business results? 

You manage for the short term but lead for the long term. You have to do both but leaders, in my view, should be focused on the next three to five years — what’s the vision, what’s the destination, what are the long-term metrics. An effective CEO can drive results in the short term, while investing for the long term. It’s no different in a non-for-profit entity like Northwell. Achieving sustainable results takes time. Northwell Health is investing in new technology, data analytics, and artificial intelligence. 

How do you make sure that these areas do not take away from the human touch and people part of the business?

Technology and AI have contributed enormously to the improvement in healthcare delivery and will continue to do so. The new AI capabilities will help with diagnostic improvement, data analytics and operational performance and efficiency. We will have to be aware, however, of the potential dangers of falsehoods and misinformation. We must proceed with a combination of speed and caution. 

While we optimize the use of technology, we must not have it substitute for the importance of human contact — especially in healthcare delivery. The person-to-person social relationship is so important. The leadership task is to find and secure the right balance — like we struggle with in other areas such as centralization versus decentralization, integration versus autonomy, privacy versus transparency, etc. It’s one of the challenges of leadership. 

The relationship between its Board and leadership is obviously critical but requires ongoing and productive communication. Trust is an imperative. We are fortunate at Northwell to have an engaged, knowledgeable, and supportive Board — a Board that also understands its role versus that of management. The Board has a fiduciary responsibility to hold leadership accountable for doing what’s right for the community. Management needs to be transparent and, with the Board, develop and articulate a clear strategy and vision and then execute. It’s a two-way process that is based on integrity, transparency, honesty, and trust. I have been fortunate with such a Board relationship. 

The pandemic highlighted the critical role of healthcare workers, but this work is done daily at health systems across the country. What do you tell people about a career in health care? 

Those of us in health care, especially on the provider side, are very fortunate. Each day we improve lives, cure disease, reunite families, bring new individuals into the world, and care for the disabled, elderly, and frail — how inspiring and motivating. I discuss this obligation when I meet with new employees each week (usually about 250). Their role and commitments were in stark display during Covid and the public at the time were so appreciative, and rightly so. Healthcare workers are the core defense against healthcare disasters when such disasters like Covid-19 occur. But, of course, memories fade and criticism reappears. Healthcare workers work hard and are proud to be in a profession dedicated to improving people’s lives. 

How is Northwell Health innovating when it comes to its medical school and nursing school? 

When we decided to create the medical and nursing school, we were determined not to replicate the status quo. We wanted to innovate, to refashion a new curriculum and provide a creative learning experience. We have done that and we believe very successfully. For example, in the medical school all students are trained as EMTs in the first nine weeks and all are immediately in the field with patients; seeing, experiencing and learning. I am an advocate of apprenticeship — you learn best by doing. The school is now highly nationally ranked and our students do their residencies in the top places in the country. The same applies to the nursing school.

Innovation is at the foundation of everything we do. However, we have to be cognizant of making sure innovation is not constrained by overbearing regulations and compliance. The freedom to do “new and different” must be encouraged.