Redefining Leadership in Healthcare: Insights from Women Who Are Leading the Charge
In healthcare today, leaders are tasked with navigating a complex, ever-changing landscape. Nowhere is this more evident than in the realm of supply chain management, where challenges like procurement efficiency, resource allocation, and patient care demands converge. To truly innovate in this space, it takes more than just technical know-how — it requires empathy, resilience, and an eye for collaboration. This is exactly what four pioneering women shared during Casechek’s recent Breaking Barriers fireside chat.
With decades of experience between them, Deb Van Der Molen (UnityPoint Health), Jessica Duke (Baptist Health), Colleen Kennedy (OhioHealth), and Alisha Beringer (Northwestern Medicine) each bring a unique perspective on leadership in the healthcare supply chain. Their stories aren’t just about success — they’re about the power of embracing change, working through challenges, and prioritizing human connection in a data-driven world.
Charting Unconventional Paths to Leadership
One of the most striking themes from the fireside chat was how each of these leaders forged their own paths. None of them set out with supply chain leadership as their ultimate goal, but their willingness to adapt and explore new opportunities brought them where they are today.
Take Jessica Duke, for instance. Starting her career as a nurse, she built her foundation in patient care but transitioned into business improvement roles over time. Today, her non-traditional background gives her a unique advantage, as she focuses on optimizing processes in the surgical department at Baptist Health. Her role is centered around ensuring profitability, particularly in surgery, which is both the highest revenue-generating and highest expense area for the organization.
“Having a clinical background allows me to approach business improvement through the lens of patient care,” said Jessica. “Automation isn’t just about cutting costs — it’s about making life easier for our caregivers and, ultimately, for our patients.”
Deb Van Der Molen, who began her career in dietetics, echoed this sentiment. Her journey into the healthcare supply chain started with process improvements in customer relations, and through years of learning and adapting, she now leads ERP integration efforts at UnityPoint Health.
“I never set out to be in supply chain, but I’ve come to realize that everything we do in this field directly impacts patient care,” Deb explained. “Every touchpoint in the process can either streamline or complicate the care we provide.”
Their stories serve as reminders that leadership doesn’t follow a straight path. The best leaders, it seems, are those willing to pivot, embrace new challenges, and continuously seek growth.
Leading with Empathy and Collaboration
What sets these women apart isn’t just their technical skill or knowledge of supply chain mechanics — it’s their focus on empathy and collaboration. Each of the panelists emphasized the importance of understanding the human side of supply chain management, whether it’s their team members or the patients they ultimately serve.
“We have to keep our patients and caregivers in mind every step of the way,” said Colleen Kennedy. “Women leaders, in particular, are often natural nurturers, and that empathy drives how we approach decision-making.”
Collaboration is also key, especially in healthcare systems where departments can often work in silos. The leaders discussed how they’ve worked to break down these silos to foster more cross-functional collaboration. Jessica Duke shared how her efforts to streamline the Bill-Only process at Baptist Health required collaboration across supply chain, clinical teams, and finance to truly understand how to improve efficiency.
“Supply chain is interconnected with so many other departments,” Jessica explained. “If you’re not collaborating, you’re not getting to the root of the issue. The first step to any solution is creating a space where people from every corner of the organization feel heard.”
These conversations highlighted how empathy, paired with collaboration, can drive more meaningful innovation. It’s not just about optimizing processes for the sake of efficiency — it’s about ensuring that these improvements positively impact the entire healthcare ecosystem.
Why Diverse Perspectives Are Essential for Innovation
Another key insight from the fireside chat was the value of diversity in leadership — not just in terms of gender, but also in terms of background, experience, and thought. Each panelist highlighted the importance of surrounding themselves with people who bring different perspectives to the table.
“As leaders, we’re often faced with challenges that don’t have straightforward solutions,” said Alisha Beringer. “When you have diverse perspectives in the room, you get more creative and comprehensive problem-solving. And that’s exactly what we need in the healthcare supply chain.”
This diversity of thought isn’t just an abstract concept, rather, it’s a practical tool for innovation. By encouraging different viewpoints and embracing unconventional ideas, leaders can break through the limitations of traditional problem-solving approaches.
As healthcare organizations face mounting pressure to innovate and deliver the best care possible, the role of diverse, empathetic leadership becomes even more critical. The stories of these four women demonstrate that when leaders are willing to listen, adapt, and collaborate, the possibilities for innovation are endless. Watch the full fireside chat here.
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