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The Calling

"There is nothing like providing care for a patient." - Dr. Elizabeth Wako
 
Dr. Elizabeth Wako, Interim president and CEO of Swedish Health Services, spoke with Dr. David Kim about being inspired to follow in her mother's footsteps by becoming a nurse, and how her path in healthcare transitioned to becoming an anesthesiologist and then a role in administration. She tells of the rewards she has experienced in all of her positions, and how the thread of making things better has always led the way in finding her joy in medicine.

Contributors:


Dr. David Kim Bio
 
David Kim, MD, leads the Clinical Network division of Providence, a $24 billion health system based in Renton, Washington. Spanning seven states across the Western U.S., Providence includes 52 hospitals, over 1,000 clinics and a diverse family of Catholic, other faith-based and mission-driven secular organizations dedicated to enhancing the overall health of the communities served.
 
As Executive Vice President and Chief Executive of the Providence Clinical Network, Dr. Kim leads what was formerly known as Physician Enterprise (medical groups across Providence), the Ambulatory Care Network (same day care including urgent care, ExpressCare, ambulatory surgery and imaging, and partnerships, i.e., Walgreens), and the Clinical Institutes (focused hubs of care, coordination and research for select specialty areas).
 
A family medicine physician by training and now respected physician leader, Dr. Kim has served in several leadership roles across Providence, including Chief Medical Officer and Chief Executive for Providence Medical Foundation - Orange County and High Desert region, where he partnered with physicians and administrators to help grow Providence into one of the largest physician practice management organizations in California.
 
Prior to joining Providence, Dr. Kim served as regional medical director for Memorial Care Medical Group. Dr. Kim received his medical degree from the University of Illinois at Chicago, School of Medicine and served his residency at Northridge Hospital Medical Center. He holds a master’s degree in applied physiology from the Chicago Medical School and a Bachelor of Arts degree in philosophy and biology from Northwestern University.

Originally from Chicago, Dr. Kim now resides in Tustin, California with his wife of 15 years and three daughters.


Dr. Elizabeth Wako Bio
 
Dr. Elizabeth Wako is the interim President and CEO of Swedish Health Services (SHS).  SHS is the greater Seattle area’s largest, most comprehensive medical system with annual net revenues of $2.5 billion. It encompasses five hospital campuses – First Hill, Cherry Hill, Ballard, Edmonds, and Issaquah – ambulatory care centers in Redmond and Mill Creek, and a network of more than 110 primary care and specialty clinics throughout the greater Puget Sound area.  The system encompasses 1,571 licensed beds; 13,000 employees; and 3,867 physicians and allied health professionals. Previously she was the Chief Executive, of the Puget Sound Central Service Area, and she has held many executive operating positions since 2020.  
 
Prior to executive operations, she was the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) for five years. She also oversaw the Swedish Research Enterprise and held the role of executive medical director of Graduate Medical Education. In addition, she carried a dual role as medical director for Swedish’s Preadmission Clinics, and as a staff anesthesiologist. Before Swedish, she held leadership roles at Harborview Medical Center, West Seattle Psychiatric Hospital and Community Psychiatric Clinic, all in Seattle. 

Dr. Wako is a board-certified anesthesiologist and served as a resident in anesthesia and fellow at the University of Washington. She also received her undergraduate degree from the University of Washington, her medical degree from the University of Utah and her MBA from the University of Washington. 





Creators & Guests

Host
David S. Kim, MD
Dr. Kim serves as chief executive of the Providence Clinical Network, which comprises physician groups, the ambulatory care network and clinical institutes. Most recently at Providence, Dr. Kim served as chief executive of physician enterprise, or Providence’s medical groups. Other leadership roles with the system’s family of organizations have included physician enterprise chief executive for the Orange County/High Desert service area, and chief medical officer for the Southern California medical groups. A family medicine physician by training, prior to his administrative roles, Dr. Kim practiced at Bristol Park Medical Group (now MemorialCare Medical Group) earlier in his career. After graduating from Northwestern University with a double major in biology and philosophy, Dr. Kim received his medical degree from the University of Illinois at Chicago. He completed his internship and residency at Northridge Hospital Medical Center.

What is The Calling?

The Calling, host Dr. David Kim speaks to caregivers and clinical leaders about how they were called to work in healthcare, their challenges and what brings them joy in their work.