Becker's 11th Annual Meeting: 3 Questions with Ellen Feinstein, Vice President of Cancer Services at UChicago Medicine

Ellen Feinstein, RD, MHA, FACHE, serves as Vice President of Cancer Services at UChicago Medicine. 

On April 6th, Ellen will serve on the panel "Key Thoughts on Improving Patient Safety and Quality" at Becker's Hospital Review 11th Annual Meeting. As part of an ongoing series, Becker's is talking to healthcare leaders who plan to speak at the conference, which will take place on April 6-9, 2020 in Chicago.

To learn more about the conference and Ellen's session, click here.

Question: What's one lesson you learned early in your career that has helped you lead in healthcare?

Ellen Feinstein: From my earliest days as an Administrative Resident in an academic medical center, I have often recalled some words of wisdom I received from a mentor which still resonates. His advice to me was not to stay in one organization for an entire career, but to learn and see how it’s done elsewhere. That advice has guided my career path, one in which I was able to remain with each employer for an average of 10 years, by moving up and around that institution several times to ensure that I was still learning, growing, and taking on new challenges. This has also shaped my leadership style by focusing on how to best grow our early careerists and teams, to ensure they’re offered stretch assignments and professional growth opportunities. While talented Millennials are being hired into leadership roles, this remains a significant leadership focus to be able to attract the best and brightest.

Q: Where do you go for inspiration and fresh ideas?

EF: Much of my inspiration comes from the people who surround me each day at a world-class institution, from our brilliant faculty, as well as our patients and caregivers. They are my true north. For fresh ideas I strive to stay well rounded by tapping my network and professional memberships in the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE), list serves, and subscriptions to e-newsletters such as Harvard Business Review and The Advisory Board. I also listen to numerous podcasts commuting through notorious Chicago traffic each day, covering a variety of genres to include arts, culture, comedy, social science, and political commentary that reflects my values, as well as alternative views from those across the aisle. I also subscribe to (too) many print magazines, covering national news, pop culture, travel, and food and wine.

Q: What do you see as the most exciting opportunity in healthcare right now?

EF: The emergence of machine learning, artificial intelligence, and the explosion of interactive technologies continues to fascinate, as well as challenge all of us to understand the possibilities and limitations of these innovations. We are just beginning to explore the use cases of AI in healthcare, and the words “endless” and “unlimited” seem to be our mantra for possible uses.

The other thing that has me excited is the explosion in immunotherapy and targeted therapies, using personalized molecular genomics to determine if specific treatments will be effective in individuals based on their unique genetic map. This is a scientific breakthrough with enormous implications on healthcare economics, outcomes, and overall survival of life-threatening diseases.

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