A SENSE OF PURPOSE ROY CHEW REFLECTS ON A 4 3 -Y E A R C A R E E R AT K E T T E R I N G H E A LT H N E T WO R K Early in his career, Roy Chew knew exactly what he wanted to do: practice respiratory therapy and teach it to others. In fact, that’s what brought him to Kettering Health Network (KHN) in 1976. But by the time he retired 43 years later, Chew had served at the highest levels of leadership at KHN, including as its president. Chew’s interest in medicine began after his freshman year of college, when he was still undecided about a major. A family friend, a radiologist, began talking 1 to him about a growing field called respiratory therapy. Chew shadowed a respiratory therapist at a local hospital for a week and loved the experience of caring for patients at the bedside. That summer, he enrolled in a hospitalbased respiratory therapy program at Temple University in his hometown of Philadelphia, then worked there after graduation. He later went to the University of Missouri to pursue a bachelor’s degree in respiratory therapy. During his college years, Chew began hearing about a nationally recognized pulmonologist at Kettering Medical Center named Richard Krumholz, MD, who had started one of the first pulmonary intensive care units in the United States. Eager to challenge himself and grow professionally, Chew applied for a position at the hospital and was hired as the clinical coordinator for the respiratory therapy technician program. The job gave him opportunities to care for patients and teach students—a perfect fit for his career interests.
A MOVE TO THE COLLEGE Chew never applied for another job at Kettering Health Network. Instead, he would simply be asked to consider new roles within KHN—and he rarely said no. This trend began in 1980, when Kettering College President Winton H. Beaven asked him to serve as chairman of the school’s respiratory therapy program. Chew agreed and remained at the College for five years, including two as director of allied health programs. During that time, he spent three years in California on academic leave earning a doctorate in administration and policy analysis at Stanford University. He also met and married his wife, Shelley, who graduated from the nursing program at Kettering College and eventually became director of nursing at Kettering Medical Center. Chew remembers his years at Kettering College fondly. “I had amazing opportunities to work with incredibly talented colleagues at a pivotal time in my life,” Chew said. “People like Anna
2
pacesetter • 2019
May Vaughan in nursing, Margaret Rodenburg in the chemistry department, Edith Applegate in anatomy and physiology, and President Beaven, who was probably one of the deepest thinkers I’ve ever known. They were among the most talented and deeply passionate teachers and mentors I’ve ever worked with.” Rodenburg, now retired, recalls working closely with Chew when she led the general education department and he was responsible for the respiratory therapy department. The first word that comes to her mind when asked to describe him is fun. “Roy and I would joke around together before meetings, and he was always very laid back,” she recalled. “He never got worked up about anything. It was just not his personality to get stressed out. I had great respect for him because he ran his department so well and really knew what he was doing. I hated to see him go.”
4
