the women’s issue
THE HEALTH CARE CHAMPION
KATIE GALBRAITH
PRESIDENT, DUKE REGIONAL HOSPITAL Born in Washington, D.C., and raised in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts, Katie has lived in the area since 1996. Her husband, Mike, is a stayat-home dad, and son Jacob, 16, and daughter Lauren, 14, attend Voyager Academy.
“I 36
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t’s not about where you want to be, but how you get there,” Katie says of choosing a career path. She began working at Duke Children’s Hospital in 1996 as a temp in the development office while applying for the role of public relations manager, a job she then held for five years. “I had no idea where it would take me,” Katie says. In 2001, she durhammag.com
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moved to Duke Regional Hospital as director of marketing and corporate communications. “After getting my MBA, I moved into hospital operations, and served as COO prior to being appointed president in 2014.” Though her path to leading the hospital was somewhat unconventional, Katie is thankful for it, and says zoning in on the issues in front of her has helped her set attainable goals. “It’s OK to have an end goal in mind, but spend your time and energy focusing on the here and now,” she advises. “I know a lot of people who have five-year plans to try to make it to the C-suite, and I think they sometimes miss out on the important learning and opportunities along the way.” Katie loves the pace of her job, too: “On any given day, I may be meeting with physicians, coaching our leaders, learning from our team in the hospital, welcoming new team members at orientation or participating in a 2 a.m. night-shift council,” she says. “I’m always learning something new, which keeps me on my toes.” Duke Regional’s vision is to be the best community hospital, leading in quality, patient-centered care. Her personal philosophy aligns well with this mission: Treat everyone with respect, every time. Katie is most inspired by the hospital’s frontline caregivers. “I’ve had the privilege of learning from so many amazing women over the years,” she says, but most admires the housekeepers, nurses, techs, volunteers and everyone who goes to work committed to making a difference in the lives of others. Katie is also proud of Duke Regional Hospital’s recent recognition of a five-star rating – the highest possible – through the Overall Hospital Star Ratings program by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). “We were the only hospital in the Triangle and one of only seven in North Carolina to achieve this,” she says. And at the end of March, the hospital broke ground on a major construction project, the largest on the Duke Regional campus since 1976. The project will expand the emergency department and build a behavioral health addition. “Both of these exciting projects will help us better serve our community in a state-of-the-art facility,” Katie says. Katie also serves as vice chair of the Greater Durham Chamber of Commerce board, chair of the N.C. Center for Nonprofits board, and as a board member of Caring House and N.C. Healthcare Association. For those who want to pursue a career in health care, Katie’s advice is simple: “Be true to yourself,” she says. “If the job requires you to be someone other than your authentic self, it will quickly wear you down. “And be sure to find time for balance. Taking time off makes us better partners, better parents, better leaders.” – Morgan Cartier Weston