Legacy Health CEO Dr. Susan Huang on paying it forward

In June, Dr. Susan Huang began serving as the new president and CEO of Legacy Health.

The non-profit system operates six hospitals in and around Portland, Oregon. A dermatologist, Huang previously served as chief physician executive for the Providence Health System, and she also served as CEO of Providence Health Network. She also held leadership roles at Sutter Health.

She spoke with Chief Healthcare Executive® in an interview in Chicago in April while she was attending the Becker’s Healthcare 16th Annual Meeting. In a conversation just a couple of months before she began her new role as Legacy’s CEO, Huang shared some of her thoughts on leadership.

“Someone once talked to me about the concept of a leadership halo, and so when we think about leadership, it's not about ‘I’, myself, what I can do for myself, but really, what is that halo surrounding you, and how can you pay it forward, too? Because each one of us really can be a multiplier of the good that we can bring,” Huang says.

“So for me, it's thinking about how can I pay it forward, how can I amplify my impact, how can I stand up, how can I serve as a role model, and that can really have an impact to many more people, and then also hopefully for generations to come as well,” she says.

In terms of paying it forward, Huang also offered some advice and perspective for other women looking to take on leadership roles in healthcare. Women hold only about a quarter of the senior leadership roles in healthcare in the United States.

Some women often talk themselves out of pursuing leadership positions, even roles where they could excel, women in the industry say. Huang offered words of encouragement to other women looking to pursue bigger roles and to test themselves.

“I'm often approached by women who ask about my leadership journey in healthcare,” Huang says. “And I would say if you have an inkling that this might be something you're interested in, follow up on it. You know, reach out to someone who's a woman leader, ask the questions, learn about their path.“Don't be afraid to take risks. Sometimes there's this fear of failure, and that means not taking the first step. But if you're going to actually accomplish something great, you're probably going to fail several times, and you'll learn from those failures. So if you've got that inkling, pursue it, reach out, network, ask questions, and then take risks too,” she says.

Huang spent her first several weeks at Legacy Health visiting different sites across the health system and connecting with staff members. When she took the post, she said she planned to spend a lot of time over the next several months visiting Legacy’s communities and getting feedback from patients about their experiences.

In a post on LinkedIn after her first month on the job, Huang wrote, “I continue to have deep gratitude for the warm welcome I have received and for the many people who have taken time to share their experiences, ideas and hopes for Legacy’s future.”

• Read more: Why women should pursue leadership roles, and why they might need a push