Interview with Dr. Suzet M. McKinney, Principal and Director of Life Sciences for Sterling Bay

UNBOSSED

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Interview with Dr. Suzet M. McKinney, Principal and Director of Life Sciences for Sterling Bay

Brought to you by The Chicago Woman's Club

Marina

Oct 26, 2021

Wepa! I'm Marina. I am a technologist, mom, podcast host, leadership coach, cruciverbalist and aquarian. ;)

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In this episode:

Dr. Suzet M. McKinney is a public health expert, medical executive, thought leader, strategic thinker and nationally recognized expert in emergency preparedness and response. As Principal and Director of Life Sciences for Sterling Bay, Dr.McKinney oversees relationships with the scientific, academic, corporate,tech, and governmental sectors involved in the life sciences ecosystem.She also leads the strategy to expand Sterling Bay’s footprint in life sciences nationwide. She previously served as CEO and Executive Director of the Illinois Medical District, where she managed a 24/7/365 environment that included 560 acres of medical research facilities, labs, a biotech business incubator, universities, raw land development areas, four hospitals and more than 40 healthcare-related facilities. Within two years

of leadership, Dr. McKinney accomplished a financial turnaround of the IMD, successfully retiring more than $40 million in debt.

In 2020, Dr. McKinney was appointed by Illinois Governor JB Pritzker as Operations Lead for the State of Illinois’ Alternate Care Facilities, a network of alternate medical locations designed to decompress the hospital system during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Prior to leading the IMD, Dr. McKinney served as the Deputy Commissioner of the Bureau of Public Health Preparedness and Emergency Response at the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH), where she oversaw the emergency preparedness efforts for the Department and coordinated those efforts within the larger spectrum of the City of Chicago’s Public Safety activities, in addition to overseeing the Department’s Division of Women and Children’s Health. She also

provided support to the U.S. Department of Defense’s Defense Threat Reduction Agency, lending subject matter expertise in biological terrorism preparedness to the country of Poland.

Previously, she served as the Sr. Advisor for Public Health and Preparedness at the Tauri Group, where she provided strategic and analytical consulting services to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS), BioWatch Program.

Dr McKinney also serves on numerous boards and advisory committees and works in academia.

Dr. McKinney holds her Doctorate degree from the University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health, with a focus on preparedness planning, leadership and workforce development. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Biology from Brandeis University (Waltham, MA) where she was also a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Fellow. She received her Master of Public Health degree (Health Care Administration) and certificates in Managed Care and Health Care Administration from Benedictine University in Lisle, IL.

Key Highlights/Tools:

"Death by organic chemistry"
Many women and men struggle with imposter syndrome. Engage in activities that cultivate self-confidence
Timing is everything
Explore any opportunity that comes your way
Mottos to live by: Go big or go home and, Get shit done

Timestamp:

0:00 Bio

3:00 Dr Suzet upbringing & educational background

18:00 Dr Suzet career progression

22:00 Bio terrorism regional director for the city of Chicago and getting a "D"

26:00 Career Progression

35:00 Strategies to have a great work ethic

45:00 Move out to move up

51:00 Outros

Memorable Quotes:

Your presence won't always be wanted, and that ok, but you have to show up and do you
I thought I had to get the degree to get the leadership role, but that was not the case
As women, we have to be our own best advocates

Useful Links and Resources:

Dr Suzet Linkedin
Healthcare Real Estate Will Change in the Pandemic (And That’s a Good Thing), Forbes, December 1, 2020
“Back to Work? Whether Now or Later Preparation is Imperative” Forbes, September 11, 2020
“COVID-19’s Lasting Effects on Healthcare”, Wall Street Journal, September 5, 2020 ❖ “Social Determinants of Health: An Interview with Dr. Suzet McKinney,” Outcome Health, July 22, 2020
“Leading Through Crisis with Imperfect Data,” The Economic Club of Chicago, April 17, 2020

Join the Conversation

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This week's question is: What challenges have you faced as a woman founder?

Ask Suzet anything by leaving a question/ comment on Substack.