By Aaron Allen, The Seattle Medium
Dr. Elizabeth Wako, M.D., the first Black woman and president and CEO of Swedish Health Services in Seattle, pathway as a health care professional is unique and very inspiring. Born in Ethiopia, her family immigrated to the United States when she was just three months old. Wako began her career as a registered nurse caring for psychiatric patients, then transitioned to anesthesiology before pursuing an MBA and moving into the business side of health care.
The daughter of a nurse and an educator, Wako says that she was deeply influenced by her parents. However, witnessing the impact that her mother had on the lives of the patients that she cared for as a nurse is what inspired her to pursue a career in health care.
“We came from Ethiopia, and my parents came on a green card because my mom was a nurse, and my father came to get his master’s degree,” Wako said. “We ended up getting stuck in Ethiopia as the political environment changed, but we eventually found ourselves living in Walla Walla, Washington, with my father, a tenured professor at a college.”
“I was finishing my senior year in high school and at that point I kind of had to make a decision about what I wanted to do for the rest of my life,” Wako continued. “My mom was in health care and my father was in education, so there’s obviously a tendency to follow the path of your parents and my mom just won out on that battle.”
Over a career spanning 30 years, Wako started as a registered nurse working with psychiatric patients. Realizing she wanted to make an even greater impact, she attended medical school in Utah, completed a residency in anesthesiology and a fellowship in perioperative medicine at the University of Washington, and earned an MBA from UW’s Foster School of Business.
“I started nursing school at Walla Walla Community College. It was a two-year program, and you graduate as an RN,” says Wako. “While I was in nursing school, I made the decision to continue my education and become a physician. So, I completed my associates, and I transferred to the University of Washington where I finished my degree with a Bachelor of Science in zoology and a minor in classics. I love classics.”
Since joining Swedish in 2011, Wako has held numerous leadership roles, including chief medical officer for the First Hill campus, chief operating officer for First Hill, and chief executive for both First Hill and Cherry Hill campuses. According to R. Omar Riojas, Chair of the Swedish Board of Trustees, her appointment as president and CEO marks a series of firsts for the 113-year-old organization.
“Dr. Wako’s appointment represents a number of historic firsts for Swedish,” says Riojas. “She is the first woman and the first African American to lead the organization. As a nurse, physician, woman of color, wife, and mother of four, she brings a unique perspective that is critical in shaping health-care delivery.”
It is this unique perspective based on her vast array of experiences that has shape her leadership and decision-making philosophies when it comes to health care.
“I use [the lessons and experience of] those early years a lot in my current role,” says Wako. “When I worked as a behavioral health nurse, I worked in both home health, and I delivered medications to our patients. I also worked in a group home that helped homeless behavioral health patients. So, I feel like I saw all spectrums of behavioral health care. And because we as humans all deal with mental health, I don’t see it as an illness, it is a normal part of our lives, and by understanding that, I think I have learned to relate with my patients, co-workers, and family in a more impactful way. I think that experience really taught me a lot.”
Under her leadership, Wako is overseeing new construction as Swedish is expanding its capabilities and technology. Wako’s priorities for the future are strengthening access and technology.
“I’m very interested in growing our primary care services,” says Wako. “I think access is really important right now. Making sure that we have the right front door is important. More and more of our population is seeking care, it just becomes really important to make sure you’re directing the care appropriately, whether that’s the clinic, whether that’s telemedicine virtual care, it’s really about preventing the overuse or unnecessary use. It’s really about getting us to a place of value-based care and better population health.”
A centerpiece of this expansion is the construction of two new facilities to provide patients and the community with more resources and services — the North Tower, a major addition to the Swedish campus, and the new main surgery facility.
According to Wako, the North Tower project will add 750,000 square feet to an already existing 1.5 million square foot facility, and the new operation room will feature 24 new operating rooms and 72 new IC U beds that are acuity adaptable.
“I’m always excited to talk about the North Tower. It is, I think, one of the most exciting things we have going on our campus,” says Wako. “Certainly, for our caregivers, for our patients and really for the community.”
“[As it relates to the new surgery center], if you come in sick as an IC U patient, you can stay in the same room until you get discharged. So, as you improve, we don’t have to move you out of your room, you’ll be able to continue to receive services right there.”
Despite the exciting developments, Wako acknowledges the challenges that lie ahead, particularly as it relates to access to in primary care.
“The next 10 years will be pivotal,” Wako said. “Baby boomers are signing up for Medicare at around 10,000 a day. Imagine that 10,000 people signing up for Medicare a day. And what’s important to know about Medicare is that it signifies that the population is aging and as the population ages, they use our resources more. [The challenge is] really about making sure that we have enough primary care for our patients to be able to access [the care that they need].”
Even with the great demand that her role places on her time, the health care provider in Wako reinforces the need to take time for herself. She makes a conscious effort in maintaining a sustainable balance between work life and her personal life to make sure that she stays grounded in the midst of a changing society.
“I work really hard to maintain my relationship with my friends and my family outside of work,” says Wako.
“So, the caveat to that is I love cooking, I love having people over, I love dinner parties,” she says with a cheerful grin and laugh. “Those are the things that make me happy and kind of rejuvenate my soul.”
