15 - Interview with Dr. Jim Dunn, Executive Vice President and Chief People and Culture Officer for Atrium Health

Dr. Jim Dunn, executive vice president and chief people and culture officer for Atrium Health, one of the most comprehensive and highly integrated not-for-profit healthcare systems in the country. As a member of the executive leadership team, Dunn leads teams that focus on the engagement of Atrium Health teammates – from recruitment through retirement – including workforce relations, diversity and inclusion, compensation, benefits, learning and organizational development, teammate health, corporate and community outreach and government relations.

A national expert in culture, diversity and inclusion and the employee experience, Dunn joined Atrium Health in April 2018. Previously, Dunn served as the executive vice president and chief talent officer for Parkland Health and Hospital System in Dallas, Texas. Jim holds a bachelor’s degree in chemistry and macro-environmental science from Howard University, a master’s degree in business administration from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and a Master of Public Health degree in occupational health from Emory University. Additionally, Jim holds multiple doctoral degrees in education, organizational development and healthcare administration from Emory University, Benedictine University and the Medical University of South Carolina, respectively.

In this episode Tracy interviews Dr. Jim Dunn- executive vice president and chief people and culture officer for Atrium Health – on his leadership philosophy and beliefs around enhancing employee well-being. Tracy and Jim discuss the importance of employee health and well-being within the health ecosystem, and the connection between employee well-being and patient outcomes.  

Jim Dunn Show Notes

1. Employee well-being, including the well-being of physicians, is vital to the well-being of patients. As caregivers, those who serve on the frontlines of healthcare, are accustomed to working in selfless ways. Physicians and other health system employees must be taught to ‘put their own facemask on first’ to best take care of others.
2. Solutions relating to employee health and well-being are personal- and never one size fits all. Content and support should be designed on a variety of topics and in a variety of formats to help ensure maximum benefit across a workforce. Offerings should be supplemented with 1:1 manager support and check-ins.
3. Atrium has train 40,000+ team mates to become ‘compassion champions’ through their Code Lavender program, designed as a response to teammate stress, burnout, and mental health challenges
4. At the national level it has become a requirement that healthcare organizations, and all organizations, demonstrate that they care about people as people instead of a means to productivity. When considering how to alleviate burnout within their own organizations- health ecosystem leaders should look to making improvements in administrative burden where possible.
5. The national shortage of healthcare workers is in small and large part due to physical/emotional trauma and burnout. An important role of health ecosystem leaders at the executive level is to take care of those who take care of patients. This care allows frontline healthcare workers to contribute themselves more wholly to their work.
6. Investing in leadership development is a meaningful lever for creating a culture where teammates can thrive. Health ecosystem leaders must learn how to have authentic supportive discussions, demonstrate connection and vulnerability, and deeply listen to and empower their teams to improve processes and remove frustrations.