Bianna M. Gillies

I attribute my success to resilience, consistency, and my willingness to keep learning. My career and educational journey have not always been easy, but I’ve learned to view challenges as opportunities to grow rather than reasons to stop. I also credit the people who have supported and challenged me along the way. Having a strong village has reminded me that success is not just about individual achievement...it’s about being willing to learn from others, remain adaptable, and use what I’ve learned to create opportunities for those coming behind me.

The best career advice I’ve received is “Don’t be afraid to advocate for yourself.” You can work hard and be excellent at what you do, but people also need to understand your value, your goals, and where you want to go next. I’ve learned that advocating for yourself doesn’t mean being entitled.

It means being intentional about your career, asking for opportunities, seeking feedback, and being willing to step outside of your comfort zone.

I would tell young women to never shrink themselves to make other people comfortable. Healthcare is an industry where women have tremendous influence, but leadership requires confidence, communication, and the willingness to speak up. Learn the business side of healthcare, understand the data, build relationships across departments, and don't be afraid to sit at tables where you may initially feel like you don't belong. Your perspective has value. Your uniqueness is an asset. And most importantly, define success for yourself rather than allowing other people to define it for you.

One of the biggest challenges in healthcare is balancing the need to improve access, quality, and patient outcomes with the realities of cost, workforce challenges, and increasingly complex systems. At the same time, I see tremendous opportunity in technology, AI, telehealth, behavioral health integration, and data-driven healthcare operations. The opportunity is not simply to implement new technology, but to use it thoughtfully to make healthcare more accessible, efficient, and human-centered. Professionals who can bridge the gap between people, technology, and operations will be especially valuable.

Integrity, compassion, growth, and accountability are the values that matter most to me. I want to be someone people can trust, both professionally and personally. Compassion reminds me that there is always a person behind a problem or a metric, while accountability keeps me honest about my own responsibilities and areas for growth. And growth is incredibly important to me because I never want to become complacent. I want my work to have an impact, but I also want to continue becoming a better leader, professional, and person along the way.