Stacy Colimore

My path to becoming Director of Patient Experience for Johns Hopkins Health System started with a personal health crisis when I was in my twenties. I had an ovarian tumor that needed to be removed, and going through all that fear and vulnerability - not knowing if I'd be able to have children, if I'd need chemo, what the outcome would be - really called me into healthcare. I'm very faith-filled, a practicing Catholic, and I've always felt called to serve other people. Luckily, I came out on the other side well, and I realized that just because I didn't have to continue suffering didn't mean others weren't going through those traumatic experiences. I wanted to be there for people who are suffering. I actually went back to the hospital that did my surgery, University of Maryland St. Joseph Medical Center, where I'd received wonderful care. I started as a nursing assistant and served there for 18 years, moving all the way through to director of nursing. But what I always loved was the patient experience piece - how this impacts human beings. When the Director of Patient Experience role became available, I was very excited to give it a try. What I do now is put strategy to the way we show our caring and compassion to our patients and to each other, creating programs and best practices for a compassion-infused culture. I've been in hospitals since 1995, in nursing for 26 years, and in patient experience leadership for 7 years.