Influential Woman · Health clinical administration academic
Vinny Kaur
Health clinical administration academic, --
El Paso, TX
Her Story
About Vinny
Vinny Kaur has dedicated 32 years to the academic industry, starting in research administration and later transitioning to clinical administration. She holds a bachelor's degree in industrial psychology and a master's in public health from the University of Illinois School of Public Health. Her notable achievements include being invited to serve on the board of the American Academy for Neurology (AAN), where she represented state academic clinical administrators and advocated for rural and border health regions. Kaur founded the first AAN-sponsored Business Administrators Conference for the nation and has spoken nationally on mental wellness, implementing programs in her department. She attributes her success to learning from mistakes, and finessing those over time, observing more than speaking, and having strong emotional intelligence. Kaur values ethics, integrity, and loyalty in her work and advises young women to invest time and effort in understanding their organization's mission while continuously learning. She emphasizes the need for better training, education, and mentorship in state academic institutions to build effective leaders.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Vinny
01What do you attribute your success to?
I made a lot of mistakes and I've learned from my mistakes. I have finesse things over time. Observing more than talking is more important. Having good EQ helps. It is not about book intelligence but you have to understand situations and analyze and walk it through in my head.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
To be able to find ways to mentally disengage. Whether it's for a day or for a week. Those breaks are important because if you cannot replenish yourself then you come back even more tired.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
To put the hours in, to put the effort in. Continue to gain that knowledge. Put the time in to understand the mission, the vision. I was still learning as of last year after 30-something years and there's always something to learn.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
State academic institutions need to do a better job with training and education. If you want to build a leader you have to train a leader. They need mentors. There were no formal programs, no mentorships. Education, orientation, mentorship are the things missing that will build a better leader.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Being ethical, integrity, loyalty. Those are really hard traits to find. You can teach anyone anything but to find someone with those values that care. If there's a thread on the carpet they're gonna pick it up. Those are the little things I watch my employees do.
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