The Greater Washington area has a long history of influential business leaders powering the growth of our region and the strength of their communities. On Dec. 5, the Washington Business Hall of Fame will welcome five such leaders to receive our region’s signature lifetime business achievement award. The Hall of Fame brings these visionaries (the best in business) to the table with the next generation of leaders (the next in business), through an experience that connects and inspires us all.
The 2023 Hall of Fame Laureates are no strangers to media coverage. If you live in the Washington region, chances are you’ve seen their names in headlines for years. What you may not have witnessed is these trailblazers telling their stories in their own words. That’s what this series brings you – the look back, lessons and life advice that these Laureates have to offer based on a lifetime of success.
Washington’s best in business: Dr. Kurt D. Newman
Dr. Kurt Newman was president and chief executive officer of Children's National Hospital in Washington, D.C., which is currently ranked No. 5 nationally by U.S. News & World Report. Newman is a surgeon and a recognized leader in pediatric health care nationally. He is also the author of a 2017 best-selling medical memoir, “Healing Children: A Surgeon’s Stories From the Frontiers of Pediatric Medicine.” His full Hall of Fame Laureate biography is available here.
Read on to learn about the mentor that changed the way Newman led, the medical breakthroughs that he believes are near on the horizon and the one thing he thinks all students should do right now.
What is the hardest job you have ever done?
Kurt Newman: Before I was the CEO of Children’s National Hospital, I spent over 25 years as a pediatric surgeon there. I took care of many children, often during very challenging situations. The hardest part of that job was when I needed to share that a child’s disease or injury was life-threatening, and that we did not have the medicines or tools to provide a solution.
This experience was my motivation to create the Sheikh Zayed Institute for Pediatric Surgical Innovation at Children’s National so that we could deliver new technology and cures designed specifically for children. The goal of the Institute is to make surgery more precise, less invasive and pain-free, and I am so proud of the progress we have made.
Did you have a mentor? If so, who was it, and how did they impact your career trajectory?
Newman: Joe Robert was the founder of JER Partners and was an incredible businessman and philanthropist. He had an enormous impact on me as a leader.
Joe taught me to dream big, especially when it came to a vision supported by philanthropy. I’d come to him with a modest idea that was basically incremental and tinkering at the edges. That, however, was not the kind of guy Joe was. When I would give him a plan like that, he would rip it up. He would say, "Come back to me with a big idea. Think beyond what you know. Think about the huge impact you can have on kids." That approach of shooting for the stars is one I carried with me during my nearly 12 years as CEO of Children’s National.
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