Dr. Kenisha Campbell has been appointed as the new Chief Medical Officer for the Seattle Children’s Care Network (SCCN), where she aims to address healthcare inequities affecting families. With a commitment to ensuring that accessing basic healthcare services is not a privilege, Dr. Campbell is focused on delivering equitable and preventive care for all patients.
SCCN oversees 15 community pediatric clinics that serve over 137,000 children. Dr. Campbell’s philosophy centers on the importance of preventive care and early intervention, emphasizing that “the foundations for a healthy life are built in childhood and adolescence.” This belief was cultivated during her medical education at Washington University in Saint Louis, where her work with adolescents inspired her to pursue a specialization in Pediatrics. She completed her residency at the University of Rochester’s Golisano Children’s Hospital and later a fellowship at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, focusing on adolescent medicine while earning her master’s in public health.
Her professional journey has brought her to various roles, including leading adolescent primary care at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Dr. Campbell was drawn to Seattle by the Odessa Brown Children’s Clinic, where she served as medical director. She noted the clinic’s impressive history of community connection and its holistic approach to patient care, stating, “Working at the intersection of pediatric care and community health requires you to understand the unique challenges families face outside the clinic walls.”
At SCCN, Dr. Campbell spearheads quality improvement initiatives that target vital areas such as immunizations, preventive visits, antibiotic stewardship, and chronic disease management, particularly for conditions like asthma and ADHD. She recognizes the necessity of bridging communication gaps between different healthcare sectors to achieve these goals. “Building effective population health programs isn’t easy because you have to collaborate through interdisciplinary teams,” she explained. This collaboration involves primary care providers, specialists, operational leaders, data analysts, and community partners who often use different terminologies.
Through her leadership, SCCN has implemented comprehensive screening efforts, successfully screening over 50,000 patients for behavioral health needs last year. This proactive approach helps connect families with necessary resources before issues escalate. Dr. Campbell’s commitment to health equity is evident in the network’s practices, which are required to accept Medicaid insurance and conduct standardized assessments to identify disparities in health outcomes.
Dr. Campbell credits her mentors and the communities she has served for shaping her equity-focused healthcare philosophy. She stated, “Every initiative we launch has an equity lens built into its foundation.” Her vision extends beyond merely applying evidence-based practices; it involves creating a comprehensive system that empowers providers to deliver consistent, high-quality care.
For busy community pediatricians, SCCN offers essential data infrastructure and quality improvement expertise, vital for transforming care delivery. Reflecting on her role, Dr. Campbell expressed gratitude for the opportunity to unite 135 providers dedicated to the health of children and adolescents across the region. Through her leadership, the Seattle Children’s Care Network is poised to make significant strides in pediatric health equity, ensuring that every child has access to the care they deserve.