Get to know Jennifer Miller

I was born and raised on a family farm in Iowa. My original plan was to complete my dietetic internship at the University of Iowa, get licensed and credentialed as a dietitian, and then move on to another opportunity. However, I quickly realized that working for UI Health Care was my new goal.

I transitioned from my dietetic internship to a management role in Food & Nutrition Services to an administrative fellowship where I had a front row seat to learn directly from the executive leadership team. The experience gave me an idea of what an administrative career in health care looks like.

After my fellowship, I spent four years in operations, planning, and design for what is now the University of Iowa Health Care Stead Family Children's Hospital. In that role, I came to appreciate all the planning and coordination that goes on behind the scenes at hospitals by shadowing physicians, nurses, and housekeepers.

Then I became director of support services, a role I had for 10 years before accepting this new position. Within support services, I was responsible for the day-to-day operations—including service, quality, safety, and fiscal performance—of Accreditation Services, Environmental Services, Safety and Security, Central Sterilization Services, Food and Nutrition Services, Supply Chain, Engineering Services, Materials Services, and the University Employee Health Clinic for the clinical enterprise of UI Health Care. That position afforded me the opportunity to collaborate and stay connected with every other department in the enterprise.

There are several, but a few stand out for me. While working on planning for Stead Family Children’s Hospital, I spent a lot of time digging into what our pediatric patients and families would need in this new space.

At one point, I worked with a group of teenage patients who gave us honest input about the design of the hospital and things that could be better. As health care workers, we might think we know about the best about hospital designs and patient care, but there are always going to be things our patients see that we don’t. I learned how important it is to listen to them and make it right.

The project helped me truly understand what “patient-centered care” really means, and it required us to accept change and do things differently than we had before. It also reinforced my belief that gathering diverse perspectives is critical to making positive change. Through that experience, I cultivated a real desire to provide the most comfortable clinical environment possible and make sure everyone who comes through our doors is being treated like our guest.

I strive to demonstrate a servant leadership style. I work to ensure our teams are supported, and the frontline staff feel both valued and connected to each other. I wholeheartedly believe in staff engagement and making sure staff members understand how their roles directly support our mission. That includes everyone. I want people to enjoy and celebrate their work here. We need caring, committed people to achieve our goals as an organization.

I ask a lot of questions, and I actively seek feedback from others, which is why I often leave my office to round. As a leader, it’s my job to connect the dots so the entire team can understand a task or what’s expected of them. What is intuitive to one person might not be for another. What unites us is that common search for a higher purpose—not just a job or career—which led many of us to our positions in health care.