Originally from Lebanon, Ohio, first-generation graduate Cecelia Yeary (MHA, ‘15) is currently the Vice President Cardiovascular, Oncology, & Clinical Support at Baptist Health Lexington.
Kentucky has one of the highest rates of heart disease and cancer in the country, therefore access to high quality care is crucial.
At Baptist Health, Cecelia leads key service lines and core services which are vital to the health of Kentuckians. Their clinical support services such as radiology, laboratory, and pharmacy, and more, are essential to the care process. For example, access to an imaging procedure can be an indicator for diagnosis in initiating a treatment plan.
“My goal is to facilitate collaboration and communication to ensure our teams have the resources they need to provide high quality, compassionate care and we are providing the access to care needed for our patients,” says Cecelia. “I am impressed daily by the feedback our patients give about how kind and compassionate everyone at Baptist Health Lexington, which shows how dedicated all of our teams are to the mission and vision.”
Cecelia shares her story, including the biggest influences in her life, motivations for pursuing an education and career in public health, what she enjoyed as a student at the University of Kentucky College of Public Health, exciting projects in her current role at Baptist Health, and more.
Who have been some of your biggest influences in your life?
“My biggest influences in my life are my mom and dad. They both taught me the importance of having a strong work ethic while also always being willing to serve others. They both built their life and business from the ground up, but if anyone ever needed anything they were the first ones to help and instilled that mentality in me. Professionally, I can’t say enough about being influenced by my peers. I firmly believe there are two key principles foundational for continued success: communication and collaboration. I have had the opportunity through collaborating with my peers to develop some amazing relationships with peers who not only support me but challenge me and I am so thankful for that,” said Cecelia.
“My biggest influences in my life are my mom and dad. They both taught me the importance of having a strong work ethic while also always being willing to serve others. They both built their life and business from the ground up, but if anyone ever needed anything they were the first ones to help and instilled that mentality in me.
Professionally, I can’t say enough about being influenced by my peers. I firmly believe there are two key principles foundational for continued success: communication and collaboration. I have had the opportunity through collaborating with my peers to develop some amazing relationships with peers who not only support me but challenge me and I am so thankful for that,” said Cecelia.
What originally motivated you to pursue an education and future career in public health?
“I always had a passion for healthcare and for leadership, but knew a clinical path was not for me. To me, being in healthcare was an opportunity to serve and lead simultaneously. I have a deep passion for caring for people, therefore the opportunity to care for people who are caring for those who need it most felt like the right fit. When I was an undergraduate at the University of Kentucky in the College of Communications, I had to complete an internship. I knew I wanted to explore hospital administration and was having a challenging time finding an internship that I felt fit my goals. I googled “UK HealthCare,” and came across Dr. Michael Karpf’s email. I took my shot, emailed him, and requested an internship. He was gracious enough to send it to Ann Smith, the Chief Administrative Officer then. Ann provided me with an incredible opportunity to have exposure with the senior leadership at UK Healthcare for the semester where I also spent time with the Administrative Fellows who encouraged me to get my MHA. I ended up working at the information desk when Pavilion A of UK HealthCare opened and moved into a management role over the information desks within a year. I managed the information desks as a Patient Experience Manager at UK HealthCare while completing my Master of Health Administration (MHA) at the College of Public Health. After completing my masters, I accepted the Administrative Fellowship at UK HealthCare which was my goal once spending my internship with the administrative fellows in my undergraduate internship,” said Cecelia.
“I always had a passion for healthcare and for leadership, but knew a clinical path was not for me. To me, being in healthcare was an opportunity to serve and lead simultaneously. I have a deep passion for caring for people, therefore the opportunity to care for people who are caring for those who need it most felt like the right fit.
When I was an undergraduate at the University of Kentucky in the College of Communications, I had to complete an internship. I knew I wanted to explore hospital administration and was having a challenging time finding an internship that I felt fit my goals.
I googled “UK HealthCare,” and came across Dr. Michael Karpf’s email. I took my shot, emailed him, and requested an internship. He was gracious enough to send it to Ann Smith, the Chief Administrative Officer then. Ann provided me with an incredible opportunity to have exposure with the senior leadership at UK Healthcare for the semester where I also spent time with the Administrative Fellows who encouraged me to get my MHA.
I ended up working at the information desk when Pavilion A of UK HealthCare opened and moved into a management role over the information desks within a year. I managed the information desks as a Patient Experience Manager at UK HealthCare while completing my Master of Health Administration (MHA) at the College of Public Health.
After completing my masters, I accepted the Administrative Fellowship at UK HealthCare which was my goal once spending my internship with the administrative fellows in my undergraduate internship,” said Cecelia.
What were some of your best moments/memories as a student at the College of Public Health and how did it prepare you for your career?
“I thoroughly enjoyed my experience in the MHA program and felt it prepared me with the knowledge base and applicable skills I needed to be successful. One thing that stood out to me was how invested the professors were in the program and to the success of the students. Each of them came with unique healthcare backgrounds which added so much value to the courses. In addition to the professors, I was able to connect with my classmates and maintain those connections to this day. Those connections have been valuable throughout my career because we all end up at different organizations across the country and can connect and bounce ideas off each other,” said Cecelia.
“I thoroughly enjoyed my experience in the MHA program and felt it prepared me with the knowledge base and applicable skills I needed to be successful.
One thing that stood out to me was how invested the professors were in the program and to the success of the students. Each of them came with unique healthcare backgrounds which added so much value to the courses.
In addition to the professors, I was able to connect with my classmates and maintain those connections to this day. Those connections have been valuable throughout my career because we all end up at different organizations across the country and can connect and bounce ideas off each other,” said Cecelia.
What are some exciting projects that you (and team) are currently working on at Baptist Health?
“We are currently in the final operational planning phases of opening Baptist Health Hamburg (April 2024)! This facility will serve as a key access point for our patients and will include a Free-Standing Emergency Department, Ambulatory Surgery center, Infusion Center, Oncology Services, and Imaging to name a few. We continue to have a growing need for these services and are thrilled to be able to expand within the direct Lexington market to increase access to care,” said Cecelia.
“We are currently in the final operational planning phases of opening Baptist Health Hamburg (April 2024)! This facility will serve as a key access point for our patients and will include a Free-Standing Emergency Department, Ambulatory Surgery center, Infusion Center, Oncology Services, and Imaging to name a few.
We continue to have a growing need for these services and are thrilled to be able to expand within the direct Lexington market to increase access to care,” said Cecelia.
What does being a “health champion” mean to you?
“Being a health champion to me is being an advocate to ensure our friends, family, co-workers, neighbors can receive the care they need when they need it. Our healthcare systems are complex and sometimes intimidating which can prevent people from seeking care when they need it. We need champions to help break down these barriers and ensure the high-quality care our providers give can be accessed easily by those who need it,” said Cecelia.
“Being a health champion to me is being an advocate to ensure our friends, family, co-workers, neighbors can receive the care they need when they need it.
Our healthcare systems are complex and sometimes intimidating which can prevent people from seeking care when they need it. We need champions to help break down these barriers and ensure the high-quality care our providers give can be accessed easily by those who need it,” said Cecelia.
To learn more about our MHA program, visit cph.uky.edu/MHA.
To learn more about our people, programs, and passion for public health, visit us at cph.uky.edu.
