Dr. Lacknauth currently acts as the Executive Director of Pharmacy Services at Broward Health, responsible for the strategic direction, financial and clinical outcomes, marketing and program refinement with oversight and integration of four acute care hospitals and 10 outpatient clinics.
Favorite Quote: “Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.” — Reinhold Niebuhr
Fun Fact: Playing Football was my favorite high school sport.
What challenges have you faced in your career, and how did you overcome them? My career has presented its fair share of challenges. As a leader, you usually find yourself in areas that you may not necessarily have been before. Core elements of leadership remain constant and should always act as the pillars to support the approach. As I approach areas that I may not be an expert in, listening becomes increasingly important. Listening allows you to gather important elements from the team around you and foster an environment where people will speak up. Instinctively, leaders should always understand that leading is about getting your team to speak up as much as you are giving direction on where you think the team should be going.
What has been the most monumental moment of your career thus far? The COVID crisis has really revealed the strengths of leadership at a time when all eyes are on results. Using the skills we used to run hospitals and health systems and application of those skills with state and federal partners is making a very large impact on affecting lives across the country. Seeing the scientific management of the pandemic crisis applied on an international stage really demonstrates that healthcare systems have great methods to assess benefit and risk. Our health systems have also been powerful at actually making things happen in an environment where the challenges literally change on a daily basis. Science can be very rigid, but our healthcare teams have learned how to maximize its rigidity for population health yet changing direction quickly when the next opportunity revealed itself.
How is the healthcare industry important to you personally? Healthcare delivery systems will ultimately be the solution for efficient and cost-effective care with the ultimate goal of improving the quality of life within the communities we serve. Improvement in the quality of life of a person is a powerful impact.
How did the pandemic disrupt your specific role in the healthcare industry, and how did you adapt? The pandemic increased communication across the country to many that I may not have otherwise had the opportunity to work with. The level of collaboration within the local community, state and federal levels was unbelievable. All areas had the same common goal of keeping our communities safe. Contacts and relationships created in order to create a safe yet efficient healthcare delivery system will probably forever improve healthcare.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever gotten? The best advice I have gotten is to make sure you always listen. So many times, we have an idea of what must happen before we really listen to factors that may change that viewpoint. I try to ensure I pause to really listen to those around me.
What do you love most about working in healthcare? I love the relationships that I am able to build with very talented people. Combine the relationships with the common goal of community health and we are building great teams in healthcare.
