Meet Lankenau Medical Center's new president, who hopes to inspire other women in health care

Lankenau Medical Center has a new president, a woman who started the job during Women's History Month, which is now coming to a close.

Women only make up about 20% of hospital presidents in the United States. Anna Michelle Brandt, the new president of Lankenau, said she hopes to pave the way for others.

Brandt has a background in hospital administration and began her new job at Lankenau on March 1. She most recently worked as chief operating officer at University Hospital in Newark, New Jersey.

"Starting this role in Women's History Month, it's not lost on me," Brandt said. "Women have a very strong part of the workforce in health care, but they're not always equally represented in leadership roles."

Brandt said her leadership skills are rooted in her background, growing up in a small town and being on several sports teams.

"I really learned the sense of community and teamwork and the importance of taking care of each other," Brandt said.

Brandt said she was especially attracted to Lankenau because of its strong ties to the community.

"It is rare to have a place that has the clinical quality that we have," she said. "As well as the commitment to teaching and research, but truly be embedded in a community."

The community that Lankenau serves has recently faced challenges with the recent closure of Crozer Hospital. Lankenau has gotten extra patients, and like all hospitals, is facing financial and staffing issues.

"We need to think about approaching things a little bit differently," Brandt said.

Brandt said efficiency will be a big focus, while not impacting patient care.

"Walking the halls is one of the most important parts of what I do, and it's one of the things that I enjoy most," Brandt said. "It gives me an opportunity to interact with both our staff and also our patients." 

Brandt said she's honored to be the new president of Lankenau, the busy level 2 trauma center, with tens of thousands of patients and a staff of about 2,000.

"I will say that I did not start with a goal of becoming a president of a hospital," Brandt said. "I've always just wanted to make sure that I'm contributing and also growing personally and professionally."