Mentoring Healthcare Hall of Fame: Sister Irene Kraus, DC

My mentor Sister Irene Kraus, DC, FACHE passed away of pancreatic cancer 21 years ago on August 20, 1998 in Baltimore the city of her birth. I had the honor to have her in my life since I was 9 years old when she engaged our family business Ryan Advisors to design the new Saint Thomas Hospital in Nashville, Tennessee on July 20, 1969 the day man landed on the moon 50 years ago. Today her legacy lives in my mentoring.

Sister Irene was a devoted Catholic nun, savvy business executive, accomplished board leader, healthcare pioneer and innovator in care delivery. I had the opportunity to witness all of her many impactful roles in the world and tried to incorporate them in my life and 35 year healthcare career. She was very generous with her mentorship in guiding me early in my career when I started at an ICU/CCU unit secretary & STAT messenger at Providence Hospital in Washington, DC in the 1980s. I watched her making hospital rounds on all shifts and equally comfortable interacting with patients, families and hospital staff as well as board of directors and the media.

Upon her recommendation, I completed my Administrative Residency at Saint Thomas Hospital in Nashville, Tennessee where she previous served as CEO and lead building it into the 2nd most prolific cardiac surgery program in the nation; and the most financially successful medical center in the Daughters of Charity health system at the time. After my residency in Music City where her reputation continued decades after her departure, she offered me a Administrative Fellowship at St. Vincent's Medical Center in Jacksonville, Florida on the banks of the St. John's River. I rejoined her as an early careerist and continued my tutelage under Sister Irene's stellar guidance.

Sister Irene set the standard of leadership, dedication and putting in the hard work. I was a early riser and often got to the hospital before 7 am and I could always count on her there in her office working and offering a kind word or encouragement. I will cherish those early morning chats if only for a few moments in the early dawn hours. Years later, we kept in touch via the phone or walking on the sandy white beach in Pensacola, Florida when she was at Sacred Heart Hospital.

Also, I recall her wicked sense of humor, comic timing and her delight in making others smile-----especially their preconceived notion of how a nun should "act"---especially in the deep South where Roman Catholics typically only represents 2% of the population. In 1986, prior to a Christmas week board meeting Sister Irene suddenly "demanded" I start dancing with her to Elvis' "Blue Christmas" which seemed very appropriate given the "Daughters of Charity" blue habits.

One of my proudest moments was when she assigned me, at age 26, to lead and turnaround a bankrupted 100 bed hospital and nursing home in rural Florida upon the special request of then Florida's Governor Bob Graham in 1985. After successful regaining State licensing, Medicare reinstatement and financial stability, Governor Graham provided a letter of commendation to Sister Irene about my efforts in saving the hospital from closing. It continues to be a personal treasure.

• "If the men she encountered were unaccustomed to dealing with a hard-driving business woman in a habit, Sister Irene, a raconteur with an impish sense of humor, knew how to put them at ease and rarely stopped there. At stodgy gatherings, Sister Irene, a tall, imposing woman with a commanding laugh, would sometimes break into an impromptu dance. And when she got up from her seat at a formal dinner to ''work the room,'' Sister Irene would be easy to track: She inevitably left a trail of laughter in her wake."

 Sister Irene is credited with bringing the No Margin, No Mission mantra to health care. She believed healthcare organizations could better fulfill their mission of providing needed healthcare services with potent fiscal management. No margin, no mission – follow the money and the story will lead to the same conclusion every time. 

"During a career in which she served on more than 70 national boards and committees, Sister Irene became accustomed to being the only woman in the room. And in 1980, when she became the first woman to serve as chairman of the American Hospital Association, she headed off a move to call her chairwoman or chairperson. She told the board, ''I didn't work this hard to get here and have my title changed.'' ---NY Times

Sister Irene was a force of nature, skilled business person and a devoted religious as a Daughter of Charity for 50 years joining the order at age 17 after graduating from high school. Besides having her at numerous family gatherings over the 30 years I knew her, I worked with her at Providence Hospital in Washington, DC from 1982-1983; and later at St. Vincent's Medical Center in Jacksonville, Florida where she was CEO at both health system. She would be tapped to be the first President (CEO) of the consolidated National Daughters of Charity Health System in 1986.

Her legacy lives today. I have mentored more than 50 people during my career, the majority are women and people who do NOT look like me or have the opportunities I was given early. For this reason, I continue to advance Sister Irene's legacy more than 20 years after her untimely passing. Its my way of giving back and playing it forward.

Thank you Sister Irene.

Love,

Mike