A leader of the medical school’s clinical services oversaw several organizational changes in 2019 and is looking forward to position WMed Health for further growth in 2020.
Naren Kumar, MBA, DPT, BPT arrived at the medical school in June of last year as director of Clinical Services. In December 2019, he was named assistant dean for Clinical Affairs when the senior leadership for WMed Health was restructured.
WMed Health, the clinical practice of the medical school, provides comprehensive primary care and specialty services including several subspecialties not otherwise found in Kalamazoo such as pediatric endocrinology, infectious diseases, and geriatrics, to name a few.
“WMed Health not only provides primary care but we have subspecialty services that fill a void in the community. We are here so that patients in southwest Michigan don’t have to leave the community for their healthcare services,” Kumar said.
Kumar has more than 20 years of leadership experience in hospitals and ambulatory centers. Prior to arriving at the medical school, he was the vice president and senior director for Rehabilitation and Support Services at Beaumont Health in Farmington Hills. He earned his master’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Michigan, his Doctor of Physical Therapy from A.T. Still University, and his Bachelor of Physiotherapy from the Tamilnadu Dr.M.G.R. Medical University in India. At Beaumont Health, he was responsible for 13 departments and 650 employees, oversaw the company’s master facility plan expansion, and was accountable for budget performance, operations efficiency, service excellence and patient satisfaction.
Since arriving to WMed Health last June, Kumar has played a key role in leading facility changes and process efficiency to enhance the patient and family experience. Kumar said the opportunity to work at a newer medical school with resident physician and student learners and to assist WMed Health to achieve their vision of excellence in patient care is what attracted him to the job.
“I came to WMed because it is an opportunity to positively impact the new generation of physicians through the learning environment that we provide in our medical school clinics,” Kumar said. “To establish a high-performing clinical environment that enables the delivery of excellent patient-centered care is what excited me to come here.”
Kumar said he chose healthcare as a career out of a desire to help people. He said he realized being in healthcare leadership would allow him to impact the lives of many people at the same time. Going forward, Kumar said his plans for WMed Health include preparing the medical school for the future of medical care. Most organizations are moving from a fee-for-service model to value-based care, which includes helping patients to proactively take care of their health, he said.