ArMA Member Spotlight: Marjorie Bessel, MD!
We're proud to introduce Marjorie Bessel, MD as ArMA's October Member Spotlight!
Dr. Bessel currently serves as the chief clinical officer at Banner Health. She attended Rush Medical College in Chicago, Illinois, where she earned the James B. Herrick award for most outstanding performance in internal medicine and earned the honor of acting as a chief resident.
She began her journey at Banner 12 years ago, and since, has served as a progressive leader with the organization. Her clinical philosophy centers empowering patients through transparent clinical interactions and information. Learn more about Dr. Bessel below!
Which aspect of your role as Banner Health’s CCO are you most passionate about? What about it invigorates you?
"I have been passionate about taking care of our caregivers. Since 2017, we have implemented an evidence-based strategic plan to promote wellness and reduce burnout. The challenges of clinical care continue to mount and it is imperative for all of us in leadership roles to listen and support our caregivers who deliver care.
As the expectations and cognitive load on caregivers seems to ever-increase, I am however invigorated by the technology advances that are becoming within reach to reduce burden on our teams. I believe the next 5-10 years will have amazing changes to workflow that will ultimately allow the day in the life of our caregivers to improve which then will directly improve care received by our patients."
Which of of Banner Health’s recent achievements are you most proud of?
"We just celebrated our 25th anniversary. As a not for profit organization focused on caring for our communities, this is a milestone of pride for me as I reflect on the amazing care provide over a quarter century."
What initiatives is Banner Health undertaking in the near future?
"We are embarking on an HRO (high reliability) journey and I am excited by the energy and enthusiasm our organization has for this. The impact of being leading enterprise-wide learning to improve safety, quality, patient experience and team member engagement is exhilarating for me.”
What prompted you to become involved in organized medicine?
"My journey is similar to others I believe. I never chartered a course to be in a role like the one I am currently so privileged to have. It’s a credit to my parents for encouraging me to always take on new challenges and to many mentors along my path that identified opportunities they saw for me that I usually did not at the time."
Where is your favorite place to grab a bite in Arizona?
"This is an unusual one, I am sure. I grew up in Buffalo and Teds hot dogs in Tempe is a chain from Buffalo. The Tempe location is the only one outside the Buffalo area."
What success in your career are you most proud of?
"Banner Health, like so many others, did almost unimaginable stretch during the pandemic to care for our communities. I am so proud of the leadership role I played, Banner played and our team members played."
If you weren't pursuing medicine, what would you be up to right now?
"My husband, who is also a physician, and I are dog lovers. We have rescued dogs together and would likely do full-time rescue if we weren’t both in medicine right now"
What would people be surprised to learn about you?
"My dad was my running coach in my younger days and my mom was also a runner. She and I were featured in Sports Illustrated in Faces in the Crowd. I believe that the rigor, pacing and dedication that I learned from being in sports also has helped me throughout my entire career.”
What do you like best about living in Arizona?
"I love living in Arizona and appreciate the beauty of the desert, the ability to get to the mountains in just a few hours, sitting by the pool in winter telling my family and friends in Buffalo that I am doing so (!) and the ease of traveling anywhere from Sky Harbor Airport."
Why is ArMA important to you and the physicians you lead?
"As we all worked through the incredible challenges of the pandemic, it became very clear that collective voices of those doing work were critical. ArMA is a way for trained professionals to collaborate for the betterment of health of our communities.”
