‘Inside UVA’: Craig Kent Talks Ranching and Running UVA Health During the Pandemic

​​President Jim Ryan: If I remember correctly, you started maybe just a week or two before the pandemic really hit. Do you feel like you brought the pandemic to Charlottesville?

Dr. Craig Kent: I think you've told me that several times, if I remember correctly. I've been accused of a lot of things, but I did not bring the pandemic to Charlottesville.

Ryan: Um, hi, everyone. I'm Jim Ryan, the President of the University of Virginia and I'd like to welcome all of you to the 12th episode of Inside UVA. This podcast is a chance for me to speak with some of the amazing people at the university and to learn more about what they do and who they are. My hope is that listeners will ultimately have a better understanding of how UVA works and a deeper appreciation of the remarkably talented and dedicated people who make UVA the institution it is. Today's guest is Craig Kent, who is Chief Executive Officer of UVA Health and Executive Vice President for Health Affairs at UVA. Craig, thank you for being here.

Kent: Thanks for inviting me.

Ryan: So I want to talk a bit about your role at UVA health. But let's start at the beginning. I understand that you grew up on a ranch in Nevada, which is of particular interest to me right now, because I'm both reading Lonesome Dove and watching the show Yellowstone. So I feel like I'm on a Western kick. So even if it's just for me, can you describe what life on the ranch was like?

Kent: No, absolutely. And I'm sure of all the dramatic events that you were able to observe and read about, of course, it was exactly as was described. Well, so growing up in a ranch was really fantastic. It's almost a perfect childhood. In fact, I wish many times over I could provide a similar childhood to my children. And some of the features of it that made it so great were you know, the freedom of our life, living outdoors, tremendous people, ranchers, farmers are just really good people. They're good because they work really hard and they have a lot of pride in what they can accomplish. So just a great childhood. Just very fortunate to have wonderful parents and a farm life, a ranch life that had been in place for many, many years.

Ryan: And did you ever think about continuing in that life? And then how did you go from living on a ranch to going to college?

Kent: Well, so I wasn't supposed to [go to college]. The ranch had actually been in the family since 1883. So it passed from generation to generation. My father didn't go to college, but he took the ranch over from his grandfather and, you know, it went backwards in that way, and so I was the only son so I was supposed to take over the ranch. And it wasn't my father's vision that I would go to college. I should just step into his role. You know, I loved school, and I thought it'd be great idea to go to college. So I rebelled and went to college 60 miles away to be an agriculture major. That was the deal. I could go to college if I was an agriculture major. So I did that and came home on the weekends and worked on the ranch and in the summer worked on the ranch and, and then one day told my father, I was going to switch from an agriculture to a biology major. Because I was saying, I already knew how to be a rancher. So you know, I didn't need to go to college to for that. So, so I was a biology major. And then I couldn't quite figure out what I was going to do with a biology degree. And one of my advisors said, you're pretty good with people you like people. You like biology. Have you ever thought about being a doctor? So I said, "Well, that's interesting." And so started exploring that and then I came home, told my dad, I was going to be a doctor. So he had it all figured out. I was going to be a community doct or come home to Fallon, Nevada, and take over the ranch. So I could doctor during the daytime, and ranch, you know, on the weekends.

Ryan: Sounds like not a bad life.

Kent: Yeah, no, it could have been a great life. And then I decided once I finished medical school to be a surgeon, but the my town wasn't large enough for a surgeon so I was going to go to Reno, Nevada, and be a surgeon, but then drive down on the weekends and run the ranch. And then I told him I was going to be an academic surgeon. And that's that's where it was a problem because there wasn't a place in Nevada to be an academic surgeon and I went back to Boston and that was it. But by that time, I have to say, he was really proud of me. We were incredibly close. We worked for thousands of hours together on the ranch. And so it turned out fine. But that was his vision and if I had gone in that direction, I would have had a great life. Ranching is probably one of the best lives anyone can have.

Ryan: So how did you decide to become a surgeon?

Kent: You know, there is a bit of working with your hands on a ranch. There's a practical nature of being a rancher or farmer. And in surgery is a little bit like that. You work with your hands. You're very practical. And so when I was in medical school, I went on my surgical rotation I had no idea what I wanted to do and just fell in love. I just absolutely loved it. Never looked back since.

Ryan: And your specialty is cardiothorasic surgery, is that right?

Kent: Actually vascular surgery.

Ryan: Oh, vascular surgery, my bad.

Kent: Vascular surgery is the blood vessels outside of the heart. So you know, the in the arms, the legs, the, the kidneys, the intestine and that sort. And it's a very technically demanding surgery, you wear these magnifying glasses, and you work with like 9-0 sutures. So it's very delicate work. And I just liked the challenge associated with it. Also gratifying, because if you fix a plugged artery and you open it up, then you see blood flow again to a part of the body that was probably going to die if you didn't accomplish that. So, so very gratifying. You know, I was a busy surgeon for many, many years and loved that part of my career.

Ryan: And you are also a renowned researcher and a very successful one as well. And when did you become interested in research was that in medical school as well? And how do you combine, you know, practicing as a surgeon and doing research as well?

Kent: Yeah, so great question I didn't involve myself in research in medical school, nor in my residency. I was, again, going to go back into community practice near the ranch. But then I went back to Boston for a fellowship. And they forced me, actually, to spend a year doing research during the fellowship. I didn't want to, but they said, If you want the fellowship at the Brigham, you've got to do two years and a year of research. And so I spent a year doing research, actually worked with someone in Judah Folkman's lab, who is the person that discovered angiogenesis. And I guess I caught the bug, and I just absolutely loved that year, and was convinced at the end of it, that I was going to spend the rest of my career being involved in research and I have been very involved in research. In fact, I'm still funded and still have an active research laboratory. It's, um, it's one of those privileges, right? You know, so I get to be a doctor, I get to operate on people, I love research, I get to do that, in my role, and I get to be an administrator and help healthcare organizations move forward. How lucky can one be to be able to have all those opportunities at the same time. And there isn't any part of it that I don't enjoy. It kind of goes back to my philosophy of life, if you get up in the morning, you oughta be excited about the day in front of you. And there's no day when I get up that I'm not excited, because I have so many great things that I have the chance to do.

Ryan: Right. So I was gonna ask you about when you first started becoming an academic administrator, and what led you to, to choose that path?

Kent: Yeah, so my first faculty position was in Boston at one of the Boston hospitals and so I was a busy surgeon, had my research lab going and was enjoying all of that. And then about three or four years into it, I started looking at the division. I was part of a division of vascular surgery, and thinking, we could do that better, or we might be able to do this better. But I didn't have any power to make any changes. And in fact, I actually think... he's a good friend still... I drove my division chief crazy, because I kept coming to him with all these ideas. One day he said, "Craig, you know, why don't you just go off and be a division chief someplace else." And, and so I did that. And then what a great opportunity to grow programs to work with other people to make them successful to grow research. And so that was my first opportunity as a division chief. And then I've kind of gone through the process of being a department chair, a dean, and now in this role of running a health system. You know, that the leadership part of it's just so much fun, because if you're successful, or maybe more importantly, if the people that you're working with are successful, the organization benefits, the patients benefit, the research world benefits, and so to be able to lead that kind of an effort is really exciting, and something I've really always enjoyed.

Ryan: And what led you to UVA?

Kent: Well, so you know, I was a dean at Ohio State and really enjoying my role there. But then this opportunity came along. And I've always had a special place in my heart for UVA. The Department of Surgery at UVA is just absolutely fantastic. And the leaders had invited me over my career down three times to be a visiting professor. And every time I came, I just loved it because of all the great things that were happening here. So when somebody said, "Would you be interested in being a leader at UVA?" of course, I had to explore. The more I explored, the more I understood the strength of the institution and where the opportunities were, and then fell in love. And here I am, thanks to a little encouragement from the guy on the other end of this zoom call.

Ryan: Right. I didn't tell you at the time that most of your time on this job would be during a pandemic.

Kent: Oh, yeah. You did forget to tell me that! I'm with you there.

Ryan: So I know it's been in a remarkably challenging couple of years at UVA Health because of the pandemic in particular. So can you talk a little bit about it? I mean, what's it been like, you know, being on the front lines and dealing with the most significant pandemic in any of our lifetimes?

Kent: Yeah, no, absolutely. So it's been challenging. But we did some things that I think were different in the health system. During the pandemic, we were very nimble, we were creative, we were humble. And I'm really proud of all of that. And I had the chance to get to know the health system. And I'm really proud of what I have found, again, going back to tremendous people. We've navigated the pandemic extremely well. And one of the reasons is, we just have great people. They're devoted, they're on the front lines, they're giving everything they can. Our patients have been extraordinarily well cared for. We've vaccinated the community, we've tested the community. And we're still there in the middle of doing that. And I think we've done that better than most health care organizations around the country. And again, it's because of the really wonderful people here at UVA Health.

Ryan: We're obviously still not out of the pandemic. But as you look forward, do you think the future will be shaped by things that you learned or did differently during the pandemic? That is to say, will the will the pandemic change the practice of medicine at all?

Kent: Absolutely. In fact, it already has. I'll just give it a few examples. But there are so many. So telehealth, we learned how to take care of patients from a distance. And so we'll still continue to take care of patients from a distance because they don't have to drive into our community, we can take wonderful care of people from a distance. And I think the research part of it has also been really interesting. We've very quickly used our ability to innovate, to make a vaccine. I mean, more quickly than has ever been accomplished before. And of course, that's great for a pandemic, but think about doing the same type of innovation if we're going to cure cancer or cardiovascular disease, or Alzheimer's disease. So learning how to research and innovate in a more rapid way is something that I think we also took away from the pandemic. So a lot of lessons learned. I could go on and on. But I think that pandemic, as unfortunate, as it has been, has taught us a lot in terms of healthcare and how we should behave as a health system.

Ryan: Right. And I suppose the silver lining is that it has enabled you to get to know people much more quickly. And also, if you're like me, have come to appreciate how lucky we are to be at UVA and to be surrounded by truly incredible people from world renowned doctors to incredibly dedicated nurses and staff. I bet you've seen that even more so in the in the health system?

Kent: Yeah, no, absolutely. We're just a an amazing group of people here. The other part that I've really enjoyed is the teamwork that we've had within the health system, people coming together to try to solve problems and create solutions for patients. And then the third part that I've really enjoyed is the partnership with the academic part of the university. So lots of great collaborations that have been developed during the pandemic out of necessity, but could only have have happened here at UVA Health and UVA.

Ryan: But I understand as well, that you are living in one of the pavilions. Actually, I've visited you and so I know that you are. I lived in a pavilion for a year myself, so I have a little bit of experience, but I'm wondering how you're enjoying it?

Kent: It's exhilarating. I mean, how many people at my stage of a career have a chance to live in the middle of a university campus? And I have a daughter and a son that both live with me. And they find it equally exciting. There's just a lot of energy, and it's a great place to be. Aside from that. I have a four minute and 32 second walk to work and home. So you know, how bad can that be? And then there's some activities on Friday night that everyone seems to enjoy also, but we won't go into detail about that.

Ryan: And have you had the experience of people walking into your pavilion? When I lived in pavilion eight, people would just wander in, like the lawn was some kind of living museum and we were all actors.

Kent: Yeah. So it's as you described. My son at the time was 16 years old and he was sleeping in his room upstairs. And this couple comes up and they walk into his room. But he wakes up and he sees these people you know it's really, really amazing the stories that we have on the lawn. All fun, all great fun.

Ryan: Well, I think I told you about the time I was coming out of the bathroom in just a towel and a young couple was standing at the end of the hallway, asking me what this place was and I said "actually it's my house" and they said "well, who are you?" and I said "well, I'm the president of the university" and instead of being embarrassed and fleeing, they said, "that's so cool." And I said, "I'm in a towel."

So have you had any time to explore Charlottesville and Albemarle County at all?

Kent: Yeah, no, absolutely. Not enough. You know, it's been busy for all of us. But we've been out hiking, I love to bike. And despite, I'm told by my family a fair amount of jeopardy, I've biked all over Charlottesville and the community. And it's just so spectacular. It's so beautiful. And just recently, we've been able to get out to a few restaurants and the food here is incredible.

Ryan: So last question for you. There are a lot of undergraduate students contemplating medical school. I have a son who is contemplating medical school. What advice would you give someone who's thinking about going to medical school and becoming a doctor? Would you would you encourage them to do it? If you were giving advice what would it be?

Kent: Yes, become a doctor. It's an extraordinary life. And it's beyond that. It's actually a privilege. And how many people get to wake up every morning, and just help people all day long? Every day. I think medicine is going to evolve over the next 30 years in a very positive way. But don't go in with certain expectations. Go in with sort of an adaptable spirit and the ability to adapt with medicine. You know, sometimes people are interested in surgery because they like to make large incisions, that's probably not going to be the way that we perform surgery 10 years from now, or 20 years from now. And so, be adaptable. That's important. And I think everybody's path into medicine is a little different. Some people go straight out of college into medical school, others want to gain a little more experience in research or clinical care before. So there's a lot of different ways to get there. But all of them are really great, but the outcome is you get to be a doctor. And it's just a wonderful life. And the ability to help people is extraordinary. So it's the right decision for those that that are excited about the profession.

Ryan: Well, Craig, thank you for your time. And I want to thank you on behalf of everyone that UVA that you're here and that you chose medicine instead of ranching because we're all the beneficiaries of that choice. But thanks again for spending time and thanks for all that you do for UVA and UVA Health.

Kent: Absolutely. Thanks so much for spending time with me.

Mary Garner McGehee: Inside UVA is a production of WTJU 91.1 FM and the Office of the President at the University of Virginia. Inside UVA is produced by Mary Garner McGehee, Brooke Whitehurst, Matt Weber and Nathan Moore. We also want to thank Dr. Craig Kent, Ginger Kids, Monika Shack, Athena Hanny, and McGregor McCance. Our music is Turning to You from Blue Dot Sessions. Listen and subscribe to Inside UVA on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. We'll be back soon with another conversation about the life of the university.