Grit, Gratitude, and Grace: Dr. Adrienne Boissy

From practicing, teaching and leading at The Cleveland Clinic to her new tenure as the Chief Medical Officer at Qualtrics, Dr. Adrienne Boissy has been one of the healthcare industry’s greatest champions for imbuing empathy into the patient experience. 

In her talk with guest host Susan Haufe, she describes her journey as a builder: from navigating a childhood that often felt unsteady and unsafe, to becoming a neurologist, to finding her ultimate calling as an experience-minded executive working to transform healthcare. Throughout the episode she shares profound ideas about how to give yourself grace and overcome obstacles. And she leaves us with a look at the future of the healthcare industry, offering poignant ideas about how we can leverage technology to make the patient experience more humane and compassionate.

(05:07) Adrienne at 12: Who’s the person we would’ve met?

(08:28) Her healthcare journey, from researcher to chief experience officer

(14:53) How to take a ‘Failure Bow’ and move on

(19:01) Why everyone should think more about how they spend their time

(23:13) On the importance of gratitude

(32:14) Using technology to facilitate human connection and empathy in healthcare

(34:33) Post-interview conversation with Jesse and guest host Susan Haufe

Guest Bio

Dr. Adrienne Boissy

Adrienne Boissy, MD, MA, is the Chief Medical Officer at Qualtrics, where she shapes the strategic direction of patient and employee experience in the healthcare industry, including technology design, research, consulting and innovation in experience management. She is the former Chief Experience Officer of the Cleveland Clinic Health System and a current staff neurologist at the Cleveland Clinic Mellen Center for Multiple Sclerosis. A compelling speaker and thought leader, Dr. Boissy has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, NPR, The Washington Post, Forbes, and The Atlantic, among others. 

Susan Haufe (Guest Host)

With 20 years of experience combining the tools, discipline, expertise, and passion to design and drive a customer-centric culture, Susan Haufe is known for organizational transformation built on brand promise, purpose, and values. She currently serves as the Chief Industry Advisor for Healthcare at Qualtrics. Prior to joining Qualtrics, Susan served as the inaugural Chief Experience Officer for Yale New Haven Health, developing the vision and roadmap to support the execution of critical initiatives, including centralizing patient experience functions across the health system.

Helpful Links

Learn more about Dr. Boissy’s role at Qualtrics

TED appearance: Can Empathy Help Us Heal Healthcare?

A useful exercise: Your Pie Chart of Happiness

Also check out: Our Breakthrough Builders episode with New York-Presbyterian Hospital’s Rick Evans

Dr. Boissy on LinkedIn