Mid-America Transplant Chief Executive Officer and President Diane Brockmeier was one of 12 recipients of the inaugural Healthcare Accomplishment Recognition Award from the St. Louis chapter of the Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association at a recognition event Tuesday in St. Louis.
"We're here to honor these remarkable women," luncheon emcee and Fox2 News anchor Shirley Washington told the crowd of about 250. "Women who have charted their own path, making it possible for young women to follow in their footsteps and chart their own path."
The award recognizes outstanding women with a record of achievement and leadership. Recipients are women who have made an extraordinary contribution in healthcare that has made a difference to improve the quality of life for others in St. Louis or addressed a pertinent problem or issue; have set an example for other women through dedication and passion in the field of healthcare; have demonstrated a desire to contribute to her organization, industry or local healthcare community as a volunteer; and have shown a commitment to mentoring other women.
“I am so honored and grateful to receive this award,” Diane said. “My passion for organ and tissue donation hasn’t wavered in my 30 years with Mid-America Transplant. Every day, I’m inspired by those who choose to donate and those who are receiving lifesaving gifts. I am privileged to lead many great people as we work toward a future where organs and tissues are always available to those in need.”
Diane has proven to be a collaborative leader during her 30-year tenure at Mid-America Transplant. She is nationally recognized for her efforts to establish key quality benchmarks and enhance the organ and tissue donation process. She was instrumental in quality and organizational changes that resulted in Mid-America Transplant being awarded the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award in 2016. A champion for the organization to adopt the Baldrige criteria for performance excellence in 2003, Diane led the 10-year journey with Baldrige and the lifesaving changes that more than doubled the number of organs transplanted from 300 in 2005 to 618 in 2015.
Strategically, Diane was the driving force in implementing several innovative best practices over the past several years. Her key accomplishments include overseeing the design, construction and use of a first-in-the-nation, on-site surgical suite for organ and tissue recovery. She enhanced the initial vision to include on-site catheterization and CT scanning, which led to praise by donor hospitals and transplant surgeons for its enhanced quality control and convenience.
The 12 accomplished women in healthcare were nominated by their peers for the Healthcare Accomplishment Recognition Award. “I am so pleased we have the opportunity to recognize these extraordinary women with the Healthcare Accomplishment Recognition Award,” said chapter president Katherine Joslin, SVP Human Resources & Marketing, Bethesda Health Group, Inc. “These recipients directly contribute to the advancement and impact of women in the business of healthcare. They are role models for other women, and each has forged a path that other healthcare organizations may want to consider as they groom women for leadership.”