Women in Healthcare: Amanda Kimmel, MSW, MBA

Amanda Kimmel couldn’t have known where her career would go when she landed her first job at an inpatient psychiatric hospital in Philadelphia. Working directly with patients was so gratifying that she turned down a promotion that would have put her in a more supervisory role – but no longer treating patients.

Then when her boss needed to take an unexpected leave and Kimmel assumed some of her managerial duties, it was like seeing the world of healthcare through new eyes.

“I really felt at the time that my true purpose and passion was direct patient care,” says Kimmel, a mother of two who resides in Collingswood. “But then I was able to take a better look at the big picture, and I realized that I’m able to affect things on a more global level by setting policy and focusing on improving patent experiences and outcomes in the operational space. That was a big shift for me.”

Since then, Kimmel has been firmly rooted in healthcare management. At Jefferson since 2014, she has successfully held a number of different roles, including director of service lines, corporate director of clinical integration and then assistant vice president of population health. In March 2020, 2 weeks before Covid hit the region, she was promoted to vice president of ambulatory operations. After about a week in her new role, she got the urgent call to create the very first drive- thru Covid testing site in the greater Philadelphia area. She and her team dove right in.

“We did some on-the-fly research on how South Korea pioneered Covid testing sites using fast food-style drive-thrus to inform us of our process,” Kimmel says, “and opened up our site 3 days later.”

She remembers a big, unknowable question at the time was how long such testing sites would be needed. “All these things we were figuring out by the seat of our pants,” she says, noting that she and her team have performed over 100,000 tests since then. “And now, here we are two and a half years later, and it is still open.”

At the same time, Jefferson had to switch from predominantly in-person patient appointments to telehealth visits. “A lot of innovation came at a fast and furious pace,” Kimmel adds. “It required the ability to juggle a lot of priorities. Even more importantly, we had to think creatively and innovate. There was no guidebook on how to do these things we’d never done before.”

THE JOB:

Amanda Kimmel oversees day-to-day operations of Jefferson Health’s primary and specialty care practices in New Jersey. In this role, she collaborates with medical directors, providers, administrators and staff across outpatient services to ensure high-quality, patient-centered care.

IN HER WORDS:

“Career advice I would give is not to be afraid to pivot and step out of your comfort zone. And really, honestly, always say ‘yes’ when a great opportunity presents itself.”

EDUCATION:

Kimmel holds a Master of Business Administration from Louisiana State University, a Master’s Degree in Social Work from Temple University, and a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Saint Joseph’s University.

SERVICE TO THE COMMUNITY:

She serves on the Board of Trustees for the Camden Coalition of Healthcare Providers and the Board of Directors for the March of Dimes Greater Philadelphia Market Board.

856-488-6500 | newjersey.jeffersonhealth.org | Cherry Hill