It’s only been six weeks since Jody Jenner took the reins as CEO of Broadlawns Medical Center, and he already has big goals for the future. He said making health care more accessible to Iowans, strengthening Broadlawn’s affiliation with other health systems in the Des Moines area, upgrading the hospital’s facilities and adding new services are just a few of the things he wants to accomplish. The mission of Broadlawns suits Jenner well, as he sees community service and health care as a family tradition.

Where did you grow up?

I’m a Baby Boomer and the fifth of six kids that grew up in a working-class family in Aberdeen, S.D. So, I have upper Midwest roots.

What fueled your passion for health care?

I don’t think I could pinpoint one particular reason, but certainly the way we were raised as kids. Although we had very little materially, I’d have to say my folks really encouraged doing something in the human services field. They were offspring of hard-working, Christian, German immigrants. Probably like others from that era and certainly before, we were taught a need to show respect and compassion for those with little. That’s not to say we weren’t competitive, because we were, and to get ahead in life you had to work hard and obtain an education. We knew nothing would ever just be handed to us.

So, between the emphasis on education and service to others, health care was a pretty logical fit. Pretty much all my brothers and sisters are involved in health care to some extent, more so in direct clinical roles.

To me, health care is simply a fascinating field. I enjoy the science and technology, the healing and the caring as well as the spiritual and emotional elements and the impact great care delivery can have on patients and society. It’s also a business with its own unique set of challenges. It’s a health-care leader’s role to ensure there are adequate resources available and to go around to care for patients. Overall, it’s certainly very demanding but highly rewarding, and at Broadlawns, this is true to an even greater extent since over half our patients don’t have insurance.

What was your first job out of college?

Like my older siblings, when I got to college I was also going to pursue a clinical degree in health care such as anesthesia or medicine. But after I arrived, I started taking finance, economics and related courses and found I really enjoyed business and learning the remarkable ways free market economies worked. I ended up earning a bachelor’s and master’s degree in business and went to work for the IBM Corp. I worked there for about 10 years and held various management and leadership positions in finance and administration.

After 10 years, while IBM is a great company, I realized I missed health care. Not that there is anything wrong with computers; I just became bored with the product. So, I sold my house, scaled back my lifestyle and went back to school obtaining a bachelor’s degree in nursing through an accelerated curriculum at Creighton University in Omaha, Neb. It was certainly a challenge, as my son was only six at the time, but in retrospect I’m very pleased I made the transition.

What was your initial experience in health care?

I really started out all over again, but was able to get a significant amount of experience in a relatively short time by working in underserved and rural areas. I worked as the director of community health and public nursing on an Indian reservation in Nebraska where I saw firsthand the extreme poverty we still face in America. It was really quite a contrast from my experience working for a large, highly successful corporation. I then went to work for Banner/Lutheran Health Systems, working in hospitals in rural settings where care is often less accessible than what you might see in more sophisticated urban settings. These positions, similar to Broadlawns, are all more challenging than many health-care settings, but they are really quite rewarding.

What’s the biggest adjustment going from your old position to this one?

Well, certainly the Broadlawns organization, number of people and complexity is far greater. With more than 1,000 employees and an additional several hundred doctors on staff, it’s several times larger than my prior organization. So, learning everyone’s name here will certainly take a while. There are just a lot of business and organizational issues to get up to speed on.

What do you do outside work?

Other than just hanging out and socializing with a few friends, I’ve really learned to enjoy working out and staying in shape. So, I like running, biking, hiking and various other outdoor activities. I enjoy sports, particularly at a collegiate level. I also really enjoy music, particularly 70s classic rock and drum-corps-style marching. About the only type I really can’t enjoy is rap and real heavy metal. I’m also an old drummer myself, so I like to get the set out every now and then. I also like history and economics as well as current events.

So, after all your travels, is Des Moines your last stop?

I think it might be. I really like the area, and I love what I’m doing. Broadlawns offers a lot of challenges and opportunities that should keep me busy for a while.