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Jeff Korsmo visits with nurses in the Via Christi Cancer Institute at Via Christi Hospital on St. Francis. of care, has a unique opportunity to improve value in health care. "Via Christi has not only a great opportunity, but also a responsibility to contribute to improving the way we care for people across a broad continuum of care," he says. This includes providing services to people in their homes, in the clinic/outpatient setting, in the hospital setting, and in independent and assisted living or skilled nursing care in Via Christi's senior living communities. "One of the big opportunities we have is to create a more seamless experience to those who enter Via Christi through any of our doors so that information, care plans and whatever else we know about that person is available to be used wherever they or their care providers need the information," Korsmo says. Via Christi's care continuum and the heritage of its founding congregations — the Sisters of St. Joseph of Wichita and the Sisters of the Sorrowful Mother — were the most important considerations in Korsmo's decision to join Via Christi. He was raised by deeply committed parents and attended Catholic schools all the way through college. "My parents came from very modest upbringings in North Dakota. Both came from humble roots and had ingrained in them the values of service and humility and respect for others," he explains. Through high school, Korsmo was educated by Franciscan Sisters and diocesan priests who were influential in his life, teaching him values similar to those passed along by his parents. In college, he attended St. John's University, which was run by the Benedictines, whom he described as hard working and also very hospitable and welcoming of others — again, values he learned from his parents. "So, for me, it's natural to want to be a leader who leads mostly 8 | Greater Kansas MD NEWS ■ MDNEWS.COM by serving others," Korsmo says. "I believe that by serving others, helping them realize their own dreams and their own potential, we'll be far stronger as an organization, far better for those we serve than if I were to have a very different leadership style." Abdul Bengali, Via Christi's Senior Vice President, Information Services, and Chief Information Officer, worked with Korsmo at Mayo Clinic in Rochester. He calls Korsmo a caring and compas- sionate leader who leads by example. He also credits Korsmo's wife, Jenny, for being a caring and supporting spouse who allows Korsmo to be such a transformational leader. "Outside of work, I've spent as much time as I could with my wife and our daughters, Erin and Gretchen," Korsmo says. "We enjoy the arts. We particularly enjoy traveling. When our children were younger, we had a pop-up camper. We chose a different state each year to explore and did that for a decade or so. For about the last dozen years, we've picked a different country every year and explored it as a family." Korsmo played on a Division III national championship football team at St. John's, although his first sports love is hockey. He played club hockey at St. John's and has played regularly in the U.S. Pond Hockey Championships in Minnesota — and he wouldn't mind setting foot on the ice in Wichita if he gets the chance. He rises early each morning to do yoga or a cycling or spinning class, which he considers an important part of his physical, mental and spiritual well-being. For all of the positive characteristics attributed to him, Korsmo's new Via Christi colleagues have assigned him one area for improve- ment — his golf game. He hopes to find some free time to work on it. For more information, please visit www.viachristi.org or call (316) 858-4900 and/or (316) 858-4917. ■