Dr. Kenisha Campbell has been appointed as the chief medical officer of the Seattle Children’s Care Network (SCCN), where she will implement her vision of equitable healthcare access for all families. As a professor of clinical practice in the Division of General Pediatrics at the University of Washington and a recipient of a 2024 Population Health Initiative Tier 1 pilot grant, Campbell is committed to reducing disparities in pediatric care.
SCCN oversees 15 community pediatric clinics that serve over 137,000 children. Dr. Campbell aims to ensure that every patient receives preventive care, emphasizing the importance of early intervention. “I’m motivated by the power of preventative care and early intervention,” she stated. “The foundations for a healthy life are built in childhood and adolescence.”
Dr. Campbell’s focus on child and adolescent health began during her medical education at Washington University in Saint Louis. Her work improving health outcomes for adolescents inspired her to specialize in Pediatrics during her residency at the University of Rochester’s Golisano Children’s Hospital. Following her residency, she completed a fellowship at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, where she specialized in adolescent medicine and earned a master’s degree in public health.
After leading adolescent care at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Campbell was drawn to Seattle’s Odessa Brown Children’s Clinic, serving as medical director. “I was impressed by the clinic’s 50-year history of community connection and its focus on caring for the entire patient,” she explained. “Working at the intersection of pediatric care and community health requires you to understand the unique challenges families face outside the clinic walls.”
At SCCN, Dr. Campbell leads the network’s quality improvement initiatives, concentrating on areas such as immunizations, preventive visits, and chronic disease management for conditions like asthma and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Bridging communication gaps between various healthcare sectors has been crucial to achieving these initiatives. “Building effective population health programs isn’t easy because you have to collaborate through interdisciplinary teams,” Campbell noted. “You need to bring together primary care providers, specialists, operational leaders, data analysts, and community partners who all speak different professional languages.”
This collaborative approach has facilitated comprehensive screening efforts across the SCCN network. “We screened over 50,000 patients for behavioral health needs last year,” Campbell stated. “This early identification helps connect families with appropriate resources before problems escalate.”
In line with her commitment to health equity, all SCCN practices are required to accept Medicaid insurance and have implemented standardized assessments to identify disparities in health outcomes. Campbell attributes her equity-focused healthcare philosophy to the communities she has served and her mentors. “Every initiative we launch has an equity lens built into its foundation,” she emphasized.
Dr. Campbell’s approach extends beyond simply implementing evidence-based practices in primary care clinics. She aims to create comprehensive systems that support providers in delivering consistent, high-quality care. For community pediatricians managing busy practices, she underscores the importance of SCCN’s data infrastructure and quality improvement expertise in transforming care delivery.
“I’m really grateful for the opportunity to bring together 135 providers who care for children and adolescents across the region,” Campbell reflected. As she embarks on this new role, her focus remains clear: to ensure that healthcare is accessible and equitable for every child in the community.
