August 26, 2021
Kaynaat Syed recently celebrated her 2nd anniversary with HCIF. She is a Project Manager for many of our hallmark clinical improvement programs, including the Pennsylvania Urologic Regional Collaborative (PURC). Additionally, Kaynaat serves on many of our internal committees including Anti-Racism and Marketing and Communications. The HCIF team enjoys when her office mate-at-home, Ayla, (Kaynaat’s one year old daughter) vocally contributes to our virtual meetings. Get to know Kaynaat better in this month’s staff profile.
1.) Describe your role at HCIF:
I am a Project Manager on the Clinical Improvement Team and have been in this role for two years. I oversee the PURC program and provide support to a few other clinical improvement programs, including Pennsylvania-New Jersey Surgical Opioid Stewardship (PENNJ SOS), Partnership for Patient Care (PPC), and a 2-year initiative with HAP which recently ended called the Opioid Learning Action Network (OLAN). As a project manager, I am responsible for planning, organizing, and directing project tasks and ensuring project deliverables are met on time. A lot of my time is spent on PURC, for which I oversee the clinical data registry, plan for collaborative meetings, manage working groups, and complete data requests for participating practices.
2.) How did you learn about HCIF and what prompted you to start working here?
I learned about HCIF after I completed my graduate degree in Healthcare Administration and was ready to make a career move. I was interested in continuing working in the nonprofit space and learned about this particular role through my participation in the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE). I was amazed at all the work HCIF does at the local and state-level in bringing together various health care stakeholders with the purpose of advancing quality of care.
3.) What is your proudest accomplishment during your time at HCIF?
I would say that I am most proud of the Opioid Learning Action Network (OLAN) project that I supported from 2019-2021. This two-year initiative brought together over 100 hospitals and health systems across Pennsylvania to assess evidence-based practices for addressing opioid use disorder. There were a significant number of deliverables for this project and a lot of planning and execution behind each one. I am very proud of the hard work put into this project by myself and my team members and more than anything, appreciate the knowledge I have gained through this work. Looking back, I am amazed at the number of clinicians, patients, partners, and community members that we connected with and brought together to address the opioid epidemic.
4.) What excites you most about your position at HCIF?
The most exciting thing about my position is that no day is like the other. Each day I get to learn something new, whether it be something related to my projects or something I learn from the super smart individuals I get to call my colleagues. Working as part of a small team, there is always an opportunity to get involved in various other projects that serve diverse populations, which keeps my work exciting and interesting. Recently, I joined the population health team in working on a podcast series as part of the PENNJ SOS project. This is something I have very little experience with, but am excited to take on!
5.) What is one of the most important things you have learned while working at HCIF?
One of the most important things I have learned is the value of collaboration-both at the organizational level and in working with different healthcare professions. People’s skill sets are very specialized, and when a group of individuals come together and contribute their expertise for the benefit of a shared objective, it helps with problem-solving and improves efficiency. Specifically in patient safety and quality, collaboration amongst multi-disciplinary teams leads to improved patient care and outcomes. HCIF’s mission is largely based on this type of collaboration and something that I have appreciated during my time here.
6.) What is a quote that inspires you in your work?
“Your talent determines what you can do. Your motivation determines how much you’re willing to do. Your attitude determines how well you do it.” —Lou Holtz
7.) What motivates you both personally and professionally?
On a personal level, happiness is my motivator. I choose things that make me happy, whether that’s food, good company, or Fall weather. On a more professional level, things that motivate me include working well as part of a team, overcoming challenges, learning new things, and coming up with creative ideas to improve something.
8.) What are your interests outside of work?
Outside of work, I enjoy spending time with my husband, my 16-month old daughter, and our dog, Fitz. I also enjoy true-crime podcasts and documentaries, although most of my time is spent chasing a very active toddler!