Hard work, resilience, and a passion for healthcare leadership can take you to unexpected places. Dr. Andrea Willis embraced all of these core values, and she went from growing up on a pig farm to becoming a leading voice in public health. In this conversation with Dr. Sylvia Morris and Dr. Angela Walker, she shares her early experiences that shaped her career, the power of mentorship, and the impact of public health at the community level. From working in private practice to shaping state healthcare programs, Dr. Andrea discusses all the lessons she has learned and the leadership qualities that could drive meaningful change. Listen in as she reflects on her journey and the role of integrity, fairness, and purpose in the medical field.
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Dr. Andrea Willis: Breaking Barriers In Healthcare Leadership
We have the privilege of talking to Dr. Andrea Willis. We learned so many things about Dr. Willis, how she went from pig farmer to pediatrician, what her North Star is, and how medicine and ministry augment each other. We are going to get into our conversation with Dr. Andrea Willis.
Sylvia, before we get into Andrea’s interview, I wanted to ask you because she brought up such a beautiful lyric from one of my favorite artists, Donny Hathaway. I was so embarrassed I couldn’t remember whose song it was from. Her words, and I probably will flub it, said, “If my words don’t come together, listen to my melody.” Number one, it’s such a beautiful song in all of his songs. His lyrics are amazing. What does that mean to you? I thought that was a good topic for this episode.
I missed the Donny Hathaway reference, and then when you said it, I was like, “That is Donnie Hathaway. A Song For You.” I think of it mainly as listening to my heart and going with how Spirit is calling me and moving me forward to do the thing that I was explicitly put on Earth for. Certainly, in this iteration of life, I’m supposed to be doing what I’m supposed to be doing. I am a physician, a host, and all the other hats that I wear, niece, friend, and all of those things, but am I doing what my heart calls me to do? Am I living and walking in my purpose? What does listening to your own melody mean to you?
Some of the lyrics that come back for me in that song are, “I’ve been to so many places in my life and time.” A lot of songs made some bad rhymes, which he did. Some of that informs your melody of life. For me, I don’t always have the right words to say, but if you watch how I move and can see what my intent is, you overall will know that I mean to impart wisdom, knowledge, and kindness into this world, in what we’re doing, and in what I’m even doing in my career.
I want to impart more of that to women in general, the power of walking in your calling and listening to your own melody. Everybody has their own song to sing. I’m trying to remember not to try to sing someone else’s but to do my own thing. Another thing that she mentions, and I don’t want to give away too many things, is there can be a first for everything. You may be trying to follow someone else’s path. Your path might be the first one that is uniquely designed for you but may still have a broad purpose like someone else besides you. Follow your own melody. That’s what that means to me.
We will give you some more insight into what we’re rambling on about. She did put all the words together and her melody was beautiful. Without further ado, we’re going to introduce one of our Georgetown former classmates, a rock star in the field of medicine, pediatrics, and actual CMO, and a trailblazer for women in the C-suite of medicine, Dr. Andrea Willis.
What It Is Like To Grow Up On A Pig Farm
We are talking to Dr. Andrea Willis. We’re going to go ahead and get started. Andrea, where did you grow up? What did you want to be when you grew up?
First of all, thank you for having me. It is such an honor to be with you. I have to say this. You ladies were a year ahead of me in medical school and we looked up to you. You don’t understand how much we looked up to you. You’re still sheroes to me. You deserve flowers big time. I don’t want to miss this opportunity to say that. I grew up in Athens, Alabama.
I’m sorry, I know Birmingham, Montgomery, Selma, and Mobile. Where’s Athens?
Athens is near Huntsville. It’s right down the street from Huntsville.
Florence, Alabama?
It’s Huntsville, Athens, and Florence. It’s in between Huntsville and Florence.
I have been there. I’ve passed your town. Who knew?
There you go. It’s growing. I grew up there. Even though I lived in the city limits, my grandfather was able to raise pigs in the city limits. They rezoned it after he’d already established his pig farm. I grew up in Athens, Alabama, hoping to raise pigs.
That’s a story.
I love starting the story there because it contributed to my work ethic. When I was little, my grandfather had a massive stroke. He was paralyzed on the left side of his body, but he refused to give up his pig farming, so he decided his grandchildren would be his arms and legs. He worked us like men, and I was the only girl at that. I can pig farm with the best of them. I do love telling that because it started a work ethic, but I knew back then that I wanted to be a doctor. I remember my grandfather saying, “You are going to be a great doctor.” A lot of times, it was in the midst of us doing the pig farming that he would say that. I didn’t know where it came from, but I knew it back then.
As I was growing up there, I remember there was a shed in the back of my grandparents’ house. I heard this mama cat in all kinds of distress. I didn’t know what was going on, but I went into the house, got some dishwashing gloves and some scissors. I didn’t know what I was going to do, but I was going to help that mama cat. I got those things and went out there. Thank goodness for the cat. It only took massaging the belly a little bit and she had one kitten. That was my first patient. I knew I was going to be a doctor.
That was your first delivery.
I thought it was going to be an OBGYN because of it. That changed, but still my first patient.
That is incredible. What a story. You’re our first guest who grew up on a pig farm and worked on that pig farm. We hear a lot about the work ethic in terms of how people have grown up. That’s a beautiful story.
Thank you.
Never forget to diversify yourself. Make sure you always have options to choose from. Share on XThe recurring theme that I hear amongst women who have done great things in their lives is that someone in their life spoke that power of, “You are going to be great at this,” or, “You can do this.” That has tremendous meaning. Thank you for sharing that, and thank you for the flowers. I love to give flowers when they’re due. That means the world to me, knowing who you are and what you have done for the world of medicine. I truly appreciate that. Along those lines at Georgetown, can you tell us what the Georgetown experience meant to you? What was it like for you?
It was everything. It still is everything. The very first time I went to Georgetown, I happened to be in DC, going around different medical schools and picking up applications. When I went to Georgetown, I remember meeting Joy and Dr. Hoyt. There was something about it where it was welcoming. They introduced me to other folks as well. Everybody was so nice and welcoming. With Joy and Dr. Hoyt, you almost got the, “This can be home, but don’t think you’re going to come here and not earn your keep.” It was, “We’re happy to see you, but if you come here, know you’re going to work. You’re going to be good here.” I did appreciate that.
When I came back for my interview, I remember standing on the seal in the lobby and started stomping it. I was like, “This is where I’m supposed to be. This is where my feet are to be planted. Blessings are going to come from this.” I was claiming it right there. I love it. Georgetown had its challenges like every institution does, but it still was a good home and a good place for memories. I’m forever grateful for the Georgetown experience. It was a community, for sure.
I agree with that. I know it certainly was life-changing for me. What advice would you give that young woman who was stamping that knowledge of, “I’m going to Georgetown. I’m going to be a physician.” What advice would you give to her?
It is about knowing that it’s bigger than you. I can’t even explain to you why that was my response when seeing that seal, but you’re there to do big things. Sometimes, you can look around and you can see, “A lot of the people don’t look like me,” or whatever. It can be intimidating because medical school in and of itself is intimidating.
When you see that, the intimidation grows, but they weren’t the little girl growing up in Athens, Alabama, pig farming, knowing that she’s going to make a specific contribution for somebody that needs to see her. I would say, “When the intimidation starts to grow, you remember where you came from.” That’s what our grandparents like to tell us anyway. When you’re standing on their shoulders, you’re like, “I am where I need to be. I have the reinforcements that I need to make it through this.”
Importance Of Having A Plan B In Medicine
That’s great advice. Along those lines, can you tell us at this moment in time, reflecting back on that experience, what you wished you had known? Maybe it’s a piece of advice or knowledge that you wish you had known prior to entering medical school.
I was shocked when I got to medical school. For example, some people were music majors and things like that in medical school or they had some other kind of degree. They always had a plan B. I didn’t know to have a plan B. A lot of times, you think, “If I have a plan B, then that means I’m setting myself up not to achieve plan A.” For them, they had options. That’s how you have to look at it.
I majored in biology because I wanted to go to medical school. I didn’t want a career in biology but I thought that’s the path that I needed to go to medical school. I hate that I didn’t know that part of it to give yourself options. As you grow, you always think, “You have to diversify,” whether it’s to diversify your income, this, that, and the other. One other area to diversify yourself in is making sure you have options. Even if it only supplements your medical career, have something that will do that. I didn’t know you could do that. That’s the advice I would give people.
That is the sagest of sage advice. Everyone here can speak to your experience. I had a conversation with a mentee. She asked me some good questions in terms of what my Georgetown experience was and what I wish I had known. That is so true. I would even go a step further in terms of a B and a C. Knowing your options is powerful. It doesn’t mean that you’re not going to deliver babies for the rest of your life. You could, but at least if you know going into it, “I can do other things,” then you may be paving your path a little bit differently because you know that there are options. Knowing our options is a good theme.
What I would also like to add is I’m the first physician in my family. When my mother dropped me off on Reservoir Road to go to Georgetown, my first and only option was to graduate and become a successful physician. There wasn’t this conversation about, “You can be an entrepreneur,” or, “Maybe there are careers that you can work on Wall Street and also have an MD,” or, “Maybe let’s think about going to business school so that you can get some other tools in your tool set.”
That first-generation physicians’ worldview may be limited because we’re the first and we don’t know what options we have. That’s where mentorship comes into play. That’s where paying attention to what your attendings are doing, especially the ones in the community or the ones that are doing things that pique your interest, comes into play.
Along those lines, Andrea, you did have a plan B because you went to public health school during med school or somewhere around medical school. Could you talk about why you went to public health school? It’s one of the best things in the world. We went to the same school, so certainly, that’s the best, but that is neither here nor there. Talk about your public health school experience. Why did you go to public health school?
Honestly, I feel like I’m blessed because I took that path. I didn’t intend to take that path. I will say once again thank you to you because you were an advocate for me ending up at Johns Hopkins. I appreciate that. I was married at the time and wanted to stay in the DC area, which gave me much fewer choices for matching for residency. I was desperate to stay there. I was trying to figure out the options. Getting a Master’s of Public Health was an option for me.
When you know better, you do better. Share on XAt first, I never thought about it, but in my third year of medical school at Georgetown, I got to do an internship at the American Academy of Pediatrics. I got to see a pediatrician testify in front of Congress and a light bulb went off. I was like, “You can do that with an MD? You can affect thousands of lives at a time. I never saw that coming. That wasn’t in the playbook, or I didn’t think it was.” All of a sudden, I was conflicted. I was like, “I’m glad I’m in medical school, but now I see something else that I like. I don’t know how to make that transition.” I still didn’t make the leap in my head at that time.
When the match came up, I was like, “I have very few options. I’m trying to stay.” You had planted the seed about public health. I was like, “That’s what that pediatrician was doing. That might be something.” I ended up going there. I feel like I was blessed because I went right after medical school. I didn’t go to residency right after medical school. I did my Master’s of Public Health in a year. I did the intensive year-long thing. I was pregnant with my son during that year. I had him on May 5th and I graduated on May 19th.
That’s perfect timing, and then you go into residency.
I went into residency after that. I’m so glad for that experience. I always said, “I’m not exactly sure how I’m going to get there, but I want to do something on a population basis. I feel like this is going to help me get there. I don’t know when or how I’ll get to apply for it, but something tells me I am going to apply for it.” I did that and it was a good experience. There was a practical experience we had to do at the time where you take what you learned and how you would apply it to the community. I remember my project was on opportunistic HIV drug pricing.
That’s even appropriate now.
It opened up my eyes so much and taught me to look at different perspectives where I had very tunnel vision even in the way that I was looking at medicine. That taught me a different way to look. Being in Hopkins, they’ve done prestigious research, but at the same time, they had to acknowledge when they didn’t work with the community right.
They’re in East Baltimore. That is a community that’s traditionally been an African American community. Certainly, they have issues with poverty and lots of social ills, shall we say.
That added an element to my thinking. When you know better, you do better. I am very happy about that experience.
Becoming A CMO Of A Major Health Organization
That’s a perfect segue. All of these experiences that you have gathered and put into your tool belt eventually led you to your position as a CMO of a major health organization. Tell us a thumbnail sketch of what that’s like because we’re in awe of you. I see some of the things that you do public-facing, but I would love for our audience to know what they are about.
I’ve had a convoluted path, for sure, but I’m so happy about the journey. The one constant is having the North Star, which is to serve and make sure that I treat others how I want to be treated. I am the chief medical officer at a health plan. I did private practice and went from there to being the Deputy Commissioner for the Tennessee Department of Health. From there, I got to start Tennessee’s SCHIP program, the State Children’s Health Insurance Program. I got to start it from the ground up, and it’s still standing. That’s a crowning achievement for me.
That’s huge. Let’s level-set for our audience. That is supplying or allowing for healthcare or health insurance coverage for children within the state of Tennessee who meet, I would imagine, Medicaid requirements. Is that correct?
It’s an interesting niche. Their parents make a little too much for them to be on Medicaid but not enough for them to be on employer-sponsored coverage. They were falling through the cracks. That’s what SCHIP fills in. I had an opportunity. I was talking to the governor. We were at a conference. After the conference, he was like, “I like your thinking.” I was like, “Thank you.” He was like, “How would you like to start Tennessee’s SCHIP program?” I was like, “Sure.”
Andrea, wait a minute. Let’s back up. We need a little more granularity around that. Were you presenting at a conference or did you happen to meet the governor? How were you in the same place?
As Deputy Commissioner for the Tennessee Department of Health, I would interact with the governor on a pretty regular basis. Every year, there’s a National Governor’s Association Conference. The governors each take two people subject matter experts from their state. That particular year, the subject was child health. The governor asked if I would be one of his two subject matter experts to go to the conference, and so I went.
If there is a particular space where you think you can lend your talent and education, do not hesitate to step up. Share on XYou sit with your governor and then there are big breakout sessions, probably 1/3 of the governors in each session. Dr. Satcher moderated our breakout session. He asked some questions. It was so funny. People wouldn’t believe this because the governor seemed so straight-faced. He asked a question, and the governor whispered in my ear, “Are you going to say something? Are you going to make Tennessee look good?” I was feeling all the pressure.
When I felt passionate about something and felt like I needed to respond, I did. Somebody challenged me and then I went back at him. After it was over, the governor and Dr. Satcher were talking. Dr. Satcher said, “You got a good woman working for you right there.” He said, “I know that. I found that out more today.” After that, that’s when he said, “Will you start the SCHIP program for Tennessee?”
That’s awesome. You had the moxie but you also had the knowledge in the wherewithal to push back or at least push forward your ideas. Also, it sounds like you’re living in your purpose, though, because of your desire to help the overall health and welfare of the children of your state. It all came together. That is amazing.
It is the drive that I have. It’s that inner calling that allows me to speak up when I speak up. I’m not the type of person that likes to talk to hear myself talk. I’ve never been that type of person at all, but when there’s something to say, you have to speak up because you represent so many more people than yourself. I found myself in that spot where it was like, “This is my time. This is my opportunity. I am here with governors from all across the nation.” I’m thankful for the faith that got me to open my mouth and I’m thankful for the faith that sustains me every single day.
I’ve probably gotten so far away from your asking what the typical day in the CMO life is like. All that to say is when I started the SCHIP program, BlueCross was the health plan that was the benefit manager for that program. That’s how I met the BlueCross people. As my governor was winding up his term, I reached out to them and said, “I’m looking for what’s next,” because I know the political world can change. They invited me to come over with them.
I knew who they were through that experience. They were the only health plan that bid on that business because it was new. There was no experience with it in the state. I respected that. Everybody doesn’t know this and it varies from health plan to health plan, but we’re a not-for-profit health plan, which lets the plan be more mission-oriented. I like that as well.
I don’t think there is a typical day. It’s so different. Some days, I’m making sure operations are going well. Probably one of the more rewarding parts of it is when we’re able to hold somebody’s hand and walk them through the process of getting what they need. I love that part of it. Interacting with other stakeholders is another fun part of it. There is no typical day.
Asking The Right Questions And Understanding The Why
That is a lot to unpack. We appreciate the insight because not many of us have done that. Not many women, for that matter, have been at the seats you have sat at or the podiums you have spoken at. We appreciate you forging the way. I certainly appreciate your intentionality and all that you do because I do watch you and see you. I know that your overall mission is for the health of patients. I love that. Can you give us some advice to an early career physician who wants to explore opportunities outside of clinical practice, such as some of the things that you’ve done?
If you see somebody at a conference and you’re thinking, “I never knew a physician would be involved in that or could do that,” truly ask the questions. That’s always amazing to me. Everybody has an interesting story, for sure. It could even be asking people, “Why have you stayed where you did?” The answers that you get are interesting, depending on where they started or if they had someone else in their family and they’re building from that.
For the folks that stay in practice, it’s important to know their why because I know it’s not an easy thing to do. Every time I discover somebody that has an MD behind their name and they’re in a space that I didn’t imagine before, it’s like, “What was your story? How did you get there?” Never forget to ask that question. There is always a first in everything. If there’s something where you think you can lend your talent or education, it’s okay to step up and say, “Can I fit in here?” People would welcome that.
True Value Of Integrity And Fairness In Leadership
Andrea, you are a healthcare leader. Could you talk about what leadership qualities are important for you?
Integrity and fairness. One of the things that I have truly learned is everybody’s not going to like you. We know that, but you feel that the more you’re in leadership. Not everybody’s going to like you. It doesn’t matter what you do or how hard you try. At the end of the day, if people can say, “I believe her to be honest. I believe her to be fair,” and they even know that response is coming before I open my mouth, that’s what I want them to know. I always tell people, “Even if my words don’t come together, listen to my melody. I try to let you know who I am by my actions. I may not always say it right, but you know who I am and you know where I’m going to stand.” At the end of the day, it’s going to be about fairness.
I love that answer. I don’t remember the song, but I do know the lyrics.
Donny Hathaway.
Biggest Lessons From Private And Public Sectors
I should have known. I listened to him over and over again in our residency. I can’t tell you how many times. That’s a great message there. I have another thing I’d like to know. Given the roles you’ve held in the public and private sectors, what are some of the lessons you’ve learned, and where do you see there being opportunity?
Every time I was in an arena, I always wanted to see the best of it. You’re in a certain arena and you go, “We always get it right. What are they doing out there? When it goes wrong, it must be them.” You move over to another arena, like in the public sector, where we’re trying to move the whole health of the state, and you’re thinking, “They’re getting it wrong. If they were on the same page with us, we’d make a dent in this.” You move over to the private sector and you’re like, “I didn’t understand that perspective until I got over here.”
The thing that I’ve learned from all of that is it is a healthcare system. If we fixate on only one part of it, we will never make the system better. It’s easy to point fingers when you’re in one particular segment, and that’s not how it should work. That was one of the things that we did learn during the COVID pandemic because more stakeholders came to the table on certain things. We were able to make changes pretty quickly because we were all united for a mission.
I encourage people to make sure that what you’re saying is informed because I promise you, if you’re open-minded and you get that perspective from another sector, you’re like, “Now I see why they do this. I see the motivation behind this,” or whatever. I’m on the health plan side of things, but we represent a lot of employer groups.
We have employer groups in our ears like, “I want to offer benefits, but I also want to maintain my business. How do I keep it affordable where I can do both?” If you don’t understand that’s part of the motivation, you’ll always go, “They’re the bad guys.” You’ve got to hear all the perspectives and everybody has to come to the table and be willing to make concessions.
There are opportunities on our side. You have to listen to those things that you can improve upon and make the experience better. I never excused my sector and said, “We got everything right.” That’s been my experience to say, “I’m not going to say that,” because I’ve seen it from all different perspectives. I do know that we can work together, but we’ve all got to admit that there’s got to be some compromise. If we keep the people we’re serving in the middle, we can get there. It’s going to take time. It’s super complicated, for sure. Be informed before we point to one piece of it.
I like the thought of being informed. I think about social media and how much “health information” is present on social media. What I’m wondering is how do we A) Listen more, and then B) Whether they’re physicians who are leading in healthcare organizations, how do we get that information out? Also, when we think about patients and how they’re gathering their information, I worry that coming out of the pandemic, there seems to be a lot more distrust and perhaps misinformation. We’re going to have to work very hard on trying to build that trust and those relationships again, but I certainly am up for the fight.
I can’t agree with you more. There was a point in time where everybody could come together for the common good of the public. We eradicated some diseases because we all coalesced around, “This is what’s good for the greater good.” I fear we’re going to see some resurgence in disease because we’ve gotten away from coalescing around that greater good.
I’m hoping that what will come out of that is that people will take a step back to say, “What am I standing on now? Is it just based on politics or what I’m hearing on social media?” When it starts getting in your backyard, it starts getting very real and different for people. I don’t want to see any tragedy come. That would not be what I’d wish for anybody, but I do hope we’ll learn from some of the hard mistakes that we see.
I want to take a little segue because your answer was an episode in and of itself. I appreciate your candor. Our healthcare system certainly has its flaws. I know I’m not alone as a physician saying this, but part of the potential solution is being open, not close-minded, and having an understanding of where other people are coming from. Unfortunately, we tend to take our sides early, hard, and fast, dig our heels in, and then are not able to listen to anyone else speak in this arena.
Balancing Faith And Medicine In Patient Care
Let’s move towards something that is relative to this whole conversation because ministry and spirituality, all of that has to do with how you approach life, what you hear, and what you put out into the world. I understand you and your brother wrote a book, When Ministry Meets Medicine: A Modern Motivational Journey for Holistic Wellness. I would love to hear more about that. I know your faith means a lot to you. I’m wondering. Can medicine and ministry not only coincide but maybe augment each other? You’d be a perfect person to speak to this.
I believe that, and I have believed it for a long time. When the book came about, there was a situation brewing in our lives. My brother is a pastor. He’s way more of a worrier than I am at any point. My brother lived close to my parents, within fifteen minutes, and I lived further away. My dad had been to the doctor, and it was his PCP. The PCP called him back after some X-rays. He was frantic and told my dad he needed to come in immediately. My brother went with him.
He put up the X-rays and said, “It looks like you have cancer all over your body.” He was freaked out and said, “You’re going to need to go see these specialists.” My brother called me right away and he said, “This is what the PCP said.” I was like, “Who did he set you up with?” He was like, “Did you hear what I said?” I was like, “Yeah, and I’m asking what specialist you are about to go see.”
He was like, “Why aren’t you upset?” I was like, “He said, based on his reading, it looks like. He’s referring to a specialist because he’s saying this is not his expertise. He knows enough to know there’s an issue. I respect that, but I would love for the specialist to weigh in.” My brother said, “It’s probably cancer that’s all over his body.” I was like, “We hadn’t gotten to the diagnosis yet.” He lost it. When my dad did go to specialists, the three of us went together. They did more precise imaging and it turns out he did have kidney cancer. They did not see it all over his body. I’m not sure what was lighting up in the X-ray.
If we only focus on one part of the healthcare system, we will never make the system better. Share on XMy brother and I were having very frank conversations at that point. He was like, “Why didn’t you get excited?” I was like, “We did not have the diagnosis. I wanted to see what the diagnosis was.” He was like, “That shouldn’t have stopped you from praying.” I said, “You didn’t ask me if I prayed. I prayed, but I was praying that we would get answers as the next step where you were already halfway fitting him in a suit.”
We argued a lot and my dad was like, “I need you both right now.” I love to mess with my brother. I was like, “Preacher, how about you do your job and I do mine?” Cooler heads prevail. I was saying, “I don’t understand why you’re mad at me.” He said, “I felt like you were dismissing me and being condescending.” I was like, “How? I said I wanted us to get to the diagnosis to know what we’re praying for. That’s all I was saying. I didn’t dismiss your faith. It wasn’t that I wasn’t taking it seriously.
I do believe that God can heal in many ways, and one of the ways that He can heal is through medicine. I wanted to know what we were talking about. I did not want to lose it and not keep that perspective and hear what was being said to us.” We talked about it. We wanted the same thing. How do we come together to say these things can augment each other? It’s okay, even in that instance, to have a different perspective, but figure out how we can work together.
My dad needed both of us. He knew who to come to for the different things or whatever, and I knew when to hold my tongue so my brother could have his moment. Both are valuable. We talk all the time about being well in mind, body, and spirit, but then, sometimes, in the heat of the moment, we lose that perspective. I don’t want us to do that because there can be synergy in the way we heal if we embrace both the ministry and the medicine.
That’s a lot. In the end, we always talk about our pearls, but I got a lot from your perspective. One of the things that came up for me, though is what I say to a patient may be completely different than what the patient hears. It’s sometimes based on perspective. How I have practiced this is to step back, remember the capacity that the patient may have, their knowledge base and background, and present things so that they can hear exactly what I’m trying to convey, like, “There may be something here.”
Sometimes, unfortunately, when the word cancer comes up, that’s all that you hear. It’s not, “There could be,” or, “There might be,” or, “There’s probably not.” If cancer is involved, then sometimes, that’s the only thing that the patient goes away with. What a great perspective because clearly, you had to work through it. It wasn’t a one-time conversation. You guys had to work through the process.
I can completely side with you because you don’t know until you know. One person saying something is like telling a patient something and telling them, “You need to see the oncologist or the breast surgeon because they’re going to look at it from a different perspective.” We appreciate that. I love the book. That is a relevant topic for a lot of people dealing with medicine and diagnoses in general.
Thank you.
How has being a parent changed you?
It has been interesting. My son is a young man at this point. He’s 25. He lives in St. Louis, and he works in the animation business. I love it. We talk every day. I love talking to him because it is so different from what I do. I get so excited. He loves what he does as well. When he first went to college, he was going to be pre-med. I kept saying, “I don’t think that is what you want. I know you. I know this journey. I don’t think that’s you. Is that what you want 1,000%, not even 100%?” He said, “Yeah, I got to do it.”
He was so depressed. He called me from college one day and he was on the verge of breaking. I was like, “What is going on?” He was like, “I hate pre-med.” I was like, “Okay.” I advised him how to change. He became an English major, and now, he is in the animation world. They do a lot. They’re like a subcontractor for Hulu, Disney, and all of those entities. Hopefully, something will be in the theater. That’s the goal.
I do love talking to him. It’s great. He has been in it for about two years. One of the things that he said to me one time early on was, “I don’t get to make an impact on the world you do.” I was like, “Don’t you ever say that again. You make the impact you’re supposed to make. You tell stories. A lot of times, people will get inspiration. They learn from the stories. I know it’s animation but still, people get something from that. You’re the best part of my day, every day. I get to decompress from my world to hear what’s going on in your world and you make me happy with that. You make me so happy. Imagine what your stories are going to do.”
It sounds like therapy.
I love it. They were approached not long ago by a big company in the US and a global company. They asked them if they could do a short, and it was about health. I was like, “You walk in your calling. The moments come that you can make a difference to the masses.” He makes me proud. His career makes me proud. We’re getting to the point and we still laugh about it. I tell him, and he’ll say this too, that I’m a friendly parent. Growing up, I was a parent. We were not going to be friends first. Now, I’m a friendly parent, but I’m still a parent.
At the end of the day, the healthcare system will still keep caring for people. This mission does not stop. Share on XYou weren’t one of his little friends?
Yes, but we can be friendly. I enjoy the relationship. He’s here almost every other weekend and we hang out. We enjoy hanging out. He is my pride and joy, for sure.
If I had it to do over again, I would’ve been an English major and done all my pre-med stuff. You don’t have to be a science major to go to medical school. Following your heart is important.
How Women Can Support Each Other
Andrea, you’ve supported us by honoring us by being a guest on our show. We can’t thank you enough. We knew this would be great. How do you think we, as women, can support each other better?
There’s a lot going on. We’re all in the health field where people are asking every other day, “Do you feel like this may change or that may change in the field of medicine and all?” I have thought about that. Sometimes, trying to anticipate leads to some anxiety, to be honest with you. At the end of the day, we’re going to still keep doing what we do, and that is to care for people. That doesn’t stop.
We have to remember that there’s so much power in our community, and that’s not dictated from a federal level, so we have that power. We continue to operate in that power and keep doing what’s right. If we even think about that, we’re going to be more supportive of each other. We’re going to network even more effectively. Women are the gatekeepers of health and other things as far as I’m concerned also. We’re going to keep doing what we do and we’re going to network even better.
Dr. Andrea’s Self-Care Routine
We need that at this moment. Shifting gears more to the personal level, how do you practice self-care? I may have heard that you ran a marathon or a half marathon. What’s your self-care regime?
That was my 14th half marathon. Every time, I say it’s going to be my last one, so it may or may not have been my last one. I’m not sure. That’s one of the things I do. Honestly, I listen to inspirational music when I run. It’s helpful to put everything aside and run.
Is there something you have on repeat?
I have tried all genres of music when I run. I honestly thought the hard rap beat was going to be what keeps me on cadence, but it’s the Christian music that I love the most. Whenever I am ready to give up in that run, that’s when something will pop up to say, “Keep going.” I have a long playlist, so there is not one particular thing, but that’s the music that I like to listen to the most. I like to travel. Travel is good. I’m a short traveler, though. Even if I go international, five days is good and I’m ready to come home. I love it. I pack the most into my trip. I like to travel a lot and I like to read all kinds of stuff. I love mysteries. Those are fun for me.
That is a good regimen to end with reading. I can’t thank you enough for being here. I feel like we’ve touched on all topics of life. Is there anything else that you’d like to share with our audience?
I hope people do tune in. I know I love what you all are bringing to the table, and I feel like I still learn from everything that you bring to the table. I’m truly honored. I can’t wait to see what comes next for you all.
Thank you for sharing your journey with us.
Andrea, where can our readers follow you or find you on either social media or online?
LinkedIn is probably the best avenue. We tend to post a lot there. There are certainly ways to contact me through LinkedIn. That’s the best avenue.
Thank you so much. We appreciate your time. I know it’s precious. For you and our audience, until we meet again. May you be well.
Thank you.
Dr. Angela And Dr. Sylvia’s Episode Pearls
There were many pearls from our conversation with Dr. Andrea Willis. I am overwhelmed with all of the things that she has accomplished and will continue to accomplish and contribute to medicine, both public sector and private sector. Dr. Willis is fantastic. What pearls did you take home?
One of the biggest pearls is the fact that she has an amazing story. This is what we are doing this show for. Everybody’s story is different, but how many people are you going to find that started off as a young pig farmer? I love the part that came out of that. She didn’t grow up to be a pig farmer, but she learned the value of hard work. When I’ve gone through some of our episodes before, I don’t know that I have emphasized that part of following your dream, dreaming big, and following your own path. The other part of the equation is no matter what you decide to do, you still have to follow that up with hard work.
It’s been implicit in our conversations.
Good. I hope so. I’m always thinking about the younger person that’s reading this. It’s valuable to know that even though you may have this wonderful dream, it’s still the hard work behind it that not only goes into getting to a place but staying in that place and moving forward.
No faith without work means nothing.
That’s right. You got it. I have to go back to the beginning because I know that when we stop the recording, I will be listening to all of Donny Hathaway’s greatest hits. She said, “Listen to my melody,” or, “Listen to the melody.” For me, the lyrics I’m taking is to walk in your calling and do the things that you know you’re called to do. The things that I tend to worry about tend to fall into place when I’m walking in my calling. I have to remember that. Those are the two major players for me, but there was so much to unpack in that episode. I’m very grateful for all that she had to say. How about you, Sylvia?
When you talk about walking in your calling, life becomes easier if we’re doing the things that we are called to do. I didn’t say life was easy. I said it becomes easier because it becomes, for me, personally, full of effort. I always talk about effortlessness. It is being in that allowing space and being in the place of, “I’m supposed to be here. I am doing what I am called to do. I’m putting in the work. I’m leading with integrity and fairness.”
Andrea talked about so many things that are applicable wherever you are in the stage of your career. You think about whether you are putting in the appropriate work. We all have work to do wherever we are. We want to make sure that we are working with integrity, fairness, and power. Community is the last thing that she left us with.
In these times, sometimes we are trying to figure out, “What’s the next move?” One of the things that we need to try and lean into is the power of community. We’re all in this place, and we’re not sure what’s happening or how things are going to shake out. We do know from a healthcare perspective that we will continue to take care of patients but we need to work with each other in the betterment of the community.
I couldn’t have said it any better. Thank you so much. I appreciate your words. I appreciate your sisterhood, your friendship, and for doing this thing with me.
I wouldn’t want to do it with anybody else.
For our readers, I hope that you feel that you were in the right place and that the melody was good for you. For all of those, we want you to continue to take good care of yourselves. Until we meet again, may you be well.
May you be well.
Important Links
- BlueCross BlueShield
- Andrea Willis on LinkedIn
- When Ministry Meets Medicine: A Modern Motivational Journey for Holistic Wellness
About Dr. Andrea Willis
Dr. Andrea D. Willis is Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer for BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee.
She oversees Total Health Management and Pharmacy Management and is responsible for maintaining clinical quality excellence.
Prior to joining BlueCross, Willis was director of CoverKids and was responsible for developing Tennessee’s federally approved State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). Prior to that, she served as deputy commissioner for the Tennessee Department of Health.
Willis earned a Master of Public Health from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and a Doctor of Medicine from Georgetown University School of Medicine. She received her Bachelor of Science from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
Willis is a fellow with the American Academy of Pediatrics. She has been recognized by Modern Healthcare Magazine as one of its Women’s Leaders of 2024. Additionally, the magazine has previously named her as a Top 25 Minority Executive in Healthcare; and one of the 50 Most Influential Clinical Executives. Johns Hopkins Alumni Association honored her as one of their Distinguished Alumna. She testified in front of the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions regarding telehealth utilization during the COVID-19 pandemic. She received the inaugural Champion of Healthcare Award in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion awarded by the Chattanooga Times Free Press. She has served as a member of the Health Advisory Board for the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. She has one son, Cameron “Cam” Willis who is a NYU graduate and is now employed with Composition Media.