To Emily Sedgwick, every patient is equally deserving of high-quality care.
A breast imaging radiologist by training, Sedgwick observed early in her career that physicians and their wives often received expedited treatment, while others waited weeks for follow-up on an abnormal mammogram. “I said, ‘How come we’re not treating everyone like a VIP?’” recalled Sedgwick. That question fueled her journey into quality and operations improvements for greater accessibility and responsiveness, like same-day breast biopsies, that could mean life or death for patients.
Sedgwick worked across several health systems in Houston, treating diverse populations and optimizing systems for patient care while focusing on structure, processes, data and accountability. Sedgwick also realized that while she enjoyed caring for individuals, there was power in caring for populations of patients. She began working toward an MBA and was recruited as chief medical officer over four University of Kentucky hospitals before joining UMCNO in August 2022 as president and CEO.
Today, she is committed to helping make UMCNO the No. 1 academic medical center in Louisiana.
“People here are all for it,” said Sedgwick. “They are so eager to realize this vision.”
