I would love for everybody to have a primary care physician they can call anytime and get in whatever time, after hours and weekends, that they want. That’s unfortunately not what our system is set up for. I do believe that we have a duty to care for the entire patient. You can’t write a prescription, knowing that it’s not going to be successful because the patient doesn’t have a roof over their head and can’t store their insulin, whatever the case may be. I don’t think everybody has to want to lead. But you have to at least have the awareness and competency to understand that there are other things going on in people’s lives. You should at least be open to thinking things through and asking yourself how you can make people’s lives better.

DR. TERRY: You’ve done so much from the bedside to the boardroom to the C-Suite. What would you say to your younger self? What advice would you give 18-year-old Joneigh Khaldun?

DR. KHALDUN: I think my piece of advice would be, “Don’t worry about it. Keep being you, and you’ll be able to have the impact that you want to have.” I’m very grateful that I didn’t really tell myself that I had to do this job or I’m going to do this job. I never had it planned out. But I always had this burning fire to want to have an impact at scale. I used to feel anxious if I wasn’t having an impact every day. I’d ask myself, “What are you doing with your life?” I’m much more comfortable now. I’d tell my younger self to just be more comfortable in what you’re doing.

DR. TERRY: Any other advice that you might give to a younger person who is interested in this work, this work of systems change and health policy and advocacy, perhaps through the lens of health equity? Somebody who wants to be like you?

DR. KHALDUN: The first piece of advice is to be true to yourself. I would also say to seek opportunities where there is clearly a need, whether it’s from a population health perspective or just somebody needing somebody to show up and lead when no one else really has the capacity to do it. Find out where you can add value and fill the gaps. And don’t forget how important your connections are. First and foremost, show up and do a good job.