Over 25 years ago, KMarie King, MD ’98, witnessed Steven Strasberg, MD, currently a professor emeritus of surgery at WashU Medicine, meticulously arrange sutures during a biliary duct reconstruction procedure. As a third-year medical student, King was captivated.
“In that instant, I recognized my desire to focus on the liver and pancreas, just like he did,” King reflects. “Here I was, part of a collaborative effort aiding a patient with a complicated issue within this intricate system. It resonated with me.”
King pursued that instinct. Upon earning her degree from WashU Medicine and completing several fellowships, she became part of the faculty at Mayo Clinic College of Medicine as a hepatobiliary and pancreas surgeon. There, she engaged in NIH-funded research, maintained a surgical practice, and taught medical students and residents. She also furthered her education, attaining a master’s in biomedical sciences. Then another moment of inspiration arrived.
“As I progressed, I remember one of the administrators mentioning, ‘You truly need to concentrate on what you enjoy most, as you’re tackling everything,’” King reminisces. “I began to peel back the layers one by one and consider what I cherished most among all my academic passions, and I realized it was the chance to influence more than just a single patient at a time.”
A first-born who often cared for her younger siblings, King was inherently comfortable leading others. Prior to medical school, she honed her leadership abilities in the U.S. Army, participating in Operation Desert Storm. In the realm of hospital administration, she noticed a fresh opportunity to lead — and to learn. She opted to pursue yet another master’s degree, this time in business administration.
Militating with this extensive range of expertise, King undertook leadership positions at Morehouse School of Medicine and Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta. In 2021, she took on her current roles as department chair of surgery and chief of surgery at Albany Medical Center. With this appointment, King became the first Black female chair of surgery at an academic health science center in the United States.
She has made rapid advancements at Albany, establishing a surgical quality framework that built upon her initiatives at Grady. Her team has set up role-based guidelines outlining best practices for everything from pre-op patient enhancement to improved chart documentation. The outcome? Albany Medical Center Hospital has seen a significant reduction in colorectal surgical site infection rates and improved outcomes in cardiac and vascular procedures.
“I heavily invest in formal education since I constantly strive to be well equipped. I believe I am here to gain as much knowledge as possible.”
KMarie King
King perceives similarities between conducting surgery and steering an organization. Every aspect of her role necessitates an in-depth understanding of the current situation, a clear vision of the ultimate goal, and the skill to deconstruct processes into their basic elements. At each juncture, King views herself as a “knot-untier,” wholly dedicated to enhancing processes.
“Patients might have the same diagnosis, yet the tumor’s growth or presentation is distinctive, requiring genuine thoughtfulness regarding the surgical strategy,” King remarks. “Is it more advantageous for a patient to undergo treatment A or B before surgery, or should surgery take precedence? It’s crucial to manage potential obstacles encountered when reversing from the desired outcome, which is to eliminate the disease from the patient. Administratively, you apply the same principle by identifying the intended outcomes and reverse-engineering the process to reach that goal.”
As department chair, King takes pride in her achievements in personnel development and recruitment. “Healthcare leadership is a collaborative effort, and achieving any of it independently is challenging,” she explains. At Albany, she has brought on board over 45 faculty members and established leadership coaching for division chiefs and medical directors. Embracing the ethos of perpetual learning, she also engages a leadership coach.
King has recently taken on two additional leadership roles globally, becoming both president of the Society of Surgical Chairs and president-elect of the Society of Black Academic Surgeons. With each new role, she remains dedicated to the principles that guided her into medicine.
“I embrace the authenticity of my being and the guiding principles I uphold: Be kind, maintain integrity, and prioritize the patient,” King emphasizes.
“It is vital that I influence those around me with kindness, that I am a compassionate leader, and that I am leading in a manner that fosters enduring change.”
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