Kierstin Cates Kennedy, MD, MSHA

Kierstin Cates Kennedy, MD, MSHA is dual trained in Internal Medicine and Pediatrics and practices as an academic hospitalist at the University of Alabama at Birmingham where she holds a rank of Associate Professor of Medicine and serves as Chief Medical Officer.

She is fellowship trained in quality improvement in healthcare via the VA Quality Scholars Program and has expertise in inpatient coding and documentation, Case Mix Index and Observed to Expected Mortality improvement strategies, efficiency in hospital throughput, and ultrasound guided bedside procedures. Prior to her CMO role she created the UAB Procedure Service and UAB Comprehensive Vascular Access Team, where she has focused past QI efforts on improving bedside procedure outcomes, and as inaugural Chief of Hospital Medicine focused on identifying and improving meaningful hospital based quality metrics and educational and professional development of hospitalists. She is a nationally recognized expert in leadership development and speaks on leadership topics such as conflict resolution, emotional intelligence, building high performing teams, leveraging positive psychology to drive quality improvement, and authenticity in leadership.