HonorHealth, a leading Valley healthcare system serving 1.6 million people in the greater Phoenix and Scottsdale area, announced that Tiffany Pankow, M.D. has been selected to serve as vice president, chief of caregiver wellness and patient experience.

The pandemic has tested everyone’s ability to stay healthy and balanced in both work and personal lives, especially those who work in healthcare.

Listening to feedback from team members through surveys and conversations, HonorHealth knew that many within the organization are challenged with the ability to balance their physical, mental and spiritual health during these unprecedented times, according to the release.

The creation of this new position is a direct result of that feedback. The role will focus on caregiver wellness, supported by their Center for Wellbeing, as well as a targeted emphasis on the organization’s efforts to further develop patient experience improvements, diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, along with culture initiatives that support and sustain the changes.

“The decision to call out each of our team members as a ‘caregiver’ is intentional,” Wayne Frangesch, senior vice president, chief human resources officer at HonorHealth, stated in the release. “No matter our roles within the organization, from housekeeping, food services and patient transport; to our physicians, nurses and technicians; to any of the roles in our hospitals, clinics and support services that assist us in fulfilling our mission; we all impact the care we provide to our patients and our community.”

Dr. Pankow is a practicing family physician and is currently an associate chief medical officer for HonorHealth Medical Group. She also serves on the Innovation Care Partners Clinical Integration Committee helping create evidence-based care guidelines and has previously sat on the Innovation Care Partners IPO Board.

Pankow is committed to improving access to better mental healthcare, and she has led the medical group's efforts to integrate behavioral health services into every primary care location and supported HonorHealth’s employed behavioral health specialists.

As a member of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine and an advocate of the Blue Zones pillars of health, she recognizes the environment we live and work in directly impacts our health.

“I have such a passion for the areas this role will oversee, and I’m excited about taking on this new position and making a difference,” Pankow stated in the release. “I’m looking forward to building on our culture of inclusion, safety, innovation and collaboration in order to sustain a healthy, care environment and improve the well-being of both our caregivers and our patients.”