Paul Park, MD, MSC, Lifelong’s new Chief Mission Officer with Claire Neal, Lifelong's CEO
We recently sat down with Paul Park, Lifelong’s Chief Mission Officer, to learn more about him and his new role within the organization.
Q: What has fueled your passion for health equity?
A: The genesis of my social justice consciousness was from my personal experiences facing racism in the United States. Those experiences forced me to struggle with questions of racial injustice at a young age. This laid the groundwork for me to later recognize and advocate against the health inequities that are rooted in systemic racism.
As an undergraduate at Indiana University, I took a spring break medical service trip to Honduras with the non-profit organization Timmy Global Health. It brought up so many questions for me: Why are people poor? What historical context led Honduras and indigenous communities of Central America to be disproportionately poor? What role did the US play and what can I do to help rectify these injustices? I would go on to read many books, seek mentors, and ultimately attend medical school with the sole intention of focusing on health equity.
Meet Paul Park on Monday, September 20 at 6 pm PST at a virtual event discussing COVID-19 safety
Get to know Paul, who is a physician and public health practitioner, and learn more about how to keep you and your families safe during COVID-19 at this virtual event presented by Immigrant Women’s Community Center.
Q: What are the biggest gaps you see in the healthcare system?
A: Ways to pay for care are improving, but it remains absurd that our country continues to allow patients to fall through the cracks. Many say health care ought to be a human right, but we obviously are not there. Access to care is a basic need that should be provided by the government just like public schools, public libraries, and voting - not tethered to one’s ability to pay.
Mental health has come a long way but is still severely under-prioritized at all levels of the health system. Greater investment into early detection, maintenance of care, and public education is needed.
There is also an underappreciation for the impact of the social determinants of health, which showcases how the systems our society has built affect a person’s health, as well as people’s personal health choices. It shows that systemic homelessness, limited access to healthy foods, limited health literacy, unstable income, and unaffordable childcare are key risk factors that contribute to poor health outcomes.
Q: What drew you to work for Lifelong?
A: I lived in East Africa for six years doing health equity work for Partners In Health (PIH) and AMPATH. Returning to the American side of global health was a new and challenging learning opportunity. Supporting rural communities in low-income countries from the PIH offices in Boston allowed me to develop new skill sets in long-distance implementation and policy work, however, I missed being on the front lines.
After four years in Boston, I began looking for a way to serve the community where I live. The ongoing racism against Asian Americans and other people of color also fueled my sense of responsibility to focus on domestic inequities driven by racism. As the President of the Indiana University Asian Alumni Association, I launched several advocacy initiatives supporting the BIPOC community, but I wanted to do more. After learning of Lifelong’s history of direct community engagement to fight for health equity across diverse communities, I thought it would be a great fit to join as the Chief Mission Officer, especially during a strategic period of growth and expansion.
Q: What have you learned from your previous experiences you can apply at Lifelong?
A: I look forward to bringing a strong understanding of community engagement, collaborative implementation, and monitoring and evaluation. My previous field experiences allowed me to cultivate a respectful and effective approach to engaging with new communities and integrating their needs with an organization’s strengths.
As a physician and public health practitioner, I am eager to help grow existing programs while also exploring new clinical and public health initiatives that can better serve the most vulnerable clients facing illness and injustice. I’m also eager to guide the expansion of our monitoring, evaluation, and quality improvement program across Lifelong to improve our capacity to be data-driven and better serve our clients with greater efficiency and direction.
Q: What are your first steps as the new Chief Mission Officer?
A: My first steps as the new Chief Mission Officer are to listen and learn. As someone who has not lived in Washington, there is much to discover about the local and historical contexts. I believe that the poverty and inequities we see are deeply rooted in historical and sociopolitical injustices. My experiences have taught me that successful change and growth cannot be achieved by good planning and funding alone. This work is driven by strong relationships. I look forward to being a part of Lifelong’s leadership team, cultivating existing and new relationships that can help us leverage our unique expertise to strengthen the local community’s health safety net.
Q: How do you see Lifelong’s role in community health evolving over the next decade?
A: There is so much opportunity given the COVID-19 pandemic and President Biden’s focus on growing healthcare infrastructure. I still have much to learn, but I see such an opportunity to expand our services to provide community-based and home-based support to clients facing chronic diseases and disabilities that impact their quality of life, especially in the face of poverty.
I’m also excited by the idea of expanding our services across the state of Washington given my previous experience with medical and public health work in rural communities. Over the past five years, I’ve worked part time as an internal medicine physician at Indian Health Services clinics in New Mexico and Massachusetts and I’m eager to find a way to support the Indigenous communities of Washington.
Lifelong has an amazing history and potential for creating a cascade of change across other states. I’d love to see us establish a pathway for other nonprofits nationwide to replicate or scale our innovative model of wraparound support which has allowed thousands of marginalized community members in Washington engage in vital care and reach their best possible health.
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