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Dennis Pullin, CEO and President of Virtua Health joins The Kathy Romano Show
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00:00Dennis Pullen is president and CEO of Virtua Health, one of New Jersey's leading academic
00:04health systems serving patients across more than 400 locations. Dennis is a recognized leader and
00:10passionate advocate for healthy equity who's earned some impressive recognition, named one of
00:15the top 10 healthcare leaders in the United States by Healthcare Digital in 2024 and honored by
00:21Modern Healthcare as both one of the top 25 innovators and one of the 100 most influential
00:26people in healthcare. He is also the author of Suited for Leadership. Please welcome Dennis to
00:32The Kathy Romano Show. You really made me sound special, so thank you. You are special. Tell my
00:38kids that. How many kids do you have? I have two, and for the last 10 years, I have been trying to
00:45convince them that I'm a big-ass deal, and it just is not working. It doesn't work. Same with me. My son
00:52mocks me. If somebody recognizes me out in the public, oh, are you Kathy Romano? And when they
00:57walk away, he's like, oh, he's Kathy Romano. So I get it. When I sent my daughter the email about being
01:03the top 25, her response back to me was, how much did this cost? So that's the world I live in.
01:10They ground us. Everyone grounds us. They do. That's great. So what are you most proud of in how Virtua serves
01:17South Jersey and the Philadelphia communities? Great question. So I'm proud of one, the collection
01:24of colleagues that I get to work with every day and the work that they do. But if I was to think about
01:29one thing in particular, we recently opened Oliver Station. Oliver Station is an affordable housing
01:37community in Camden, in which we built 47 affordable homes in partnership with the Michaels Group.
01:45And so not only are we addressing affordable housing, we also have a primary care clinic on
01:52the first floor of the building. So to me, that's going beyond what we just traditionally do in terms
01:58of providing care. It's addressing some of the real problems the community is faced with. That's
02:03incredible. Yeah, it really is. It's something that's pretty special. It's the second one of its kind
02:08in the state of New Jersey. Well, conveniently, there's a book right here that you authored. It's
02:13amazing how we conveniently had it right here on the table. Yeah, let's make sure we get it in the
02:16frame. Yeah, just make sure we just put it on there right there. But in your book, Suited for
02:19Leadership, How to Show Up with Purpose to Have a Lasting Impact, you use that phrase showing up with
02:24purpose. What does that mean to you in everyday life as a CEO and as a father too? Yeah, thank you.
02:30Showing up with purpose really address, you know, how I show up based on the things that inspire and drive
02:40me. You know, I think most leaders you will find their intentions is to do good, to do good by their
02:46business, their shareholders. For me, it's also leaving a lasting impact. And that is not something
02:53that is done by accident. You have to be intentional about it. You have to be purposeful about it. So
02:58everything I do supports, you know, the things that drive me and the things that I'm committed to.
03:06So who is this book for? Who did you write it for? So it's really meant for leaders, be it they are
03:13leaders that are tenured with experience or young leaders. So I have a 30, I think he's 31 or 32,
03:20I don't remember, my son. And he is a healthcare administrator as well. And he calls me up one day
03:28and he said that two of his good friends are in healthcare administration, were having some
03:32difficulties sort of navigating their careers. And they were asking him for some help and just some
03:39thoughts. And he said, you know, I realized all of the things that I were telling them were things that
03:45you had told me. And he says, so would you mind mentoring my two friends? And yeah, when I fell off,
03:52I literally fell out of my chair. My son is asking me to give advice to somebody else. I realized that,
04:00you know, maybe there is a message to be told. You know, if I think about the lessons that I've
04:05learned, the lessons that I live by, the lessons that I try and teach, maybe I owe it to my son
04:13and other up and coming leaders to, you know, put it together in sort of a memoir that they can
04:20be inspired by. This book became an Amazon bestseller within 24 hours. You know, the excitement in your
04:26voice was the same excitement that I had, you know, I was hoping I'd get my family and friends to read
04:31it, but just to know that, you know, and there are a number of leadership books out there on just about
04:37any and every subject. But for me, it was, it was written in a way that my hope was for it not to be
04:44a how-to, but more to inspire people to, to do good and to do well and to try and leave an impact
04:52and benefit from some of the lessons that I've learned. And the proceeds went back into Virtua?
04:58So I decided long before I wrote the book that 100% of the proceeds would be donated to our efforts to
05:08address food insecurities. And so we have a very robust program called Eat Well, which is supported
05:14by two mobile grocery stores, a mobile farmer's market, food pantries, you know, all in an effort to
05:21address some of those areas in South Jersey that are considered to be food deserts, where people
05:27don't have access to healthy, nutritious, affordable foods. And so, yes, I have to admit, hopefully
05:35nobody will see this. When I decided to donate 100% of the proceeds, I didn't know it was going to be an
05:41Amazon bestseller. Otherwise, I may have thought to do a portion of the proceeds, but you know, it's all
05:47good and I'm happy I did it. And it's, it's been a great book number two. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I'll keep
05:53my mouth shut. Right. You talked about the mobile grocery stores. What kind of response have you
05:57seen from those now that they've been in place? You know, the response has been great. I would think
06:01the word that I would use would be gratitude. You know, the fact that we're able to meet people where
06:09they are and to provide, you know, we see food as medicine. And so to be able to provide people with
06:15things that they just don't have access to, um, the gratitude that we receive is just phenomenal.
06:22And to be honest with you, I feel a certain gratitude that we can do that in the community.
06:28So you've moved around a little bit in your career. You started in Houston and we don't have
06:32to talk about, we don't talk about things. You made it sound like I can't keep a job.
06:37No, that's good. You, you were working in all of the places, right? Okay. That's better. Okay.
06:41All right. Well, I wasn't going to bring it up, but you're a Cowboys fan. Now I'm bringing it up.
06:44You know, I was born and raised in Texas. I, I, you know, it's a birthright.
06:47No, it is a birthright. And I think we've said that before. Like we appreciate if that's where
06:51you're from, that's your team and you didn't abandon them. We can appreciate that. We're not
06:55going to agree with you, but we appreciate it. It's when I meet someone from Cherry Hill,
06:58like I'm a Cowboys fan. No, no, no, you're not. Uh, but what I was going to ask is moving around
07:04to different places. What's unique about this area and serving South Jersey and Philadelphia?
07:08Wow. I, you know, one word comes to mind when, when I arrived here and as I've sort of navigated
07:16around the area, the word that comes to mind is passionate. You know, people in this
07:22extended community, they're passionate, whether it's about their sports, um, about their restaurants,
07:29about the shore, even about their healthcare, you know, and, and that's something that I find to be
07:35pretty special when you have a group of people that are so passionate about the things that they
07:40either believe in or they care about. And that stands out without question more than what I saw
07:47in DC or even in, in Texas. It's, it's the, the passionate. It is. And you, the sports fans
07:53obviously are passionate, but did you see, we just got a couple of restaurants earned Michelin stars.
07:58And I can't three and I can't wait to try every while I've actually been to one of them,
08:03but the other two are on my list. Yeah. I mean, and so you mentioned restaurants,
08:07they are passionate as well. And it's, it's exciting that they have the Michelin star. Now
08:11you better hurry up and get the reservations. It's going to be pretty hard. You would think if
08:15there were two well-known personalities that I know could maybe help me get, get a reservation.
08:20Yes. Okay. You would think, yes, I would think. They're still at the station.
08:23One of them right here, right. Could get us that. Yep. Still trying to get her flyers tickets from her.
08:28So I have them. She wouldn't even get you flyers tickets.
08:32Yes, I have the flyers tickets. And you guys work together every day?
08:34We just brought it up now. Now apparently I have flyers tickets.
08:36Okay, good. So that's good. I'm glad I can help.
08:38Talking about moving around as we just talked about that, being a top leader with diversity
08:43in healthcare too, how has your own background kind of shaped your approach to leadership and
08:48to health equity? Health equity. Let's talk about health equity. That's a term that I wish one day
08:53will never be heard again. I think everybody has a right to quality healthcare. It should not be
09:01a privilege. You know, at Virtua, one of the things I'm most proud of is that we open our arms to any
09:08and everybody. You know, it doesn't matter what life experiences you bring with you or circumstances,
09:15you have a right to quality care. And then for those that can't get to us, that doesn't show up at our
09:21doorstep, we extend a hand. We extend a hand to those that can't get to us. And that, I think,
09:26is important in terms of alleviating or eliminating this term health equity. I think everybody deserves
09:35it. And so for me, I think I have a responsibility to do any and everything that I can to eliminate
09:42those disparities. And that's by trying to make sure as an organization that we recognize diverse
09:53circumstances. We recognize that not everybody shows up in the same way. And so we have to be mindful
10:01of that. So we create an organization that's open and willing to treat everybody. Doesn't matter what
10:09you look like. Doesn't matter, you know, your age, your orientation. We all have a right to great care.
10:17That's great. Virtua has over 400 locations. We do. We are, in your introduction, which was great,
10:24you said one of the leading health systems in New Jersey. I like to say the leading. But we do,
10:31we have over 400 locations. You know, we provide care from, we deliver more babies than anybody in New
10:38Jersey. But we extend our reach over into the Philadelphia area, in Delaware, and throughout New
10:45Jersey. And are you continuing to grow or are we good at 400? You know, it's a good question. Are we,
10:52yes, we are continuing to grow because for us, it's about not just providing care in the hospital
11:00or providing care in our ambulatory sites. We are taking care not just close to home, but in the
11:07homes. We have a program called Hospital at Home. We provide home care. So we want to make sure that
11:13care is available when and where and how you need it. And so, yes, we are continuing to grow
11:19and to extend our reach and take care of the residents of these communities that we get to
11:26serve. With community being so important, what is there, a cause or is there anything kind of a
11:30certain community effort or cause that you're really proud of or that you're involved in that
11:34you want to share? There are a number. You know, I'm at a point in my life and my career that
11:40for those things that I care deeply about that I will commit my time, my talent, my resources to.
11:47And addressing poverty, addressing homelessness, addressing food insecurities is things that I'm
11:54really committed to. One of the programs that we're working on right now is called Uplift Camden
12:01that we're doing in partnership with the United Way. And one of my colleagues at one of our competing
12:08health systems at Cooper, Kevin O'Dowell, he and I co-chair just this effort to really uplift the city
12:17of Camden through job creation, through health care, through just providing some economic stimulus
12:25through growth and development. So I find things that not only I care about, but are meaningful in
12:32the communities that we serve to participate in. That's great. The B-101 studios are sponsored by
12:38Virtua. We have a nice sign in our studio. We're here at the Virtua studios. So I think it's only
12:44fair that the Kathy Romano show sign goes somewhere. I was thinking like, I don't know, like here. I thought
12:49maybe it would look nice there. How about a picture or something? Yeah, we can do it. We have a picture of the
12:54three of us. We can put that up. Yeah, right next to a Dallas Cowboy helmet. Yeah. Okay, never mind.
13:00Something right there. I pushed it. Thank goodness. What do you do to, I'm sure it's a stressful job.
13:06What do you do to, in your free time for a little enjoyment? You know, it is a stressful job. I will
13:12tell you, and I'll answer that question, but I'm fortunate in that I get to play a part in a very,
13:19what I consider to be important ecosystem. You know, we're not an organization that makes widgets.
13:27We are people caring for people. And so my job is to make sure those individuals have all of the
13:34resources they need to make sure we take care of the community in which, in the way that we do.
13:39Is it stressful? Yes. Do I have to find ways to sort of decompress and refuel? That's where bourbon,
13:47golf, and tequila comes in. You know, and not always in that order, but you know, I have a group
13:52of friends that I play golf with on a regular basis. And it's great to be able to have that space
13:59where you can decompress, you can unwind. You know, we solve the problems of the world. We, you know,
14:05so we think, but it's just, it's a great way to recharge and refocus and come back to work.
14:12I forgot. That's right. You're a tequila drinker. So am I. Yes. I forgot about that.
14:16But I don't look at what I do. I mean, it is stressful. We all have stressful jobs, but
14:21it's, it's more than a job. It's, it's a calling. It's a commitment to, I feel like I'm blessed to be
14:28able to do what I do and get paid for it. But it's really about trying to uplift the communities that
14:37we serve. Kathy found a great quote in the book too. I wanted to make sure you have that one for
14:40your next question too. You're never too old to experience or too successful to get better.
14:46Absolutely. You know, and can I tell you another short story and I'll try and make it quick because
14:52when I, when I wrote the book, the publisher encouraged me to have a theme or a thread that
14:59would follow throughout the book. And, and I thought about what it was that was really important to my
15:05leadership and it goes back to my mother. And part of it is the addressing the question that you
15:12just asked, you know, when I was a young man, you know, um, I grew up with a mother that was a very
15:19spiritual woman and she would pray every night and she would pray out loud so I could hear her
15:26because she was praying about me. Yeah. And you would think I was this awful knucklehead kid,
15:31but I really wasn't. But, but every night she would end her prayer with the same phrase.
15:36She would say, Lord, let him be better than today. And it took me a while to really understand and
15:43appreciate what she was trying to do. She was just really trying to inspire me to be better,
15:49inspire me not to rest on whatever it was that I accomplished or I did that day. It was going to be
15:55a new day. And so that's what this book is about as a leader. I think every one of us has strived to be
16:03better every single day. And so I challenged myself. I challenged the people that I get to work with
16:09every day, um, to be better than today. Yeah, that's great. I love that quote in the book. And
16:15it's something that, uh, I try to do for myself and also for my son, because he's 14, he thinks he
16:21knows everything. And, and I keep telling him, you're going to learn every day, something new.
16:25I'm still learning. But you have to be open to learning as well in realizing that just because
16:31you have achieved a certain level of success, that doesn't mean, you know, you're, you're done.
16:37There is still opportunities for us to get better. You know, that's why I love listening to, and I've had
16:44a chance to talk with, with several individuals that I consider to be goats, you know, and talking to
16:50someone like a Michael Jordan that always, you know, pushed himself to be better and to be better
16:57when you would have thought, you know, you were the greatest, but always found an opportunity to
17:03improve. And so I do that and not compare myself to a goat, but I, I do that in my leadership. I do
17:11that in the things that I'm trying to do every day and just, just get better. One more time,
17:16just hold the book up where can people get the book? Amazon, obviously it is suited for leadership,
17:22how to show up with purpose to have a lasting impact. It's available just about anywhere. You
17:27can get a book on Amazon, Barnes and Nobles, all of the, the, the things. And, and what's important
17:33also, you know, it's not a book about dressing and apparel, even though that has a lot to do with
17:39it being suited. In my mind, it's a matter of how you show up, you know, do you show up prepared to
17:46address the things that you need to address? Do you show up and present in a way that you have a degree
17:52of respect for the job that you have, for the people that you work with, for the people that work for
17:58you. And so for me, being suited is that I'm prepared to address those things that I'm being
18:05held accountable to. And this suit, amazing. It is, I love it. I knew I was going to see you,
18:11so I have to step it up a little bit. Dennis, thank you so much for joining us on the show
18:16today and inviting us into your studio. No, thank you for having me. And it's always a pleasure. I
18:21love listening to you guys and, and hopefully I don't sound too bad. No, you don't. And thank you
18:28for sponsoring our B101 studios. We love having your name up there on our studio wall. It's our pleasure.
18:33And we have a name for the second book, Bourbon, Golf and Tequila. Sounds great.
18:38Done. Sounds great.
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