Dr. Robert Kenagy | Topeka Business Hall of Fame
By LISA LOEWEN | Photos by JOHN BURNS
Robert Kenagy, M.D., has spent most of his life working and living in Kansas. A Wichita native, he practiced family medicine for more than 22 years before transitioning into leadership roles that would eventually bring him to Stormont Vail Health in Topeka.
While Robert is honored to have been named one of this year’s Topeka Business Hall of Fame laureates, he refuses to take the credit for his success.
“Whatever the selection committee saw in me as being worthy of recognition is truly the result of being part of a great team,” Robert said.
COMMUNITY ROOTS
Robert didn’t set out to become a doctor. After graduating from Wichita State University in 1979 with a business administration degree, he started working for Boeing as part of a cost and scheduling team that supported engineers working on the KC-135 re-engine programs.
“I have a great respect for that company,” Robert said. “My dad was an engineer there for more than 40 years, and it was a great company to work for.”
Robert thought he would follow in his father’s footsteps and make a career at Boeing. However, fate had other plans. Almost two years into his job, tragedy struck when his sister-in-law was killed by a drunk driver. Watching his brother struggle with the trauma of losing his wife made Robert rethink the trajectory of his own life.
“I had always idolized two of my maternal uncles who were internal medicine doctors in Kansas City but had never seriously considered pursuing that profession,” Robert said. “All of a sudden, I found myself undergoing an intense reexamination of what I wanted to do with my life.”
That introspective search set him on the path to becoming a doctor. He quit his job and moved back home so he could go back to school and complete the pre-requisites he needed to apply for medical school. Because business majors aren’t expected to take many science classes, it took Robert two more years of school to complete the required courses.
He attended the University of Kansas Medical School and then completed a family medicine residency at KU Wesley in Wichita. Robert practiced family medicine in Wichita for more than 20 years.
SMALL PRACTICE TO BIG PICTURE
He started out in an independent group of family medicine physicians that later became part of a large multi-specialty group called Wichita Clinic.
“It was at that large clinic where I started to take on leadership roles and become involved in the administrative side of medicine,” Robert said.
As a culmination of various leadership positions, Robert became the chief medical officer for the physician-owned group comprised of 160 doctors and 40 advanced practice providers operating out of 13 locations, including a stand-alone surgery center. In his role as the lead executive, he helped guide the group into a merger with Via Christi Health.
At the same time that he was serving as chief medical officer for the clinic, Robert completed a master’s degree in medical management at Tulane University.
Once the merger was finalized, it was left to Randy Peterson, who was the acting CEO for the Via Christi Health System at the time, and Robert, who was the CEO of the newly formed Via Christi Clinic, to carry out the working aspects of the merger.
“The politics involved with bringing together two groups of doctors who had been competitors, proved difficult, so Randy and I both sought other options,” Robert said. “In a way, that was traumatic for me to put my heart and soul into the merger effort and then watch the politics play out in such a way that I could no longer be part of it.”
Randy moved to Topeka to become CEO of Stormont Vail Health and Robert became senior vice president of the St. John Health Network in Tulsa. Four years later, Randy asked Robert to interview for the chief medical officer position at Stormont Vail Health, to replace the retiring Dr. Kent Palmberg. Robert served in that role for the next three years until Randy retired in 2019 and Robert became president and CEO of Stormont Vail Health.
A HEALER AND A LEADER
For Robert, the biggest challenge in transitioning from patient care to administration was balancing his desire to stay connected through part-time, hands-on clinical work while taking on more leadership responsibilities.
“I was blessed with partners who were willing to cover for me and take care of my patients when I couldn’t be there because of my managerial duties,” Robert said.
The second challenge he faced was a little bit of a flip side of that coin. Going from a peer to a leadership role changed the dynamic of his relationship with those physicians with whom he worked. He had to earn the respect of the doctors in Wichita who were once colleagues but now found themselves following his lead.
“I think it’s always been helpful in the leadership positions that I’ve held to be able to relate to the physicians from a position of having practiced medicine for 20 years,” Robert said. “Also, I’ve been grateful for the training that I had in my business degree at Wichita State. It allows me to shift back and forth from a business perspective to a clinical perspective in a way that has been beneficial.”
Under his leadership, Stormont Vail Health has cultivated a culture called “We Together,” which recognizes that while health care requires individual contributions, success depends on teamwork.
“Here at Stormont, we have an incredible team of people who are willing to have hard conversations, collaborate and then roll up our sleeves and get the work done. It’s amazing to see that process occur day in and day out across this health system,” Robert said.
Robert says the secret to good leadership is that there really is no secret. There is no such thing as perfection, he adds, so learn from your mistakes and be consistent.
“Understand the fundamentals. Do the blocking and the tackling. Be committed to the basics and build relationships. When you do those things, as opportunities present themselves, you will be ready for them,” Robert said.
Stormont Vail Health has thrived under this leadership philosophy, having grown to an operating revenue of $1 billion, net assets totaling $1 billion and more than 5,700 team members receiving $600 million in salary and benefits. Each year, the hospital provides $50 million in community benefits, primarily through uncompensated care.
“We take care of anyone who comes to us for help,” Robert said.
Stormont Vail Health also has facilities in Manhattan and Junction City. They’re in the process of planning a new building to bring state-of-the-art ambulatory care to Emporia, as well as planning new clinics in six other Kansas communities.
THE DOCTOR NEXT DOOR
Robert understands the importance of being involved with the local community and tries to give back wherever he can. He serves on the GO Topeka Board of Directors, Stormont Vail Health Board, Stormont-Vail, Inc. Board, Topeka Community Foundation Board, Christ’s Hospital Corporation Board and the Kansas Hospital Association Board. He is also a member of the Wichita State University College of Health Professions Dean’s Advisory Council.
Robert and his wife of 37 years, Tammy, are champions of education, particularly elementary and primary education. As a former teacher, Tammy saw firsthand the role that education plays in setting kids on the path to future success. The Robertses have actively advocated for education in every community where they’ve lived, and together they received the 2020 Topeka Public Schools Foundation Patron Award for their contributions.
“Education is a fundamental piece that determines a person’s ability to succeed in life,” Robert said. “Tammy and I believe in the importance of supporting public education in our society.”
The couple’s two daughters seem to agree. One teaches kindergarten in Washington, D.C., and the other is an active-duty army major who teaches applied mathematics at West Point.
FINAL PRESCRIPTION
Once Robert retires in May, he doesn’t plan to slow down. Between the months of March and September, you’ll find him on his farm two hours south of Topeka, where he and Tammy plan to be gentle farmers. That means farming as a hobby rather than farming for profit: gardening, raising 30 spring chickens and caring for laying hens, goats, sheep, a few steers and a whole lot of cats.
“This year we’re going to try raising a couple of pigs as well,” Robert said. “And I plan to get a couple of dogs. Every farmer needs a dog or two.”
September to March will be the Robertses’ travel time, when you’ll likely find them all over the world. Last year they did a safari in Africa, and this year they plan to spend a few weeks in the Amazon Rainforest and Galapagos Islands.
“We would like to spend enough time in the places we visit to really learn more about the culture and appreciate the history,” Robert said. “But of course, we are always glad to come back home to Kansas.”
