About the Office of Health Disparities
The Office of Health Disparities at UK HealthCare works to ensure that all healthcare team members are equipped to provide compassionate care to patients from all backgrounds. We are committed to promoting empathy and understanding during all interactions, decisions and communications. We are determined to create an environment where all people have a fair opportunity to achieve their highest health outcomes and life success.
Leadership
Tukea Talbert, DNP, RN, CDP
Chief Health Disparities Officer at UK HealthCare
Dr. Tukea Talbert (she/her) is the Chief Health Disparities Officer at UK HealthCare. An important component of Dr. Talbert's position is connecting UK HealthCare's efforts to eliminate health disparities with the University of Kentucky’s efforts, and connecting those teams to the community.
Throughout my life, I have been driven to lead even in times when titles, positions and organizational charts were not a part of my existence. I became a registered nurse at the age of 20, and the need to be responsible, accountable and adaptable came with my choice of career. As I matured chronologically, clinically and professionally, I broadened my scope and boundaries beyond the patient’s bedside. I desired to impact the care environment from a more macroscopic vantage point … through leadership.
I have served in numerous leadership capacities in distinct settings totaling more than 20 years of clinical operations leadership experience. I have managed clinical specialty areas including orthopaedics, general medicine, trauma step-down unit, and oncology in an academic healthcare organization. Other senior executive roles have included Chief Nurse Executive of a community hospital, Enterprise Director for Accreditation & Regulatory Compliance, Enterprise Director of the Office of Quality & Safety, Assistant Operations Executive and Interim Assistant Chief Nurse Executive for the development of a contract with the state to manage the local mental health facility, Eastern State Hospital. All of the previous roles have been in an academic medical center.
Currently, I serve as the Chief Health Disparities Officer at UK HealthCare. In this role, I lead and oversee all tactics and strategies to support the strategic plan to address health disparities and its execution. I believe working to eliminate health disparities is important not only from a moral lens but also imperative from a social justice and economic perspective. My success has been through the development, support and engagement of team members from all backgrounds who continually demonstrate the power of excellence and togetherness.
I have the honor and privilege to serve as adjunct faculty in UK’s College of Nursing, teaching nurses who are seeking their doctorate of nursing practice degree. In this role, I am consistently reminded of the power of curiosity and the impact of education on the development of critical thinking.
I continue to be a principle-centered leader who is constantly curious, growing and seeking new knowledge and ways to promote growth, development and compassion for all patients, staff, faculty, and students. I understand that success is how you leverage those around you to exceed expectations and produce extraordinary outcomes through transformational leadership to activate change.
Health Disparities Council
The Health Disparities Council is comprised of staff members from across UK HealthCare. Council members collaborate to promote and expand efforts to address health disparities across the entire enterprise.