Anton Gunn brings a wide range of
experience to his role as chief diversity officer and executive director
of community health innovation at the Medical University of South
Carolina, where he wants to “transform lives and move the needle.”
Gunn recently completed a semester as a resident fellow at Harvard University's Institute of Politics
and before that served as a senior official with the U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services, won election to the South Carolina House of
Representatives and earned a master’s degree in social work from the
University of South Carolina, where he played football for the
Gamecocks.
His work as chief diversity officer involves
a pair of concepts central to the identity of MUSC: diversity and
inclusion. Diversity refers to the richness of human differences,
including socioeconomic status, race, ethnicity, language, nationality,
gender identity, religion, age and other characteristics. Inclusion
refers to active, intentional and ongoing engagement with diversity.
“Diversity
and inclusion are both internal and external,” Gunn said. “How do we
build inclusivity internally across the organization while recognizing
that diversity exists outside of the organization?”
He
answered the question himself: “We’re part of the community, and every
part of the community deserves to be valued. Just because you’re not a
patient right now doesn’t mean you’ll never be a patient. An important
part of our role is to be a part of the community in every way, shape
and form, so people feel a connection to the organization and we’re
recognized as a valued part of the community.”
The
other part of Gunn’s job, director of community health innovation,
involves addressing the health of the community. He said it’s one of the
things MUSC has to get right as an institution.
A
patient coming to the hospital needs to come “for the right thing at the
right time.” Statistically, he said, not only does this lead to better
outcomes for patients. It also lowers health care costs.
Gunn was at the center of national discussions about outcomes and costs when President
Barack Obama named Gunn regional director of the U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services for Region IV, which includes eight Southern
states.
After nearly two
years as the senior member of that office, he was appointed director of
external affairs in the Office of Intergovernmental and External Affairs
at HHS. Serving as a senior official in the Obama Administration, Gunn
advised the president and secretary of Health and Human Services on
public engagement strategies to introduce the Affordable Care Act to the
country. Gunn gave more than 800 presentations on the act throughout the nation.
The
lessons he learned during that process inform his approach to his work
at MUSC. For MUSC to continue to succeed, he said the community must be
engaged in the conversation.
“How do we
continue to find ways to innovate, using the assets we have to deliver
the best care, offer the finest education and conduct cutting–edge
research?” Gunn asked. “The community has to be a part of that and
population health has to be part of the discussion.”