National Medical Fellowships (NMF) welcomes Imelda Dacones, M.D., Pacific Northwest Market President of Optum Care, to its Board of Directors.

Dr. Imelda Dacones first learned about NMF and its mission from Anne Yau, president of the United Health Foundation and senior vice president of social responsibility at UnitedHealth Group. 

“Given my personal and professional journeys, she said I might be interested in joining the Board,” Dr. Dacones said. “Especially since part of my focus is core to NMF’s 78-year-old history of providing support to underrepresented students and practitioners in health care.

“Part of my job now is not only to create greater awareness of the organization but also grow and broaden its reach among more stakeholders and physicians for the next 78 years and beyond.”

Dr. Dacones joined Optum Health, a UnitedHealth Group health care services business, in 2021.  Prior to, she was in Northwest Permanente P.C. medical group and part of the Kaiser Permanente program, where she said she “grew up as a physician and leader steeped in value-based care medicine, systems, and care models.” 

She seized the opportunity at Optum, she said, to “help accelerate this (value-based care) movement in our country” and build an integrated, multispecialty and physician-led care delivery network across Optum’s various Oregon and Washington medical groups. 

“Scaling best practices, innovating, and creating value-based care systems are important to me, and I’m looking forward to learning from and with our Board members and team at NMF on how to further our mission and vision with that particular skillset.”

In her 22-year career with Kaiser Permanente Northwest (KPNW), never did Dr. Dacones think nor aspire to take on formal leadership roles, but she is grateful for the sponsorship and support every one of her supervisors provided in pushing her to take on more responsibilities. 

Her roles included leading a hospitalist group, helping plan and open the first hospital in KPNW in 40 years – of which she would later become the first chief of staff and chief medical officer for – and, ultimately, serving as the regional medical director for hospital operations.

In her last six years at KP, she served as the president and CEO of Northwest Permanente P.C. and was the first woman to chair The Permanente Federation, representing more than 22,000 physicians across the eight Permanente Medical Groups in KP.  Dr Dacones was also a founding board member of the KP Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine, and during her tenure as CEO, received the Portland Business Journal Leadership in Health Care Award and was recognized as a Top 25 Minority Leader by Modern Healthcare. 

“The Quadruple Aim” – enhancing patient experience, improving population health, reducing costs, and enhancing professional fulfillment and wellbeing of health care workforce – “is not only a professional passion project but one that is personal as well,” Dr. Dacones said.

Dr. Dacones said she knew as a child that she wanted to become a physician after immigrating to the United States from the Philippines and experiencing challenges in affordability and access to health care.

“As a young girl, to hear your parents talk about not being able to afford health insurance for everyone in the family, and then watch my mother go without regular care for her chronic conditions, that leaves a mark on you.”

Dr. Dacones earned both her undergraduate and medical degrees from the University of Chicago, where she also completed her internship and residency training in internal medicine.

Professionally, she still considers herself, first and foremost, a doctor.

“Leaving clinical practice was difficult but becoming a leader at the system level has enabled me to impact the care of many more people as I continue to aim to be a ‘force multiplier,’” Dr. Dacones said.

Dr. Dacones knows her leadership journey in medicine and health care is an exception rather than the rule. Research confirms that while nearly 70% of health care workers are women, less than 5% of Board members and only 7% of C-suite executives are women of color.

There has been some movement, but, as Dr Dacones said, “there is more work to do institutionally, systemically, and of course, societally to support and sponsor more people of color and women breaking through glass and bamboo ceilings and other barriers.”

This especially matters in medicine and health care as race and language concordance improves patient experiences and health outcomes.

A diverse health care workforce is better equipped to address health disparities and, with inclusion, promote health equity across our diverse country and populations.”

Dr. Dacones said thinking globally and acting locally is a common mission for those with whom she surrounds herself.

“Sometimes, we can only change so much, but most of the time, we can’t stand still,” she said. “The best parts of my career have been working with and learning from amazing mentors, teachers, and colleagues who’ve sustained me throughout my training and work – and when I read about the work of NMF, I am thrilled and excited for the opportunity to advance our mission alongside such incredible, purpose-driven people.”