Making A Positive Impact

Kimberly Kulhanjian, Executive Assistant and Contract Specialist for Memorial Healthcare System, proudly displays a bumper sticker on her car that reads, “Obsessed with Life.” She personally designed the decal that her peers say perfectly matches her passion for life.

Kimberly’s interests in life are just as broad as her professional track record. From a professional photographer, to fire fighter, to executive director for a medical group, to chief operations officer for a veterinary medicine chain, Kimberly constantly strives to live up to every opportunity with which she is presented.

She joined Memorial three years ago and knew almost instantly that this would be her final career destination.

“It’s all about the culture. Everyone is made to feel part of something big, something important, no matter your position. And that’s what I had been looking for,” she says.

Kimberly is always looking for ways to live life to the fullest and give back. A program that allowed her to do both was Project Search/ Project Wow, a program she started at Memorial Regional Hospital that helps high school students with disabilities learn real-life skills through work training programs. Kimberly successfully grew the program at Memorial Regional Hospital, and it is now offered at multiple Memorial facilities. A few of the students even became Memorial employees.

As the contract specialist and executive assistant to Nina Beauchesne, FACHE, Executive Vice President, and Maggie Hansen, Senior Vice President and Chief Nursing Executive, she enjoys the daily challenges that come with her roles. Working for two fearless female leaders is “pretty awesome,” she says, and she eagerly accepts projects that extend beyond her required responsibilities. For instance, she was one of the creative minds that initiated the Memorial Rundown, a video communication that goes out to the entire Memorial Healthcare System team.

“I am so fortunate to have the unique vantage point of our healthcare system that I have. Between my bosses and their roles dealing with all physicians, nurses, and community relations, I have the privilege to learn about so many amazing things that Memorial is doing to serve our population. I want everyone to feel as proud and fortunate as me because we really are healing the body, mind, and spirit of all those we touch. There is no more rewarding purpose than that,” says Kimberly.

Among her achievements is a system-wide symposium that connects hundreds of professionals to the Memorial mission. Recently, she designed the new Pre-Admission Testing facility in a space that was a “hand-me-down” area. She transformed a sterile, boring office into a cool and inspiring space. Kimberly also manages a blog that reaches all of Memorial on behalf of Maggie Hansen, CNE. Her posts give her yet another opportunity to make a positive impact.

“If I can help recognize, congratulate, inform, inspire, promote, or educate through sharing our stories, then I feel my contributions will end up ultimately positively impacting the patients entrusted in our care,” she says.

It makes sense that Kimberly feels so connected to the Memorial family.  She and her children were born at Memorial, her grandmother was a nurse here, and her brother-in-law is the Executive Chef at Memorial Hospital West. And when Kimberly’s bosses thank her family for sharing her with Memorial, their response is, “Well, she thinks she works in Disneyland every day!”