Publish Date
display picture of Bell Kim
Kim M. Bell
2023
Deputy Director of Performance Management and Operational Excellence, Office of Correctional Medicine at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine
Doctor of Public Administration

Hometown

Taylorville, IL 

Undergraduate Institution and Major

Benedictine University, Psychology/Sociology 

Graduate Institution and Major

Webster University, Business Administration 

Bio  

Kim is an experienced leader in healthcare operations with over 20 years of experience working in academic, hospital and ambulatory clinical settings in a variety of roles. Kim serves as the Deputy Director of Performance Management and Operational Excellence in the Office of Correctional Medicine at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine. In this role, Kim directs and evaluates the design of audit methods to measure performance and service delivery for the Illinois Department of Corrections, identifying opportunities for improvement, developing action plans, effectively managing cross-divisional teams in order to facilitate improvement projects, increasing the quality of care while optimizing efficiency in clinical processes.   

Kim holds certifications in Project Management, Lean Six Sigma Green Belt, Change Management and Facilitation. She has experienced many successes in her career-to-date: strategizing operating room availability at Barnes-Jewish Hospital; establishing a Pediatric After-Hours clinic at OSF Children’s Hospital of Illinois; creating a centralized staffing pool amidst the COVID pandemic at Springfield Clinic; and most recently, submitting a project proposal to increase colorectal cancer (CRC) screening rates for all Illinois Department of Correction’s sentenced and eligible individuals in custody by redesigning, standardizing and implementing a population health approach to colon cancer preventative care in the correctional setting, while at SIU School of Medicine. Kim and her husband have two amazing children, two cats and a relentless puppy.  

Relevant Professional Experience

Deputy Director of Performance Management and Operational Excellence, Operations Manager of Clinical Float Pool, AHA Coordinator, Director of Performance Management and Shared Services, Operations Manager Pediatric Surgical Specialties, Manager of OR Scheduling and Capacity Planning 

Research Interests  

Relationships Between Incarceration and Population Health, Methodological Advances for Better Distinction and Identification of Causal Social Factors Related to Health Disparities, Social Determinants of Health Mechanisms and Pathways, Whole Person Integrated Healthcare, Incorporating Health Equity in Process and Quality Improvement 

Professional Affiliations 

National Commission on Correctional Healthcare, Institute of Healthcare Improvement  

Volunteer Activities

 Mom’s Demand Action, Illinois Chapter