Illary Quinteros, MA, MCC

Last night, Dr. Stephanie Letourneau was recognized as a Washington Business Journal LGBTQ+ Business Award winner for her longstanding commitment to LGBTQ+ health equity. Dr. Letourneau has helped create safer, more affirming care for LGBTQ+ patients across D.C., Maryland, and Virginia. She's helped shape Pride Medical at Kaiser Permanente, which connects LGBTQ+ members with primary care providers and specialists who have additional expertise in LGBTQ+ care, helping patients feel seen, supported and safe. Thank you, Dr. Letourneau, for your compassion, leadership and advocacy that have made a difference in the lives of so many patients and families. #PermanenteMedicine #Pride #LGBTQHealth #HealthEquity

School enrollment is declining nationwide, and it’s got me thinking: how do states and districts keep quality high with fewer students to generate funding? The numbers are stark. Charlotte-Mecklenburg’s enrollment is at its lowest since 2012. Texas just saw its first non-pandemic decline in 40 years. 68 of Wisconsin’s 72 counties lost students this year — and it’s only accelerating as birth rates fall. Too many leaders still treat this as a blip instead of a demographic reality. That delays hard decisions, and makes them harder later. I wrote a piece for Governing, in my role at ExcelinEd, on what states and communities can do. A few recommendations: → Let strong small schools stay small — reward good performance instead of defaulting to consolidation. → Loosen certification rules so districts can share talent across schools, not just within one building. → When closure is the right call, set clear criteria up front and bring in a third-party body to assess the impact on students and families. That gives local leaders real cover for hard calls. Full piece linked below.

I am proud to be Argentinean. 🇦🇷 Being Argentinean is more than the country where I was born. It carries passion, intensity, hope, contradictions, resilience, and an extraordinary capacity to believe again—even after disappointment. That is why seeing Argentina reach another World Cup final means so much to me. ⚽️ This team was very close to losing several times. There were moments when the game seemed to be slipping away, when the pressure was enormous and when many could have assumed that the story was already written. But Argentinians know something about difficult moments. We know what it means to fall and get up again. We know how to live with uncertainty. We know how to suffer, hope, complain, celebrate and continue moving forward—sometimes all within the same few minutes. What can leaders learn from this team? ✅ Leadership is not about avoiding difficult moments. It is about how we respond to them. Argentina did not collapse when the result was against them. The players stayed connected to their purpose, managed the pressure and continued believing that the outcome could change. ✅ Resilience means staying in the game. Real resilience is not pretending that everything is fine. It is recognizing the challenge, regulating our emotions and continuing to act with intention—even when the result is uncertain. ✅ Leadership is collective. Messi is an extraordinary leader, but leadership is not only about being the person who scores. It is also about creating opportunities for others, sharing responsibility and helping teammates rise when the team needs them most. ✅ Great leaders do not need to be the heroes in every moment. They create the conditions for others to become heroes. ✅ Trust matters most when time is running out. It is easy to trust when everything is working. The real test comes when the pressure increases, the plan is not producing results, and fear begins to take over. This Argentine team continued trusting one another. A team does not need to be perfect to succeed. It needs to remain united, adaptable, and determined. Perhaps this is one of the reasons football touches us so deeply in Argentina. We recognize ourselves in these games: the struggle, the emotion, the unpredictability, the suffering, and the refusal to give up. Argentina’s journey reminds us that leadership is rarely a smooth path. We may lose control, fall behind, or come close to failure. The question is not whether adversity will appear. The question is: When everything seems to be slipping away, will we disconnect—or will we come together and find a way forward? Today, I feel proud of this team. And deeply proud to be Argentinean. ¡Vamos Argentina! 🇦🇷 #Leadership #Argentina #WorldCup2026 #Teamwork #Resilience #CollectiveLeadership #LeadershipLessons

Proud to be ABIM Board Certified.

University of Chicago Law School just published its AI strategy, and it is one of the more specific things I have seen an institution put in writing on this. Starting this fall, first- year students will have no laptops, no phones, and no tablets in their core courses (with accommodations built in for students with disabilities). Exams will be in person without access to the internet, electronic files, or apps. And students writing a substantial research paper, which is a JD degree requirement, will now sit down with their professor in person and answer questions about it after they submit it. AI can write a paper. It cannot defend one in real time. One line from the strategy stood out. They write that many aspects of legal practice will remain the domain of humans not merely because humans are good at them, but because clients, employers, judges, and society will want humans to perform them. That is a different argument than AI can't do this yet. It's saying that even when AI can do something, people will still want a human doing it, whether that is arguing in a courtroom, making a judgment call under pressure, or sitting with a client who is scared and needs to trust someone. What we still want humans to do, and whether we are building the conditions for them to actually be able to do it, is a question worth asking in every institution right now. Link to AI policy in comments. --- I'm AI-curious, not an AI expert. Each week in The Human Effect, I share what I'm reading and watching about how AI impacts us at work, at home, and in the world. Follow along if that's your thing.

I'm thrilled to share that my coach training program is now accredited by the International Coaching Federation! Less than a decade after I took my first course as a student. To celebrate this milestone, I am offering a few need-based scholarships for the program. If you know someone who might benefit, please tag them below 💞 I'm grateful for the teachers, mentors, and students who have trusted me along this journey. Coaching has been transformational for me and for the many lives I have impacted. If you're interested in learning more, feel free to send me a message or check out the details at https://lnkd.in/gw3bKzgq

Some of the most important innovations in healthcare are the ones that create new possibilities for patients. That commitment to advancing what is possible is something I see every day in the work of our physicians. Recently, Jessica Bird, MD successfully performed the first percutaneous fenestrated endovascular aortic aneurysm repair (FEVAR) in the VIRGINIA HOSPITAL CENTER - ARLINGTON cath lab. This advanced procedure provides a minimally invasive treatment option for patients with complex aortic aneurysms who may not be candidates for traditional open surgery. For patients, that can mean access to life-saving care with a shorter recovery and less need for intensive post-operative support. This would not have been possible without the extraordinary expertise of Jessica Bird, MD, Hyein Kim, and the many physicians, nurses, technologists, and care teams whose collaboration made it possible. A special thank you to our outstanding partners at VIRGINIA HOSPITAL CENTER - ARLINGTON. Advancing care requires strong partnerships, and we are fortunate to work alongside teams that share our commitment to clinical excellence and exceptional patient care. This milestone is a reflection of what can happen when extraordinary physicians, innovative thinking, and a relentless focus on improving patients’ lives come together to advance the future of care.

After an incredibly rewarding chapter serving as APIC for Capital Planning and Service in NOVA, I am excited to fully transition into my new role as Regional Medical Director of External Affairs for MAPMG. This transition also comes at an exciting time for our organization as MAPMG continues evolving from a service area-focused structure to service lines, creating new opportunities for collaboration and impact across the region. Serving in Capital Planning and Service has been a privilege. I had the opportunity to learn so much about what it truly takes to operate our medical office buildings, from walking construction sites in hard hats and watching new spaces come to life, to working alongside incredible operational teams to solve challenges as they arose. Equally meaningful was partnering with our Physician Site Leads. I have been continually inspired by the innovative programs they have implemented, the cultures they have intentionally cultivated within their buildings, and their unwavering commitment to our patients, physicians, and staff. I will truly miss working with this amazing group so closely, but thankfully, I'm not going anywhere. I am grateful for all that I learned during this chapter and for the relationships built along the way. Now, I am looking forward to this next adventure as RMD of External Affairs—strengthening community partnerships, supporting our Physician Ambassador Program, collaborating with our Account Management colleagues, and helping showcase the exceptional physicians and care teams that make MAPMG such a special place to receive care and to practice medicine. Thank you to everyone who has supported me throughout this journey. I am excited to see what this next chapter brings and look forward to continuing to work alongside many of you in new and meaningful ways.

With everyone watching the World Cup right now, keep your eye out for "A Better Idea for Health Care" - Kaiser Permanente's new campaign featuring pro soccer player Son Heung-min. It's not every day that culture and work intersect in such a cool way. And the story this campaign tells is one that I watch our incredible physicians and care teams live out every day. I hope everyone enjoys the matches - and the spot! ⚽