Reflecting on Martin Luther King Jr. Day and the power of opportunity in raising health for all

This year, to honor Martin Luther King Jr. Day and his vision of unity, equality and justice, we connected with two of our African American/Caribbean Bridges BERG team members, Siobhan Valentine and Stacey Davis. Below learn more about how they embrace equity and inclusion in the workplace, hear about their career journeys and how they find success at Northwell Health.

Siobhan Valentine, Supervisor, Operations, Cohen Children’s Northwell Health Physician Partners General Pediatrics at Battery Park Pediatrics

Siobhan Valentine began her career at Northwell Health in 2014 as a part-time emergency department associate at Lenox Health Greenwich Village in New York City. In this role, Siobhan gained invaluable experience in preparing for the opening of Lenox Health Greenwich Village. She was excited to be one of the first emergency department associates trained and ready to be working at this new facility. As an emergency department associate, Siobhan was trained on how to perform admissions and registrations, and how to assist with pre-admission and pre-registration, and financial functions. She also learned how to assist patients in applying for, or renewing, health insurance coverage. That same year, when the facility opened its doors, Siobhan transitioned to full-time as an emergency department associate and later was promoted to lead emergency department associate in 2015.  She later held roles that included emergency room referrals coordinator at Lenox Hill Hospital for eight years, and her current role of supervisor of operations for Cohen Children’s Northwell Health Physician Partners at Battery Park Pediatrics where she oversees daily operations of the practice.

Siobhan is also passionate about her role in the African American/Caribbean Bridges BERG and the impact her membership has on her values and her career journey. “Becoming a member of the African American/Caribbean Bridges BERG has significantly enriched my Northwell career journey,” said Siobhan. “It has opened doors to professional development opportunities, which have expanded my skillset and connected me with colleagues across various departments.” Over the past decade, Siobhan’s career development at Northwell has been supported in many ways. One example is when her leaders encouraged her to reach her full potential by recommending that she participate in Northwell’s Management Accelerator Program (MAP). This experience deepened her understanding of inclusion and equity in the workplace and provided her with practical tools and strategies to build leadership skills and a larger professional network.

Siobhan is also proud to hold the title of events and programs coordinator for the African American/Caribbean Bridges BERG. She has been able to contribute to BERG initiatives, including several local events that Northwell is holding, such as an art competition, in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Dr. King’s vision of unity and equality. Siobhan shared what the holiday means to her: “Dr. King’s message motivates me to appreciate the progress we’ve made while continuing to strive for a brighter, more inclusive future.”

Stacey Davis, BSN, RN, Med Surg-BC, Manager, Patient Care, Short Stay Pediatric Unit, Northern Westchester Hospital

Stacey Davis began her career at Northwell Health in 2015 as a behavioral health registered nurse at Phelps Hospital in Westchester. Three years later, she worked as an emergency department staff registered nurse at Northern Westchester Hospital. In 2019, still working at Northern Westchester Hospital, Stacey transferred to the endoscopy department, where she worked as a registered nurse. Due to the rise of COVID-19 in 2020, Stacey began working at Northern Westchester’s field hospital to treat those suffering from the virus. When the field hospital at Northern Westchester closed in 2021, Stacey moved to the short-stay pediatric unit to work as an assistant manager and later her current role as a patient care manager where she leads a team of registered nurses and patient care associates who care for surgical cardiac, bariatric and pediatric patients.

Stacey has always felt supported by Northwell in her career development. One recent example she shared was while she attended Leadership Beginnings as she was transitioning to a manager role. This session helped her connect with fellow leaders and gain insight from others in similar positions. Like Siobhan, Stacey also participated in Northwell’s Management Accelerator Program and her mission to help others and give back to the community led her to join Northwell’s African American/Caribbean Bridges BERG. “Our BERGs provide a necessary sense of community and belonging for Northwell team members,” Stacey shared. Martin Luther King Jr. Day is a day of reflection for Stacey and of her desire to give back. During this time, she thinks about all her team does to help others as they do every day. She added, “At Northwell, we work together to take care of people in need. It is important to remember our roots and the reasons why we do what we do.”

Learn more about Northwell’s culture of inclusion, equity and belonging –  discover a career well cared for with our Truly Inclusive team.