Healthcare leader traces success to Lakeland experience
Although 2009 Lakeland graduate Ben Kosewski doesn’t have direct clinical patient contact in his role as a healthcare administrator, he’s put together a career of making a positive difference in people’s lives.
Kosewski was recently named chief executive officer-elect at Lorain County (Ohio) Health & Dentistry, the latest stop in a 10-plus-year, cross-country tenure in the healthcare industry.
“While I don’t use my hands and help people as a provider, I help create the organizational structure to remove barriers and help the providers who do,” Kosewski said. “I try to create an environment where I am inviting growth of services, new ways of caring for people, by empowering those around me to reach beyond current care and doing things differently.
“No matter which position in administration I had, I’ve always felt my role and what drives me each day, is to provide something better for my community from a health perspective.”
The building blocks for his healthcare journey started at Lakeland. He arrived on campus from Stephenson in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula following his brother, Pete, a fellow first-generation college student who started at Lakeland a year earlier. Pete graduated from Lakeland in 2008, works as an IT asset manager for a company in Seattle, Wash., and lives in Pulaski, Wis.
Ben had plans to be a history and biology teacher and enrolled as an education major. But by his sophomore year, he was drawn to science courses and appreciated his interactions with faculty members Greg Smith, Paul Pickhardt, Brian Frink and Kathy Rath Marr.
“I remember talking with Greg and he said, ‘You look like you’re enjoying genetics. Have you ever thought of genetic counseling?’ Kosewski said. “I knew I did not want to be a doctor or nurse, but I wanted to do something with healthcare. Greg brought genetic counseling to me, and we talked about it as a career path. Prior to that discussion, I thought I would pursue a master’s or a Ph.D program, but not in healthcare.”
Kosewski became part of the Lakeland Undergraduate Research Experience (LURE) program which pairs undergraduates with faculty members to conduct research together and he tackled Lakeland’s higher level science courses. Ben spent the summer of 2008 with Greg researching tardigrades, an experience that brought him important skills when it came time to apply for genetic counseling programs.
“When I was first meeting with Greg and Brian you could tell they were passionate about the students they were teaching,” Kosewski said. “Lakeland’s class sizes allowed me to be able to work closely with my professors and get the assistance to understand the concepts. I didn’t feel like it was a burden to ask questions or ask for clarity. You’re not one of 400 students hoping to catch all the notes.
“The science faculty cared about your success.”
Throughout Ben’s time at Lakeland, he worked for the family construction business during the summers and any breaks but ultimately completed his master’s in genetic counseling at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. In August of 2011 he became a genetic counselor at Bellin Health in Green Bay, and his healthcare career took off.
Prior to his current role, he worked four years as director of the oncology service line at Mercy Health in Lorain and Youngstown, Ohio, where he was responsible for daily operations, financial management and strategic leadership of the oncology service line at five Mercy Health facilities in Lorain and Youngstown.
He has also served in leadership roles at Overlake Hospital Medical Center in Bellevue, Wash., and UPMC Western Maryland in Cumberland, Md, and along the way received a master of business administration in organizational leadership from Ashford University.
Kosewski has fond memories of his time at Lakeland, which included working as manager for the football team for three years (including the first NCAA Playoff appearance), discussions with his peers in the Pre-Healthcare Club, supporting the American Cancer Society Relay for Life event and serving as a teaching assistant for physics.
The Lakeland connections remain strong.
“Just this November I ran into Sara Roberts (2010 grad) at a gas station in the UP,” Kosewski said. “I also ran into Tim Vallier (’07, MAC ’10), my RA from my freshman year at another gas station in UP. I hadn’t seen him in almost 20 years, but we picked back up like it was yesterday. To know you will have these long-standing relationships with people because of your time college is pretty remarkable.
“As a biology major, we spent a lot of time in the labs in Chase. Those were great bonding times with friends. And all the while, Greg and Brian are advising you about your life choices.”
His Lakeland roommate, Everett Wood, brought Kosewski’s wife, Mary Varano, into his life. Mary was college roommates with Everett’s girlfriend, now wife, and Mary was paired with Ben to stand up in their wedding. “It is basically a Lifetime movie,” he said with a chuckle.
Kosewski’s last visit to campus was 2012 when he returned as a speaker for the science colloquium, but he has admired from afar the growth of his alma mater physically and programmatically. He especially values the liberal arts education he received at Lakeland, which he said has served him well throughout his career.
“The liberal arts aspect asks you to go outside the academic path you want to go down and adds exposure to other areas put in your repertoire,” he said. “What I always appreciated about Kathy, Paul, Greg and Brian is they are well-rounded people, too. They wanted you to learn outside the sciences.
“I was a biology major, but I took a lot of sociology courses and some business courses. Lakeland provided a foundation so you have experience with many things to fall back on. It has helped me think about solutions differently when faced with the problems healthcare brings.”
