St. Mary Medical Center CEO and President Carolyn Caldwell was awarded the Aquarium of the Pacific’s 2022 African American Heritage Award at this year’s African American Festival.
Caldwell, who has been CEO of St. Mary for five years, said receiving the award was “humbling,” especially given that two of her fellow hospital board members—“amazing community leaders”—had received the award in the past.
She said becoming CEO of St. Mary Medical Center is one of her greatest accomplishments, especially coming from rural Alabama with a father who couldn’t read and a mom who didn’t finish high school.
“That is one reason why I’m so passionate about communities and trying to make communities better for people, and advocating on behalf of individuals,” Caldwell said. “I found myself making sure that I was always advocating on their behalf. I think that really gave me the spirit of giving and making sure that people had a voice.”
Caldwell earned a bachelor’s degree in zoology with a minor in chemistry from Alabama A&M University and her master’s degree in healthcare administration from Texas Woman’s University.
She is a fellow with the American College of Healthcare Executives, a former board member of the American Hospital Association, past chair of the AHA Institute of Diversity in Health Management and current chair on the board of directors of the Long Beach Area Chamber of Commerce.
Caldwell worked at various hospitals in Texas before working in Missouri. Before joining St. Mary as CEO, she was CEO of Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs.
Under Caldwell’s leadership, St. Mary is setting up a clinic at The Spark at Midtown—a housing complex for individuals who are low income or have previously experienced homelessness. Residents from the hospital’s family medicine residency program will rotate through the clinic.
“We’re excited about that,” Caldwell said. “Because there’s something else with healthcare and hospitals—it’s not just the care you provide at your hospital or on your campus, it’s having that ability to go out into the community where people are and provide that care.”
The hospital also has a mobile clinic that visits different schools and community organizations—bringing care directly to groups that need it.
“I think one of the greatest challenges is that sometimes people don’t always understand what it’s like to not have access,” she said.
She remembers participating in a panel where someone in the audience asked why marginalized communities didn’t just get a gym membership or buy better food to change their health outcomes.
“It’s not that easy,” Caldwell recalled answering. “You and I, we can probably afford a gym membership. We live in safe neighborhoods. We can afford to go to the farmer’s market or Whole Foods. A lot of individuals we’re talking about live in neighborhoods where there are not even sidewalks in their community. The only store in their neighborhood is a gas station on the corner that sells processed foods.”
Caldwell views these discussions as educational opportunities, she said, an opportunity to remind people “my normal is not someone else’s normal.”
She lauded the Aquarium of the Pacific for its work in pushing equity through its African American scholarship programs and said she hopes to be “an example for young people who are interested in pursuing [STEM] roles.”
“[The advice I’d give to young people is] don’t give up. There’s this saying called ‘imposter syndrome.’ I would tell people, when you get opportunities, when you find yourself in those positions, don’t ever feel like you don’t belong there, because you belong in that room,” she said. “So walk in the room like you belong there and be bold.”
