Kate Johansen

The COVID-19 pandemic has made it increasingly apparent that in the United States, there is a direct link between health care and the government. As the director of state policy for the Mayo Clinic, the top-ranked hospital system in the country with a research budget of $660 million and nearly 70,000 employees, Kate Johansen is vital in ensuring that link stays strong. She works to represent the clinic and help shape health care policy with both state and federal lawmakers, a job that is now more vital than ever.

“Over the last few months, Mayo Clinic has worked tirelessly to advance testing, treatments, and truth for people everywhere. Through my work, I have become a public servant in the private sector,” she says. “Many have noted that this pandemic is a crisis that presents opportunity. But it has taught me that crisis is also a catalyst. COVID-19 has helped to advance care models and technologies that could have otherwise been delayed years before reaching patients.”