Samantha Unkelbach

About Sam:

Professional summary:

Sam has over seven years of professional experience in Performance Improvement, strategic engagement, change management, program management and project management. Prior to joining MedStar, she spent six years at Kaiser Permanente beginning as an Anesthesia Nurse, PI Improvement Advisor and ending her time there on the National Executive Leadership Team for patient and employee safety. During this time, Sam leveraged data driven decision making to influence regional and national initiatives, national labor negotiations, and strategic consulting for a variety of Kaiser regions across the country. During her time at UM Upper Chesapeake Health, Sam project managed the Leapfrog Safety & Quality Survey for both UCMC and HMH, managed the MHAC portfolio of improvement work & reporting, and was the Interim Director of Patient Safety. In these roles Sam worked very closely with government agencies and leaders alike.

My favorite inspirational quote or personal mantra is...
"If your dreams don’t scare you, they aren’t big enough” -Ellen Johnson Sirleaf

The aspect of performance improvement that is most exciting to me is...
I LOVE that moment when a team comes together and you can see they trust not only you but each other. That is the moment when the team begins to fly! There’s no stopping them

When I’m not working, I enjoy...
Spending time with my family, eating good food and listening to live music

If I had to sing karaoke, I would pick...
B 52’s Love Shack