Passion for improving patient care
Lauren McKown ’02 has built a career centered on service, community impact, and a commitment to lifelong learning, carrying forward the values she developed during her years at SHS.
While at SHS, Lauren was a leader both in and out of the classroom. She was a student-athlete, serving as captain of the Lady Whippets basketball team and track team during her senior year. Her commitment to strength and conditioning led to her being named SHS’s first-ever Female Lifter of the Year. Beyond athletics, Lauren was an active member of the 4-H community and shared her musical talents as a violinist with her parish community.
After graduating from SHS, at Ohio Northern University, Lauren both her bachelor’s degree and law degree. After a year of practicing law, Lauren redirected her career toward healthcare transformation, earning a Master of Public Health from the University of Pittsburgh. She then joined America’s Health Insurance Plans in Washington, D.C., where she focused on advancing quality and equity in healthcare.
Drawn by a desire to make a more direct impact on patient care, Lauren later joined OhioHealth in Columbus. Today, she serves as Senior Director of Value-Based Performance, leading strategies that improve quality, affordability, and patient outcomes through a patient-centered approach to delivering the right care, at the right time, and in the right setting.
A lifelong learner, Lauren was selected to attend Harvard Business School’s Executive Education program and was later chosen by Forbes magazine to participate in its Most Powerful Emerging Women Leaders Summit. Away from work, Lauren enjoys sailing and continues to pursue new challenges. She is an active member of a sailboat racing team on Chesapeake Bay, where she leads the foredeck. Lauren is also pursuing her Day Skipper Sailing Certification with the goal of captaining charter boats for friend and family adventures.
She was also honored to return to SHS as the Class of 2021 commencement speaker. A fellow alum observed, “Lauren’s passion for learning, caring, and leading has consistently been directed toward serving the greater good.”