Elmer Capiña [Eric Herzog]
When he received an offer to be a clinical service line director at UChicago Medicine AdventHealth Hinsdale and La Grange, he found the missing piece.
“For some reason, this position spoke to me,” he said. But for a while, he struggled with whether to listen. He discussed his decision with his employers, and he told them he appreciated all he had learned in that job and how it had helped prepare him for the next challenge. They encouraged him to do what he felt would be best for him.
Then Capiña appealed to a higher power. “I started praying about it and trying to determine what God had in mind for me,” he said. “And I felt compelled to do the job.”
What Capiña found most compelling was a sense of mission. “Working in a hospital system where mission is at the center spoke to me,” he said. “I really felt that it was calling me over.”
He answered the call in June 2022, accepting a position as director of clinical service line development. In this role, he helps select, develop and grow service lines for the hospital to pursue. His efforts so far have included expanding robotic surgery capabilities, starting a bariatric surgery program and increasing awareness of and access to multispecialty clinics. “We are looking for opportunities to extend the reach we have for patients,” he said.
While he misses the daily interaction with patients and learning more about the science of medicine, he has embraced the challenges and opportunities of his new position. “The job is still evolving every day,” he said. “It’s definitely a challenge from a personal and spiritual standpoint. And it has made me feel the need to be more connected to God.”
As he has settled into the job, he increasingly has been able to turn his life over to God.
“I realized there are a lot of things that are out of my control, and I have to trust that God has a plan,” Capiña said.
His position at UChicago Medicine Advent Health is part of that plan, he says. “This job came at the right time in my life, and it is a perfect blend of mission and work,” he said. “When your job aligns with your beliefs and your values, you are in the right job for you.”
Julie Busch, associate vice president, marketing and communications
