Dr. Joseph Reuben has been practicing medicine in the Kansas City metro for over two decades, and he’s treated countless patients as an emergency medicine physician. Last September, he became the chief medical officer of Menorah Medical Center.
Reuben’s role as chief medical officer is a culmination of his work and passion for health equity and patient care. Being a Jewish doctor at Menorah Medical Center, a hospital founded on the values of inclusivity and nondiscrimination, is one of many aspects of his work that he appreciates.
Reuben was born in Decatur, Alabama, where his father was employed after attending graduate school at Clemson University in South Carolina. His parents came from Mumbai, India. Reuben and his parents are of Bene Israel — a group of Jews that have lived in India for over two millennia and may be descended from the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel. By second grade, the family moved to St. Louis, Missouri, where Reuben was raised.
When it was time for him to attend university, he intended on becoming a chemist like his father. He earned his bachelor’s degree in chemistry from the University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC), but he noticed that many of his friends were going into medical school and decided to follow suit.
“I kind of ‘got the bug,’” Reuben said. His parents were proud and supportive of his decision to become a doctor, “like most Jewish parents would be,” he said.
He attended medical school at the University of Missouri-Columbia and received his M.D. He chose emergency medicine as his specialty.
“During medical school, I sort of liked every rotation that I did,” Reuben said. “In emergency medicine, I kind of liked the action and the ability to help people during an emergent time.”
He spent his residency at the University of Illinois Chicago, where he was exposed to emergency rooms in inner-city hospitals. After his residency, he moved to Johnson County, Kansas, where he has been practicing medicine for over 22 years.
Before his current role at Menorah Medical Center, he worked at Saint Luke’s South Hospital from 2000 to 2010 and AdventHealth Kansas City from 2000 until last September. At Saint Luke’s and AdventHealth, he worked as an emergency medicine physician. At AdventHealth, he also served as Emergency Department Medical Director from 2010 to 2018 and Medical Staff President from 2016 to 2021.
“I really enjoyed physician leadership and enjoyed how decisions that I could make really affected the scale and scope of patient care,” Reuben said. “[I enjoyed] the number of patients that [I] could actually touch with some of the initiatives I was involved in, and I really enjoyed advocating for patients, communities, physicians and advanced practice providers/clinicians.”
In 2021, Reuben earned his Master of Business Administration from UMKC and met with the executive team at Menorah Medical Center.
“[I] really fell in love with the kinds of things that are happening at this hospital, in this community — this community that I belong to,” Reuben said. “I really wanted to jump in, and I’ve really enjoyed being here for almost seven months now… It seemed like a natural, perfect fit being [at] a Jewish hospital — a hospital based in Jewish roots.”
Reuben describes his role as chief medical officer as being “the officer of patient safety and quality.” He makes sure that the hospital is doing no harm to patients, improving patient care, and striving for excellence in patient treatment.
“[I am] one of the leaders in making sure that [the hospital] is delivering effective quality care in a safe manner to patients and [that] they have a good experience with their care,” he said. He no longer does clinical practice, but he does attend multidisciplinary rounding and continues to interact with patients.
In addition to both his previous and current work and passion regarding patient care, Reuben is also an advocate for health equity.
“One of the reasons I went into emergency medicine is because it is sometimes the last safety net for patients, but it isn’t always the best place for patients to get their healthcare needs,” Reuben said.
To help underprivileged patients receive quality medical care, Reuben serves on the board of REACH Healthcare Foundation, a nonprofit that advocates for health equity in the Kansas City metro area. One of its major goals is to help financially support “safety-net clinics” that help with preventative medicine, immunizations and treating chronic illnesses. Reuben said emergency rooms “can’t do those kinds of things in their scope of practice.”
Being a Jewish doctor
Judaism plays a major role in Reuben’s motivation and appreciation of his work.
“One of the things that we know in Jewish traditions and teachings is that one of the greatest mitzvahs that a human can do is save another person’s life,” he said. “I think physicians have that awesome power to be able to do that each and every day.” Reuben said it is his “personal purpose in life to carry that out.”
Being at Menorah Medical Center not only furthers Reuben’s connection between Judaism and medicine, but also his passion for equity because of the hospital’s inclusivity.
“[Menorah Medical Center] was the hospital that allowed Jewish physicians to practice along with other minority doctors,” he said. “That tradition is still alive and well… Being Jewish at this hospital is celebrated. I don’t necessarily think it would be at other places.”
Reuben and his family are members of The Temple, Congregation B’nai Jehudah. He is married to Rebecca Reuben and has three children: Noah (10), Mirielle (8) and Benjamin (6). When he is not working, he enjoys maintaining his house and gardening.
By Sam Kricsfeld, Editor
