St. Luke’s Health Announces Honorary “Chief Humankindness Officer” to Demonstrate Humankindness in Action 

St. Luke’s Health Announces Honorary “Chief Humankindness Officer” to Demonstrate Humankindness in Action

HOUSTON, June 17, 2022 – St. Luke’s Health has announced its new Chief Humankindness Officer, an honorary title created for a local child who St. Luke’s feels best describes what “humankindness” – an act of humanity or kindness toward another – looks like in action. The honorary Chief Humankindness Officer role brings to life St. Luke’s Health’s Hello humankindness movement, which supports the organization's belief that humanity and kindness are at the heart of healing.

Payton Beviann Ase' Ellison, a nine-year-old from the Hiram Clarke neighborhood of Houston, will be bestowed St. Luke’s Health’s honorary Chief Humankindness Officer title based on her unique perspective of humankindness, which she believes is “the best thing you can get from a person” and how she shows it to the community around her. Wise beyond her years, Payton continued by saying humankindness is “a welcome to people that are unique,” and one should always send positive vibes to everyone because you never know what another person is going home to. Payton also mentioned how she shows her grandmother humankindness when she helps her care for a younger cousin.

“In a calm, but poised manner, Payton beautifully articulates the impact of giving and receiving humankindness,” said T. Douglas Lawson, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of St. Luke’s Health. “At her young age, she demonstrates an understanding of the importance of empathy and the power that human connection can have on one another. Payton’s original perspective is an inspiration to all of us at St. Luke’s Health, and a wonderful example of how Houstonians can insert “humankindness” into their daily interactions with others and how it can positively impact the health and well-being of the entire community.”

The focus on the impact of verbal humankindness stems from a recent Hello humankindness advertising spot that has been airing across Texas and shows a little girl pumping up her brother with words of motivational encouragement. Like Payton, young Houstonians ages 5-12 from throughout the region participated in an open casting call search on Saturday, May 21 to demonstrate 30 seconds of their best original words of motivational encouragement and positivity. They also shared what humankindness means to them and how they show it through interactions with others. Participants were judged on creativity, originality, likability and their perspective on humankindness.

In addition to the honorary title and demonstrating humankindness while she’s out and about in the community, Payton also has the opportunity to attend a performance development session with local talent management agency Upward Artistry, which helped run the initial casting call search.

St. Luke’s Health strives to care for each patient with kindness, empathy and respect, in addition to providing world-class medical and academic excellence to the community. Learn more about the healing mission of St. Luke’s Health at www.about.stlukeshealth.org/humankindness.

About St. Luke’s Health

St. Luke’s Health is home to 16 general hospitals covering Houston, Brazos Valley, Brazosport, and Lufkin and includes Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center, the research and teaching hospital for Baylor College of Medicine. St. Luke’s Health is also home to the Texas Heart ®Institute (THI), the top ranked heart center in Houston, and the Dan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center, a nationally accredited, NCI-designated cancer center. Its integrated network of care includes more than 380 employed and 1,600 clinically aligned network providers, and more than 11,000 employees delivering high value, nationally ranked quality and compassionate care along with a Christian ministry of healing. St. Luke’s Health is a member of CommonSpirit Health, a national nonprofit, Catholic health system with more than 140 hospitals covering 21 states and delivering care to more than 12.3 million patient visits annually.

About CommonSpirit Health

CommonSpirit Health is a nonprofit, Catholic health system dedicated to advancing health for all people. It was created in February 2019 by Catholic Health Initiatives and Dignity Health. With its national office in Chicago and a team of over 150,000 employees and 25,000 physicians and advanced practice clinicians, CommonSpirit operates 140 hospitals and more than 1,500 care sites across 21 states. In FY 2021, CommonSpirit had revenues of $33.3 billion and provided $5.1 billion in charity care, community benefit, and unreimbursed government programs. Learn more at www.commonspirit.org.

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