Kern Medical Center’s Paul Hensler

An Air Force Captain and a Missionary

Paul Hensler has been CEO of Bakersfield’s Kern Medical Center since 2007; he’s led hospitals in California for over 30 years. Before participating in a panel on physician shortages in the Central Valley, he talked condiments, movies, and the Alps in the Zócalo green room.

Q:

What’s your favorite condiment?


A:

I guess I’d have to go with mustard.


Q:

Spicy or sweet?


A:

Spicy.


Q:

What is something that very few people would expect about you?


A:

All those who know me expect just about anything. Probably some missionary work I did in Nicaragua.


Q:

How are you different from who you were 10 years ago?


A:

Probably more patient, a little wiser, a little slower.


Q:

What’s the most important thing you learned from the Air Force, where you were a captain?


A:

A lot. The Air Force gives you the opportunity to do things way beyond your capacity and learn from it. I think maybe the most important enduring thing is the value of your staff, the value of the people who work with you in your unit, and the importance of keeping them well-supported.


Q:

What movie can you watch over and over again?


A:

I’m not real patient with that sort of thing. I like movies, but I like them once.


Q:

What’s your least favorite thing about the Internet?


A:

That it’s always there. There’s no such thing as vacation anymore.


Q:

What is your greatest extravagance?


A:

For a long time it’s been vehicles, but lately I get less excitement out of that. I think now it’s things for my children.


Q:

If you could take only one more journey, where would you go?


A:

Probably mostly all of Europe, particularly Switzerland and Germany—the Alps. I just like that area—the beauty of it, the cleanliness and orderliness of it. I’ve always found the people, once you get to know them, to be really supportive and good people.


Q:

Are you good at keeping secrets? Who can vouch for that?


A:

Mostly. My wife. She’s always upset when she finds out what I’ve kept secret.