Tadele (Tad) Worku is a Family Nurse Practitioner, an educator, a musician, and most recently, a mission coach at Inland Empire Health Plan, the largest not-for-profit Medicare-Medicaid plan in the country. Worku, at his core, is committed to his purpose and serving those around him.Worku is a Daisy Award winner, the Vanderbilt Outstanding Family Nurse Practitioner Student of the Year, Loma Linda University Health Emergency Nurse of the Year, Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital Child Life Hero awardee, and more. Worku describes every recognition as a blessing and affirmation that he is doing purposeful work. He is also in the inaugural class of ambassadors for the AARP Center for Health Equity through Nursing (A-CHEN).In 2012, Tad was set to embark on an international tour and release his debut pop album, which he received funding for from a grant. Instead, Tad chose to cancel his tour, return his funding, and step away from music entirely in search of the more profound calling he had not yet found. Despite the benefits of performing, Worku said without a connection to purpose, he did not feel at peace. More than a decade later, Worku describes this decision as the best he’s ever made. That decision led Worku into emergency nursing at a level-one trauma center in Southern California. He credits his six years as an ER nurse as the foundation of the music he began to write, to process his experiences as a clinician. In 2020, Worku reunited with his award-winning team of musicians to step back into the music world and release his debut album. Worku used both his stories and experiences in healthcare to create new music that inspired hope in listeners.