Leadership and People
Throughout our history, whether treating common pediatric conditions or giving lifesaving care, our people are at the heart of Children’s Health℠ . Our unique skills and experience, combined with the most up-to-date techniques and technology, provide the most comprehensive health care available.
Christopher J. Durovich
President and Chief Executive Officer, Children’s Health and Chief Executive Officer, Children's Medical Center Dallas
Chris Durovich, the Chief Executive Officer of Children’s Health, has more than 30 years of leadership experience in adult and pediatric health care and physician practice management. Since becoming President and Chief Executive Officer in 2003, he has guided Children's Health to be the eighth-largest pediatric health care system in the nation, serving more than 280,000 children each year. Prior to joining Children’s, Chris served in adult health care leadership roles at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Baylor College of Medicine, the University of Michigan Health System, Northwestern University Medical School and Northwestern Memorial Hospital. Chris is currently a member of the AHA Board of Trustees and Executive Committee and previously served on Regional Policy Board 7 and as a Section for Maternal and Child Health delegate. He currently serves as past-chair of the Children’s Hospital Association and was chair of the Child Health Corporation of America. Chris also served on the Board and Executive Committee of the Texas Hospital Association and Board of Directors of the National Association of Children’s Hospitals and Related Institutions. He is past-chair of the Dallas-Fort Worth Hospital Council, past vice-chair of the Teaching Hospitals of Texas and past-chair of the Children’s Hospital Association of Texas. He is also a member of the Board of Visitors for University of Texas Southwestern Hospitals and Clinics and the Dallas Medical Resource. His community leadership roles include serving as a board member of the Dallas Regional Chamber of Commerce, the Circle Ten Council of the Boy Scouts of America, the YMCA of Metropolitan Dallas, and the Ronald McDonald House of Dallas. He is also a member of the Dallas Citizens Council and the Dallas Assembly. Chris has been recognized for his leadership with the March of Dimes National Leadership Award and with a HIMSS CEO IT Achievement Award. In 2013, he was named to the Dallas Business Journal’s list of “Who’s Who in Healthcare.” In 2014, he was honored as an Entrepreneur of the Year by the EY Southwest Region. He earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Vermont, his MS from the University of Northern Colorado and MBA from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University. He is a Fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives and in the American College of Medical Practice Executives and has served as an adjunct professor at Rice University. He also served on active duty in the U.S. Army Medical Service Corps.
David Berry
President, System Clinical and Scientific Operations
David Berry joined Children’s Health in April 2016 and serves as President, System Clinical Operations. David leads physician organizations, scientific operations, governance and clinical operations for the Children’s Health system.
David is a seasoned and accomplished hospital executive with extensive experience in operating pediatric health care organizations. Prior to joining Children’s Health, he served as the Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Arkansas Children’s Hospital (ACH). He has spent the last 35 years of his career as an executive at two respected children’s hospitals, ACH and University of Wisconsin/American Family Children’s Hospital.
David received his Bachelor and Master of Science in Pharmacy degrees from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. He is active at the local and national level in organizations such as the Boy Scouts of America, Children’s Hospital Association, Ronald McDonald House of Central Arkansas and the Board of the Arkansas Hospital Association. He is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives.
Brent Christopher
President, Children’s Medical Center Foundation
As president of Children’s Medical Center Foundation, Brent Christopher leads the team focused on fundraising in support of Children’s Health and its components: Children’s Medical Center Dallas and Plano, eight specialty centers, multiple Children’s Health Pediatric Group primary care practices, Our Children’s House specialty hospital and rehabilitation facilities, home health, physician services and the Children’s Medical Center Research Institute at UT Southwestern.
Brent joined Children’s Health in July 2016 after 11 years of service as president and chief executive officer of Communities Foundation of Texas, one of the largest community foundations in the country. He guided the foundation through unprecedented growth of its impact for good in the lives of people across the North Texas region and beyond, with its base of assets increasing from $647 million to $1.1 billion. In 2009, he led the creation of North Texas Giving Day, the nation’s largest single day of community-wide giving which has helped to encourage the growth of online giving days across the U.S.
Prior to joining Communities Foundation of Texas, Brent served as director of development for the giving programs at Children’s Health during its successful wePromise Campaign. Before his first post with Children’s Health, he served as general counsel and vice president for advancement at Dallas Baptist University. Earlier in his professional career, Brent practiced law with Cowles & Thompson, P.C., in Dallas, where he specialized in legal malpractice defense and product liability defense.
Brent serves on the board of trustees for Austin College. He recently completed a three-year term as chair of the advisory board of CF Insights, a national initiative supported by Foundation Center to gather, analyze and share data with community foundations to improve their performance and sustainability. He formerly served on the board of directors for Philanthropy Southwest, the regional association of grantmakers. Brent also served as a national strategy committee member of the Alliance for Charitable Reform, which educates policymakers about the role of philanthropy in communities across the country.
In other volunteer roles, Brent is a member of the Junior League of Dallas Community Advisory Board, the Advisory Council of CNM Connect, the Safer Dallas Better Dallas Steering Committee, and the Annette Caldwell Simmons School of Education and Human Development Executive Board at Southern Methodist University. He is a member of the Leadership Council for Commit!, a public-private partnership for driving student achievement from cradle to career across Dallas County. Brent also is an active member of the YPO Gold Dallas chapter, Dallas Committee on Foreign Relations, and The Dallas Assembly, for which he served as president in 2010-11.
Brent earned his law degree from The University of Texas School of Law. Previously, he earned his master’s degree in political economy and political culture at the University of Nottingham in England, and his B.B.A. in public administration and economics from Baylor University.
Richard P. Goode
President, Corporate Services and Chief Financial Officer and Chief Administrative Officer
Rich Goode serves as Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) for Children’s Health℠. He joined Children’s Health in May 2016 and currently oversees the financial management of the health system. He has direct responsibility for accounting, capital planning, budgets, patient business services, insurance, investments, revenue cycle, financial and business analytics. Rich also assesses the financial impact of changes in reimbursement, changing patterns of hospital service and utilization.
Additionally, he oversees all corporate services and their financial functions, including Information Services; Marketing, Communications and Consumer Experience; Facilities and Real Estate; and Legal Services.
Rich brings more than 13 years of advanced health care experience to Children’s Health, with a demonstrated track record in financial management and operational improvements. He is also a successful entrepreneur having helped start, grow and sell several different companies. His cross-industry experience brings a refreshing view to the health care industry.
Prior to joining Children’s Health, Rich served as CFO of Cook Children’s Health Care System, where he was instrumental in achieving record financial results and oversaw tremendous growth in operating income. Total assets doubled over a five-year period as Cook completed more than $750 million in capital projects.
Additionally, Rich previously served in a CFO role with a for-profit hospital, as an early-stage venture funding consultant and has experience in public accounting with Coopers & Lybrand.
As an industry leader, Rich possesses an in-depth understanding of pediatric health care systems, private, federal and state reimbursement for pediatric care, development and financial management of health plans, and retains years of experience with the ever-changing DFW health care market.
Additional accolades include being recognized as the 2011 Fort Worth Not for Profit CFO of the year and honored as Small Endowment of the year by Institutional Investor in 2011. Rich has served as a member of the Children’s Hospital Association (CHA) CFO steering committee and reviews state reimbursement and legislative issues for Children’s Hospital Association of Texas (CHAT). His community leadership roles have included serving as a board member for the Heart Gift Board, Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce and The WARM Place.
Rich received his Bachelor of Science in Accounting from the University of Utah, and his Master of Business Administration from The University of Texas at Austin. He is a Certified Public Accountant in the State of Texas.
W. Robert “Bob” Morrow, M.D.
President, Physician Organizations and Academic Relations and Chief Clinical Officer, Children’s Health and Children’s Medical Center Dallas
Dr. Bob Morrow serves as President, Physician Organizations and Academic Relations and Chief Clinical Officer. He is responsible for all of our employed physician organizations, our affiliation with UT Southwestern, the Clinically Integrated Network, Children’s Health Pediatric Group, Children’s Research Institute at UT Southwestern, and clinical research.
Dr. Morrow serves as a Children’s physician spokesperson and provides medical leadership across the organization. He also plays an integral role in strategic decision making and long-range planning critical to Children’s continued success.
Dr. Morrow is an internationally recognized pediatric cardiologist with more than 26 years of experience and expert in heart transplantation in children. Prior to joining Children’s in 2013, Bob served as Senior Vice President of Medical Affairs and Chief Medical Officer at Arkansas Children’s Hospital and the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) where he served as a Professor of Pediatrics, the Associate Dean for Children and the Chief of Pediatric Cardiology. During his 17-year tenure at Arkansas Children’s Hospital, he was responsible for the medical care, physician professional accountability, graduate medical education, advocacy, community outreach and telemedicine.
He holds a bachelor’s degree from Baylor University and a Doctor of Medicine from the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine. He completed his residency in pediatrics at The University of Washington and Children’s Orthopedic Hospital (now known as Seattle Children’s Hospital). Dr. Morrow completed his fellowship training in pediatric cardiology at Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children’s Hospital.
Pamela Arora
Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer
Pamela Arora serves as Senior Vice President, Information Services and Chief Information Officer (CIO) and is responsible for directing all efforts of the Information Services groups in the organization. Ms. Arora’s oversight encompasses systems and technology, Health Information Management, and BioMedical technology and support.
Pamela joined the Children’s Health team in 2007. With more than 30 years of experience in Information Technology, Pamela is a proven leader with a history of achieving results in large corporations in various industries, as well as in entrepreneurial endeavors. Prior to her arrival at Children’s Health, Arora served as the SVP and CIO at UMass Memorial Health Care in Worcester, MA, and CIO of Perot Systems in Dallas, TX.
In 2010, she was instrumental in leading Children’s Health in achieving the Health Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) Stage 7 Electronic Medical Record Adoption Model award designation. Under her leadership, Children’s Health has been named multiple times to the InformationWeek500, InformationWeek Elite 100 and Hospitals & Health Networks Most Wired. In 2013, Children’s Health was named a HIMSS Enterprise Davies Award winner for the organization’s innovative use of the electronic health record (EHR) as well as Health Information Trust Alliance (HITRUST) Common Security Framework (CSF) certification. In 2014, Children’s Health earned the Texas Health Service Authority’s SECURETexas Certification and also won the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) Grace Award in recognition of excellence in Health Information Management.
She is a member of HIMSS and serves as a HIMSS Davies Award judge. She is also a member of the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME) and the Children’s Hospital Association (CHA). She is a CHIME Certified Healthcare CIO, serving on the Board of Directors for CHIME and HITRUST. In 2015, Arora was named one of the top 50 leaders in Heath IT by Becker’s Health IT & CIO Review, and in the same year, she received the Dallas Business Journal Women in Technology Award. Arora has and continues to speak and lecture at IT-related healthcare events across the nation and internationally.
Pamela holds an MBA from Southern Methodist University and a BA in Computer Science from Wayne State University.
Kimberly S. Besse
Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer
Kim Besse serves as Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer for Children’s Health. Her areas of responsibility include recruitment and staffing, benefits, compensation, learning and development and employee relations.
Since joining Children’s Health in 2010, Kim has skillfully led the organization through the challenges of a rapidly changing workforce as Children’s Health has transitioned from an organization whose primary business focus was its two hospitals to a diverse health care system that includes hospitals, specialty care centers, primary care clinics, health insurance programs, technology-based solutions for health care and a population health division that serves as an incubator for innovative approaches to solving the health needs of the community.
Kim is driving cultural transformation at Children’s Health through fast-track leadership and mentoring programs, innovative approaches to attracting and developing the best talent, and a refreshed compensation and benefits portfolio. She is elevating the work experience and building a culture of engagement by expanding opportunities for continuous listening and introducing programs to enable employees to have input into issues that affect their work. She has also introduced workforce analytics that enable a more predictive and strategic approach to managing the organization’s talent needs.
In 2014, Kim led the effort to refresh the organization’s Values. She has driven strategic alignment around those new Values, gained executive support and embedded the Values in human resource practices, including hiring, on-boarding, recognition and performance management.
Prior to joining Children’s Health, Kim served as Vice President, Human Resources for Belo Corp, one of the largest publicly traded broadcast companies. She also served as Vice President, Human Resources for Perot Systems Corporation, a global provider of technology-based business solutions and Executive Vice President, People Strategy for ClubCorp, a leading owner-operator of private clubs and resorts.
Kim holds a Bachelor of Arts in Applied Business Administration from Dallas Baptist University. She is a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) and Member of the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM-SCP), a World at Work Certified Compensation Professional, Certified Instructor of the Covey Leadership Program “Seven Habits of Highly Effective People.” Additionally, she holds a Diploma in Personnel Management from Damelin Management School in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Matthew M. Davis
Executive Vice President, Dallas Market
Matt Davis serves as Executive Vice President, Dallas Market. In this role, he is responsible for driving market strategy with direct responsibility for Children’s Medical Center Dallas campus operations and performance.
Prior to joining Children’s, Matt served as Vice President of Operations at Spectrum Health in Grand Rapids, Michigan where he led the operations of the system’s children’s hospital, several system-wide service lines and five departments of its multi-specialty medical group of over 1,000 providers. Prior to Spectrum Health, Matt started his career in the audit practice of Deloitte and subsequently held senior financial leadership roles in multiple industries.
His hospital operations experience includes leading the operational readiness team for the opening of a $300 million state of the art children’s hospital. More recently he has led the development of a clinically integrated network of physicians that has more than doubled in size with enabling capabilities for clinical integration such as a quality measurement, a URAC accredited nurse advice line and physician governance structures.
Matt holds an Executive Masters degree in Leadership from the School of Business at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. and a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting from Oakland University in Rochester Hills, Michigan.
Bill Elvey, P.E., FMP
William “Bill” M. Elvey, Senior Vice President, Facilities and Real Estate
Bill Elvey joined Children’s Health as Senior Vice President, Facilities and Real Estate in October 2016. He is responsible for facilities planning; real estate acquisition and disposition; property management; facilities project management, design and construction; major repair and repurposing of facilities and a host of other facilities-related functions.
Bill joined us from The University of Wisconsin – Madison where he has served as the Associate Vice Chancellor, Facilities Planning and Management since 2012. In this role, he provided leadership and strategic vision for the full spectrum of facilities management activities, including capital planning and development, campus planning and landscape architecture, facilities project design and construction, space management, real estate management, physical plant operations and maintenance, utilities, environmental health and safety compliance, and parking and transportation services. Bill was responsible for more than 1,100 employees and an annual operating budget of $227 million.
From October 2007 – August 2012 Bill served as the Director of Facilities Management at The University of Texas at Dallas. At UT Dallas, he was responsible for engineering, design and construction, contract administration, deferred maintenance programs, campus facilities planning, energy conservation, etc.
After a short stint in the private sector, Bill Elvey became the Director of Physical Plant and the Assistant Vice President for Facilities at Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University, Blacksburg, VA, from September 1997 – September 2007. Bill also is a Past-President of APPA – Leadership in Educational Facilities. And a recipient of the APPA Fellow award in 2012. Bill also has served on the Board of Directors of EandI.org, a national cooperative purchasing organization, since 2008.
Bill is a graduate of Rice University and holds a Bachelor of Science and Masters degree in Environmental Engineering. Bill also has a Master of Business Administration from George Mason University. Bill is a registered Professional Engineer in the State of Texas. Bill also is a certified Facilities Management Professional (FMP).
Doris Hunt
Senior Vice President, Insurance Services
Doris Hunt serves as Senior Vice President, Insurance Services for Children’s Health. Doris is responsible for leading the Children’s Medical Center Health Plan transition from developing solution options and programs to the tangible implementation of these assets by partnering with business leaders. She has 25 years of experience in health care administration, hands-on operational and accounting solutions for delivery systems and provider sponsored HMO’s.
Prior to joining Children’s Health, Doris was the Vice President of Finance for Tarrant County Hospital District, as well as the Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer for Cook Children’s Health Plan. She was responsible for the daily operations of the Star, CHIP, and CHIP Perinate and the Tarrant County Indigent Program.
She holds a BBA in Accounting from the University of Texas at Arlington.
Keri Kaiser
Senior Vice President, Chief Marketing Officer and Chief Experience Officer
Keri Kaiser serves as Senior Vice President, Marketing and Communications, Chief Marketing Officer and Chief Experience Officer for Children’s Health. Since joining Children’s Health in November 2012, Keri has led a complete transformation of the marketing and communications function for the organization, instituting a strong emphasis on consumer-driven marketing efforts and a communications plan that is solidifying the status of Children’s Health in the national health care dialogue as an industry leader.
During her tenure she has rebranded the organization to introduce the “system” as Children’s Health, of which Children’s Medical Center Dallas is the flagship hospital. In her role as Chief Experience Officer, Keri is focused on transforming Children’s Health into a leading consumer- and patient-centric organization, placing patient families at the center of every decision.
Prior to joining Children’s Health, Keri was the Chief Revenue Officer for the AT&T Performing Arts Center (ATTPAC) in Dallas, responsible for all earned income for the organization. She was a key member of the leadership team that shepherded the performing arts center from its capital campaign phase to a strong and successful operating organization.
Keri’s career is highlighted by senior positions with consumer-products and high technology companies She was a co-founder of Velocity Ventures, in Brand Management with Frito-Lay, and a founding member of the Strategic Management Consulting Group at Price Waterhouse.
Ms. Kaiser has spoken on sponsorships in the arts, as well as the various business needs of early stage ventures. She was named a Dallas Business Journal 2015 Women in Business Honoree. Ms. Kaiser is a member of the Dallas Women’s Foundation board, the SMU Digital Accelerator Advisory Board, and the newly formed DCVB Health Care Advisory Board.
She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Smith College and a Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School.
Rustin Morse, M.D.
Senior Vice President, Quality & Safety, and Chief Quality Officer
Dr. Morse serves as Senior Vice President, Quality & Safety, and Chief Quality Officer. Previously employed by UT Southwestern Medical Center working directly with Children’s Health since 2012, Dr. Morse is responsible for the oversight and advancement of system-level quality and safety – both patient and staff safety – across Children’s Health.
Dr. Morse received his Bachelor’s degree from the State University of New York at Oswego and his Medical Degree from the State University of New York Health Science Center at Syracuse (now Upstate Medical University). He then completed his pediatric residency at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh and his pediatric emergency medicine fellowship at Children’s Memorial Hospital (now Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago).
After finishing his fellowship in 2001, he joined the medical staff at Phoenix Children’s Hospital and, in 2008, was tapped to become the hospital’s first ever Medical Director for Quality. In 2012, after receiving a Master’s degree in Medical Management from the University of Southern California, Dr. Morse joined Children’s Medical Center of Dallas (now Children’s Health) as Chief Quality Officer.
Dr. Morse has served as faculty as a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Child Health at the University of Arizona College of Medicine (Phoenix) and as an Associate Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (2012-2017). His academic interests, national presentations, and publications span a variety of topics including patient safety, patient satisfaction, quality measurement, improvement methodologies, and variations in care and outcomes. In addition to his leadership responsibilities, Dr. Morse continues to practice in the Children’s Health Emergency Department.
Pete Perialas Jr.
Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer
Pete Perialas Jr., serves as Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer for Children's Health.
Pete joined the Children’s Health team in February of 2015 and leads strategic activities designed to develop, deploy and extend technological and operational capabilities that advance the system’s substantial investments in Population Health and consumer oriented, value-based health system integration. These solutions and capabilities support a wide array of Children’s Health activities including and not limited to ACO/HMO products, care management and patient navigation, consumer-focused clinical integration across the entire Children’s Health delivery network and also with adult and community partners.
Prior to joining Children’s Health, Pete was the Chief Executive Officer of a large, Federally Qualified Health Center that achieved Level 3 Patient Centered Medical Home Status in 2010 and grew to be one of the 15 largest FQHC’s in the nation. Before entering the health care industry, Pete served as the Chief Executive Officer of a privately held Neural Network Decision-Support Company in Austin, Texas and he held global leadership positions in banking and consumer finance for Computer Science Corporations.
Pete was also a pioneer in building decision-system infrastructure for the credit card and financial services industry, which included operational leadership positions with Discover Card and America Express.
In 2009, Pete was recognized as a Health Care Hero in Austin, for his work in non-profit health care access creation.
He holds a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Delaware and has served on a wide range of community Boards including Meals on Wheels, the United Way, regional and national HIE cooperatives, and several community-based health clinics.
Jeremiah Radandt
Executive Vice President, Northern Market
Jeremiah Radandt serves as the Executive Vice President for the Northern Market for Children’s Health and is responsible for driving market strategy with direct responsibility for Children’s Medical Center Plano campus operations and performance.
Jeremiah joined Children’s Health from NorthStar Anesthesia, where he had served as the Chief Financial Officer since 2014. From 2009 to 2014, Jeremiah served as the Chief Financial Officer for Primary Children’s Hospital located in Salt Lake City, Utah. He led Primary Children’s Population Health efforts aimed at redesigning delivery and payment structure to ensure quality care was delivered in a fiscally sustainable manner, along with serving as a key architect of Utah’s 2012 Medicaid Reform legislation.
Earlier in his career, Jeremiah served as the Chief Financial Officer, Agency Division for HealthMarkets after working several years for Bain & Company.
Jeremiah is a graduate from Brigham Young University where he earned a Bachelor of Science, degree in Statistics. He earned a Master of Business Administration with a major in Health Care Management from The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania. Jeremiah enjoys running, reading and traveling with his family. He is married and has four children.
Mary Stowe, MS, RN, NEA-BC
Senior Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer
As Senior Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer (CNO), Mary oversees operations & clinical practice for the Division of Nursing, and has responsibility for the Accreditation & Regulatory Readiness at Children’s Health/Children’s Medical Center. Her strategic portfolio includes approximately 3800 FTEs, and responsibility of the preeminent service lines including The Heart Center, and The Pauline F. Gill Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders.
With over 30 years of experience as a nurse leader, she has held a variety of clinical, quality, case management, performance improvement and leadership roles across Texas in pediatric and adult health care facilities. These include both for-profit and not-for-profit institutions. She was drawn back to Children’s in 2005 and took on her current role as Sr. Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer in 2006.
Mary’s philosophy of patient care centers on the synergy between the patient, family, and the clinician. To accomplish this, all the aspects of clinical informatics are critical. Under Mary’s leadership, bedside caregivers have a plethora of clinical tools to optimize quality patient care. She is proudest of Children’s Magnet designation in 2009, and subsequent re-designation in 2013, which she considers a validation of the phenomenal care Children’s nurses provide.
Mary currently serves as a director for the North Texas Consortium of Professional Nursing Programs and Practice Partners “Team Texas” - where she enhances professional nursing education by identifying current trends in nursing and recommending innovative policies specific to the pediatric population. Mary has also received a number of accolades, including being honored by the Health Industry Council of the North Texas Region as a “Top 12 Woman in Healthcare” in 2012.
Mary has a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Baylor University and Master of Science in Nursing Administration from Texas Women’s University. She has Nurse Executive and Advanced-Board Certified credentials and is an active member of the American Nurses Association, Texas Nurses Association and the Texas Organization of Nurse Executives.
Ray Tsai, M.D.
Senior Vice President, Dallas Market Operations
Dr. Ray Tsai serves as Senior Vice President for Dallas Market Operations and has direct responsibility for ambulatory, ancillary and support operations, and the Emergency Department.
Dr. Tsai is board certified in Pediatrics and Clinical Informatics by the American Board of Preventive Medicine. He continues to provide high quality medical care and attend to patients within the primary care practices, on the inpatient units, and in the Emergency Department. Around Dallas, he is perhaps most well-known for completing a physical exam on "Big Tex," the 55 foot ambassador of the State Fair of Texas.
Dr. Tsai completed his residency in Pediatrics at Georgetown University Hospital, and earned his undergraduate and medical degrees at Northwestern University, and his MBA at the Wharton School.
Michael Wiggins
Senior Vice President, System Operations
Michael Wiggins serves as Senior Vice President for System Operations for Children’s Health with responsibility for non-nursing operations, including ancillary services and family support.
Before joining Children’s Health, he was Vice President, Operations at Children’s of Alabama. He previously served as Chief Operating Officer for Lewis-Gale Clinic in Roanoke, VA and Executive Director of Mercy Health Center in Bentonville, AR.
Michael serves on the Board of Directors for the Child Advocacy Center of Collin County, Board of Managers for the Plano Family YMCA and the Board of Directors for the Legacy Association business district.
Michael is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives and a member of Beta Gamma Sigma. He earned a B.S. and M.B.A. from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, as well as a M.A. from Liberty Theological Seminary in Lynchburg, VA.
Physicians
In 1961, Children’s was officially named the pediatric teaching hospital for UT Southwestern. Today, that affiliation means Children’s has access to a medical faculty that has produced five Nobel Laureates since 1985 – more than any other medical school in the world – and transformational research designed to improve children’s.
Among other things, it’s this special relationship with UT Southwestern Medical School that ensures Children’s is cited year after year for excellence in a variety of the 50 pediatric medical specialties we provide.
In the last five years, 272 pediatric specialists have been recruited by Children’s and UT Southwestern. We currently have more than 1,000 medical/dental staff members at Children’s.
Nurses
We owe our origins to nurses, and nurse May Smith in particular. In the spring of 1913, she and a group of nurses organized the Dallas Baby Camp, recognizing that children receive better care when it is focused on them. Some 100 years later, more than 5 million children have been helped because of their vision.
Today, the nearly 1,800 nurses at Children’s Medical Center play an essential role in fulfilling the hospital’s mission and establishing Children’s as one of the nation’s premier pediatric hospitals.
Thanks to our nurses, Children’s joined a distinguished list in 2009 when we were designated as a Magnet organization – the highest national recognition granted to a hospital or medical center for excellence in nursing. This gold standard is given by the American Nurses Credentialing Center, a subsidiary of the American Nurses Association and the largest and most prestigious nurses credentialing organization.
Volunteers
Volunteers have played a critical role in our operations from the very beginning starting with their work at Baby Camp in 1913 to heat and wrap bricks that were placed in tubs to warm the babies’ tiny bodies. Today, our volunteers, among the many heroes and heroines at Children’s Health℠, can be found in every hallway, and their ongoing support is essential to our longevity. Children’s Health remains a not-for-profit medical center, dependent on the generosity of those who willingly give their time and attention to our patients and their families.
Children’s Health has more than 600 adult volunteers, representing a diverse set of working professionals, retired persons and seniors, as well as 200 student volunteers. All provide comforting services and support to make life better for children.
In addition to providing adult and student volunteer programs, Children’s Health has a number of opportunities available for community volunteers. From group projects to individual support, these projects are perfect for community and faith groups.
On an average year, Children’s Health volunteers contribute 341,500 hours, which is equivalent to the work of 164 full-time employees and $7,560,810, including both volunteer hours in the hospital and in the community.
Staff
For a century, Children’s has been piloted by strong, forward-thinking leaders with an unwavering focus on our mission – to make life better for children. Their steady hands at the helm have played a major role in making us what we are today: a recognized leader in regional, national and international care for children.
Whether at our campuses in Dallas, Plano or our Pediatric Group locations throughout the Metroplex, our leadership and staff apply their knowledge and skills to running our hospitals and related services. It takes a team of many to support the medical members, which in addition to doctors and nurses also includes clinical technicians, surgery technicians, respiratory care practitioners and EMTs, among others.
Additionally, our food service workers, housekeepers, child life specialists, security personnel, equipment caretakers, engineers, executives and administrative staff, to name a few, are privileged to be among the many who care for the children and families who come to us.
Regardless of the role we play, our team of more than 5,600 takes great pride in being the eighth-largest pediatric health care provider in the country and the only academically affiliated pediatric hospital in the area. Collectively, we make a big difference as we serve the smallest of the small.
