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.
Leadership
The senior leadership team and physician leaders at Children's Health empower our organization with the mission of making life better for Children.
Christopher J. Durovich
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 nearly 300,000 children each year.
Pamela Arora
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. Her oversight encompasses systems and technology, Health Information Management, and Healthcare Technology Management and support.
David Berry
David Berry joined Children’s Health in April 2016 and serves as President, System Clinical and Scientific Operations. David leads physician organizations, scientific operations, governance and clinical operations for the Children’s Health system.
Kimberly S. Besse
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.
Joe Don Cavender, MSN, RN, CPNP-PC
Joe Don is Vice President and Interim Chief Nursing Officer (CNO), overseeing the system-wide clinical practice of Nursing at Children’s Health. In his role, Joe Don is responsible for the hospital transport operations (fixed-wing, rotor-wing, and ground ambulance), respiratory care, operative services, the Pauline Allen Gill Center for Cancer & Blood Disorders, and the advanced practice service (nurse practitioners and physician assistants).
Brent Christopher
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.
Matthew M. Davis
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.
Bill Elvey, P.E., FMP
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.
Richard P. Goode
Rich Goode serves as President, Corporate Services, and Chief Financial Officer (CFO) 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.
Julie Hall-Barrow
Julie Hall-Barrow serves as the Senior Vice President, Network Development and Innovation for Children’s Health, spearheading the organization’s development and implementation of innovative care delivery models. She oversees Children’s Health Care Network; a collaborative network of health providers, including both employed and community physicians as well as other like-minded providers, who work together to provide the best care for children in the community.
Doris Hunt
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.
Keri Kaiser
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.
Rustin Morse, M.D.
Dr. Morse serves as Senior Vice President, Quality & Safety, and Chief Quality Officer. He has also taken on the role of Interim Chief Clinical Officer (CCO). 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.
Pete Perialas Jr.
Pete Perialas Jr., serves as Executive Vice President, Chief Strategy Officer. 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.
Jeremiah Radandt
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.
Ken Stewart
As Executive Vice President for Compliance and Legal Affairs, Ken Stewart oversees all legal, regulatory and corporate governance activities for the organization.
Ray Tsai, M.D.
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.
Vanessa U. Walls
Vanessa Walls serves as Sr. Vice President of Our Children’s House and System Clinical Programs. She joined Children’s Health System of Texas (Children’s Health) in 2011 and has held many roles leading to her current responsibilities, including three years as the Administrator for Children’s Medical Center Plano.
Amy Yeager
Amy Yeager serves as the Senior Vice President and General Counsel for Children’s Health, joining the Senior Leadership Team at Children’s Health in February 2019. In her role, Amy oversees the strategy and direction for legal services at Children’s Health.
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.