Shari Barkin, MD, has been named physician-in-chief of Children's Hospital of Richmond at Virginia Commonwealth University and chair of the Department of Pediatrics at VCU School of Medicine.
Dr. Barkin currently serves as chief of the division of general pediatrics at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and the Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt in Nashville, Tenn., according to a Feb. 11 news release. She's also the William K. Warren Foundation Endowed Chair of the Department of Pediatrics and director of pediatric obesity research. She has served as the founding executive director of Vanderbilt's Nashville Collaborative, which partners with community organizations to improve child-family health, since 2008.
Dr. Barkin will join Children's Hospital of Richmond Aug. 1. Karen Hendricks-Muñoz, MD, will continue to serve as interim chair and physician-in-chief until August, when Dr. Hendricks-Muñoz will resume her role as chief of the division of neonatal medicine and the Inaugural William Tate Graham Professor of Neonatal Medicine.
At Children's Hospital of Richmond, Dr. Barkin will lead more than 230 physicians across nearly 50 pediatric specialties. She will lead the team as it opens a new inpatient and emergency tower in spring 2023.
"CHoR is at an inflection point that has the potential to transform children's health and healthcare in Virginia, and serve as a model for others,” said Dr. Barkin. "VCU and CHoR will advance the health of all kids across the lifespan by using the technologies of today and the tools of academia. It's always about the people for me. What captured my excitement for VCU, after 15 years of loving my work and colleagues at Vanderbilt, were the people and possibilities for innovation and impact. I see in VCU and CHoR the remarkable commitment of high-integrity people who are ready to roll their sleeves up and do this work, and I look forward to supporting and building strong teams to do just that."