Children's hospital CEOs tend to have diverse educational backgrounds and most often enter the role from a COO position, according to a recent WittKieffer survey.
Thirty-nine percent of the children's hospital CEOs surveyed by WittKieffer were women. This was compared to 9.4% of all healthcare CEOs in 2024, a Crist Kolder Associates report found.
Ten hospitals made the Honor Roll on U.S. News & World Report's 2024-25 Best Children's Hospitals, released Oct. 8.
Here are the CEOs of each hospital featured on the Honor Roll, in alphabetical order:
Boston Children's Hospital: Kevin Churchwell, MD, was named president and CEO in 2020 after serving as president and COO.
Children's Hospital Colorado (Aurora): Jena Hausmann was appointed president in 2011 and CEO in 2015.
Children's Hospital Los Angeles: Paul Viviano has been president and CEO since 2015.
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia: Madeline Bell, BSN, was named president and CEO in 2015.
Children's National Hospital (Washington, D.C.): Michelle Riley-Brown has been president and CEO since July 2023.
Cincinnati Children's: Steve Davis, MD, was appointed president and CEO in 2021.
Nationwide Children's Hospital (Columbus, Ohio): Timothy Robinson has been CEO since 2019.
Rady Children's Hospital-San Diego: Patrick Frias, MD, was named president and CEO in 2019.
Seattle Children's: Jeff Sperring, MD, has been CEO since 2015.
Texas Children's Hospital (Houston): Debra Sukin, PhD, became president in January and CEO on Oct. 5.