National Association of Children's Hospitals and Related Institutions Names New Chairman

Christopher Dawes, president and CEO of Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford in Palo Alto, Calif., has been elected chairman of the board of trustees for the National Association of Children's Hospitals and Related Institutions and the National Association of Children's Hospitals, according to a NACHRI news release.

Prior to being elected chairman, Mr. Dawes served as a board member and executive committee member for NACHRI.

Mr. Dawes has served as president and CEO of Packard Children's Hospital since 1999 and has been with the hospital since it began in 1989. He previously held the position of COO for the hospital. According to the release, the institution has consistently ranked in national surveys as one of America's best children's hospitals and is recognized for its full range of healthcare programs and services, under Mr. Dawes' leadership.

"NACH has done a superb job in advancing the needs of children to influence public policy and support members state by state," Mr. Dawes said in the release. "Right now, we have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to focus nationally on healthcare reform and frame health a healthcare system that works both for adults and children. We have a chance to build a system that ensures access is cost effective and affordable."

Read the release on the new NACHRI chairman.