Children's Hospital Leader Elected to Children's Hospital Association Board

Washington, DC — Kurt Newman, MD, President and CEO, Children’s National Health System, has been elected to the Board of Trustees of the Children’s Hospital Association (CHA). He will begin his term on January 1, 2015.  Dr. Newman’s leadership and advocacy for children and pediatric healthcare and collaborations with children’s hospitals across the nation will enhance the CHA’s board at a time when children’s hospitals are working together to improve the U.S. healthcare system for children.

“As part of the Children’s Hospital Association Board of Trustees, I’m looking forward to developing solutions to our shared challenges in pediatric healthcare and ultimately improving the health and well-being of children across the nation,” said Dr. Newman. 

“We are thrilled Dr. Newman will join our board in leading this important work on behalf of children and the hospitals and clinicians providing their care,” said Mark Wietecha, President and CEO of the Children’s Hospital Association and fellow board member. “We look forward to his perspectives and contributions as we continue our work to improve care, enhance the patient and family experience and lower the cost of care for children.”

The Children’s Hospital Association advances child health through innovation in the quality, cost, and delivery of care. Representing more than 220 children’s hospitals, the CHA is the voice of children’s hospitals nationally. 

During his tenure as President and CEO of Children’s National, Dr. Newman has brought innovative solutions to Children’s National and created powerful partnerships to help deliver the highest quality healthcare to children regionally, nationally, and internationally. For example, in 2013, he led Children’s National in the formation of Pediatric Specialists of Virginia, a joint venture with Inova Health System, created to address the limited number of pediatric specialists in Northern Virginia. Dr. Newman has also led Children’s to form the Bear Institute, a joint effort with Cerner Corporation and the first exclusive pediatric health informatics institute in the nation which will conduct research to improve patient experience and quality of care. 

Dr. Newman began his career as a surgeon at Children’s National in 1984, and became the Surgeon-in-Chief and Senior Vice President for the Joseph E. Robert, Jr., Center for Surgical Care in 2003. He was instrumental in establishing the Sheikh Zayed Institute for Pediatric Surgical Innovation, serving as the acting vice president when it was founded in 2009. Dr. Newman is the first physician to serve as CEO for Children’s National.

The complete list of the Children Hospital Association’s 2015 Board of Trustees is as follows:

Officers
Peggy Troy, RN, MSN, Chair, Board of Trustees
President and CEO, Children’s Hospital Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI

Steve J. Allen, MD, Vice Chair & Chair-elect
CEO, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Columbus, OH

Amy B. Mansue, Secretary, Board of Trustees
President and CEO, Children’s Specialized Hospital, Mountainside, NJ

Thomas D. Kmetz, Treasurer, Board of Trustees
Division President, Women’s & Children’s Services President; Kosair Children’s Hospital Louisville, KY

Members
Michael D. Aubin, FACHE
Hospital President, Wolfson Children’s Hospital

Madeline Bell
President and COO, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA

Kim Cripe
President and CEO, Children’s Hospital of Orange County, Orange, CA

Herman B. Gray, MD, MBA, FAAP
Executive Vice President of Pediatric Health Services, Detroit Medical Center, Detroit, MI

Rick W. Merrill
President and CEO, Cook Children's Health Care System, Fort Worth, TX

Kurt Newman, MD
President and CEO, Children’s National Health System, Washington, DC

Jim Shmerling, DHA, FACHE
Chief Executive Officer, Children’s Hospital Colorado, Aurora, CO

Jeff Sperring, MD, FAAP
President and CEO, Riley Hospital for Children at Indiana University, Indianapolis, IN

Mark Wietecha
President and CEO, Children’s Hospital Association

Contact: Emily Hartman or Caitlyn Camacho at 202-476-4500.

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