As the next step in her esteemed career that has spanned more than a decade at Texas Children’s and bolstered our international reputation for excellence, pediatric critical care physician Dr. Lara Shekerdemian has been named the new Pediatrician In-Chief.
“I could not be more pleased to announce Dr. Shekerdemian for this role,” said President and CEO Mark A. Wallace. “As a highly accomplished physician responsible for transformational change in both academic and clinical settings, she is a tremendous asset to our team.”
Since being recruited to Texas Children’s in 2010 as Chief of Critical Care, Shekerdemian has played an instrumental role in some of our most significant milestones. She brings 23 total years of clinical and leadership experience across three continents to this pivotal physician leadership position.
As an integral part of the CareFirst expansion initiative and the successful design and opening of the Lester and Sue Smith Legacy Tower, Shekerdemian helped lead the way for the institution to expand critical services from 72 to 172 beds over the three hospital campuses. Highly regarded as an innovator, she has grown and developed an exceptional critical care team at Texas Children’s – building a culture of collaboration, inclusion and collegiality.
Shilt, Zoghbi also elevated to new In-Chief roles
Wallace also recently announced the appointment of Dr. Jeffrey S. Shilt as Community In-Chief and Dr. Huda Y. Zoghbi as Research In-Chief. Both are new roles that build on Wallace’s strategy and vision to manage hospital-based services and expand our research capacity.
“Leadership of an organization is the sum of three things: vision, structure and people. As we continue to expand it is critical to ensure that we have a proper and robust structure populated with the best people,” Wallace said. “That is why I am thrilled to announce the appointment of Dr. Huda Y. Zoghbi as our new Research-In-Chief and Dr. Jeffrey S. Shilt as our new Community-In-Chief.”
An orthopedic surgeon specializing in sports medicine, Shilt has been Chief of Community Surgery for the past three years. He currently serves as professor of Orthopedic Surgery at Baylor College of Medicine, Medical Director of the Motion Analysis & Human Performance Lab, Pediatric Sports Medicine Liaison to the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee and Chairman of the Medical Advisory Board for United States cycling. During his tenure at Texas Children’s, he has been instrumental in leading operations at The Woodlands location and successfully led multiples initiatives to foster and maintain key community partnerships.
Zoghbi has earned global renown as a physician-scientist. A professor at Baylor College of Medicine and Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator, she is the founding director of the Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute. Her leadership has led to incredible clinical breakthroughs and helped to foster more than 70 new disease gene discoveries at NRI, making the institute a premiere destination for families with neurological concerns. Zoghbi is also the recipient of more than two dozen major national and international awards and honors for invention, research, genetics, life sciences, biomedical science, medicine, neuroscience and many more.
“I’m confident that this new structure will elevate Texas Children’s to heights it’s never before seen,” Wallace said. “These exemplary leaders will be instrumental in expanding our research enterprise and expand women’s services and pediatric care into the communities we serve. And those who will benefit most are patients.”