New physician‐in‐chief at Dell Children’s Medical Center

Dell Children’s Medical Center welcomes Z. Leah Harris, M.D., as new chair of pediatrics and physician‐in‐chief

We are excited to share with you that Z. Leah Harris, M.D., has accepted the role of chair of pediatrics and physician‐in‐chief at Dell Children’s Medical Center. She will officially begin her role in August.

Dr. Harris is currently a professor of pediatrics at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and division director of critical care medicine at Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago.

Dell Children’s is honored to have Dr. Harris join our leadership team and bring her extensive knowledge and experience to Austin. She will be instrumental in helping to build enhanced models of care and continue to expand access to pediatric care in Central Texas, both of which are priorities for Dell Children’s and a critical focus for our community.

Harris received her medical degree from Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science Chicago Medical School and completed her residency training in pediatric critical care medicine at the University of Chicago Hospitals. Her early career included pediatric faculty positions at Washington University‐St. Louis, and then at Johns Hopkins University, where she became fellowship director for Pediatric Critical Care Medicine and held a joint appointment in the Bloomberg School of Public Health. She later joined the faculty of Vanderbilt University School of Medicine and Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt, where she was vice chair for Academic Affairs in the Department of Pediatrics, division chief of Pediatric Critical Care Medicine and a member of the hospital‐based medicine and palliative care teams.

While Harris describes her work as broad, her academic and clinical focus is on innovation. She has lectured internationally on the importance of innovation, patient health outcomes and women leaders in science and medicine, and has also served in leadership roles across various disciplines, including health equity, child abuse pediatrics and medical education curriculum redesign.

“As an advocate for children’s health, I was attracted to the combination of a forward‐thinking medical school, a top‐tier hospital partner and a visionary community – all dedicated to supporting better health and health care for children and families,” Harris said about her new role. “I’m looking forward to collaborating with the community of physicians in Austin, and to getting to work.”

Please join us in welcoming Dr. Harris to the Dell Children’s family.