Dr. Mark Del Beccaro Named Senior Vice President, Chief Medical Officer of Seattle Children's

SEATTLE, Aug. 5, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Seattle Children's announced today that Dr. Mark Del Beccaro has been appointed to the position of Senior Vice President & Chief Medical Officer effective Oct. 1. Del Beccaro, who currently serves as Vice President of Medical Affairs, will replace Dr. David Fisher, who is retiring.

"Mark has made many significant contributions to Seattle Children's over the course of his career," said Thomas N. Hansen, MD, CEO of Seattle Children's. "We are all very excited to see what he will bring to his new position."

Del Beccaro, 57, started his career at Seattle Children's in 1979 after graduating from Stanford University. He moved to Seattle with the intention of attending the University of Washington School of Medicine. Having a desire to work in pediatrics, and wanting to become a Washington state resident, Del Beccaro started working as a nursing aid at what was then Children's Orthopedic Hospital. He later transitioned to the position of mental health specialist within the Inpatient Psychiatric Unit.

Del Beccaro entered medical school at the University of Washington in 1981 and started his pediatric residency at Seattle Children's in 1985. Three years later, he was appointed chief resident. He joined the faculty of Seattle Children's Emergency Department in 1989 and was appointed pediatrician-in-chief in 2007. A professor at the University of Washington School of Medicine, Del Beccaro became Vice President of Medical Affairs in 2012. His many accomplishments include:

• Implementation of an electronic medical record and computerized order entry (CPOE) system
• Launching the hospital's clinical effectiveness team, which led to Seattle Children's Clinical Standard Work initiative
• Playing an integral role in the design, preparation and completion of Building Hope, the hospital's new state-of-the-art cancer, critical and emergency care building.

Despite his busy administrative schedule, Del Beccaro has continued to see patients in the Emergency Department three to four times per month.

"I get to play with kids, treat their broken bones, close their lacerations, relieve a families concern or help shepherd them through a difficult health crisis while helping to train future medical providers," he said. "It's a privilege and a great honor."

In his new role, Del Beccaro said he will continue the work that Fisher began – particularly the support of hospital medical staff and faculty, and efforts to continually improve patient safety. He also will advocate for completion of a fully electronic medical record that reaches community partners and families; further the development and integration of clinical standard work; and ensure the care provided is affordable and of the highest quality.

"Mark's passion, dedication, leadership and commitment to our patients, families and his colleagues make him an outstanding candidate to serve as CMO," Hansen said. "He is in a great position to lead Seattle Children's into the next era."

About Seattle Children's

Consistently ranked as one of the best children's hospitals in the country by U.S. News & World Report, Seattle Children's serves as the pediatric and adolescent academic medical referral center for the largest landmass of any children's hospital in the country (Washington, Alaska, Montana and Idaho). For more than 100 years, Seattle Children's has been delivering superior patient care while advancing new treatments through pediatric research. Seattle Children's serves as the primary teaching, clinical and research site for the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Washington School of Medicine. The hospital works in partnership with Seattle Children's Research Institute and Seattle Children's Hospital Foundation. For more information visit www.seattlechildrens.org or follow us on Twitter or Facebook.

SOURCE Seattle Children’s