New executive director named at U-M C.S. Mott Children's Hospital, Von Voigtlander Women's Hospital

ANN ARBOR, Mich., May 10, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Paul A. King, who has successfully led a large, Los Angeles-based pediatric group practice for the past eight years, has been selected as the new executive director of the University of Michigan's top-ranked C.S. Mott Children's Hospital and Von Voigtlander Women's Hospital. King is a senior executive at Children's Hospital Los Angeles.

King, who has nearly 30 years' experience as a health care executive, will take his new post in August as the leader of the C.S. Mott Children's Hospital and Von Voigtlander Women's Hospital. C.S. Mott Children's Hospital was ranked 8^th best in the nation this year by Parents magazine.

He is currently the chief executive officer of the Children's Hospital Los Angeles Medical Group and president and chief executive officer of the Pediatric Management Group, its management services organization.

King also serves as a member of the Executive Leadership Team of Children's Hospital Los Angeles, a 365-bed pediatric academic medical center in Los Angeles, where the 550-physician Children's Hospital Los Angeles Medical Group is based.

"We are thrilled to have Paul join our team. We've invested in a new facility, and we wanted a strong leader to guide the strategic growth of our children's and women's programs and services," says Ora Hirsch Pescovitz, M.D., U-M executive vice president for medical affairs and CEO of the U-M Health System.

King says he's devoted his career to health care because he enjoys the overall mission of healing and discovering ways to better fight and treat disease, especially for children.

"Health care is a calling to health and healing, and with children's health, even more so. I love the optimism that comes with taking care of kids, the idea of caring for the future, making their lives better," says King.

He also said he is excited and energized about working with the women's health faculty and staff in Ann Arbor.

"There is a very talented team in place and a wonderful new facility. I look forward to working with them to create a plan to take health care delivery to the next level," says King.

U-M Hospitals and Health Centers CEO Doug Strong, who chaired the committee that undertook the national search after the retirement of longtime children's and women's leader Patricia Warner, said King is well-qualified to lead the children's and women's team from the current position of excellence into the future. King also will help further the Mott Children's Hospital Network of partnerships for children's care.

In December, C.S. Mott Children's Hospital affiliated with Sparrow Children's Center to provide specialized pediatric care for children and families in Lansing.

"Paul has had a prominent role in hospital operations and also in leading a large physician group. He understands all the partners needed to continue our efforts to serve our patients in the state of Michigan and beyond," Strong says.

Prior to his current role, King was vice president for clinical programs and professional services at Children's Hospital Los Angeles, responsible for all outpatient services at the medical center; its centers of excellence; its transport program; the hospital-based specialties of radiology, pathology, and anesthesia; quality systems management; regulatory affairs; medical staff office functions; safety; security; facilities operations; and a non-affiliated, but closely collaborative free-standing home healthcare service.

"I am looking forward to welcoming Paul to our community and working with him on behalf of the patients and families we serve at the C.S. Mott Children's Hospital and the Von Voigtlander Women's Hospital," says Valerie P. Castle, M.D., chair of the Department of Pediatrics & Communicable Diseases at the U-M Medical School.  "Paul brings tremendous experience to this role, and we are extremely fortunate to have him leading our administrative team."

King also has held senior management positions with the Kerlan-Jobe Orthopaedic Group, a large private practice of orthopaedic surgeons in Los Angeles; the Samaritan Physicians Center in Phoenix, Arizona; the Mayo Clinic, initially in Rochester, Minnesota, and then subsequently in Scottsdale, Arizona.

"We are excited to have someone with Paul's varied and excellent background join our leadership team. He will bring new ideas and new experiences that will be invaluable to the Women's Health Program at the Von Voigtlander Women's Hospital," says Timothy R.B. Johnson, M.D., chair of the U-M Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

King holds a bachelor's degree in Business Administration and Economics from the University of Nebraska, at Lincoln; and a master's degree in Healthcare Administration from the University of Iowa, Iowa City. King also is certified as a Medical Practice Executive. King, and his wife Daphne, have a daughter Jennifer who is a sophomore at the University of Arizona.

Strong also thanked Chris Dickinson, M.D., who has served as interim executive director since the retirement of Warner in April 2012. Dickinson will return to his position of pediatric chief medical officer and professor of pediatric gastroenterology at UMHS.

Strong extended thanks to the University of Michigan search committee members for this position: Marge Calarco, Paul Castillo, Valerie Castle, John Charpie, Deborah Childs, Daniel Fischer, Ron Hirschl, Tim Johnson, Karin Muraszko, Kelly Parent, John Park, Tom Peterson, Margaret Punch and Hinke Jansen.

C.S. Mott Children's Hospital and Von Voigtlander Women's Hospital has a capacity of 348 beds in the 1.1 million square foot facility that opened in December 2011. According to U.S. News & World Report's 2012-13 Best Children's Hospitals rankings, C.S. Mott Children's Hospital is among the best children's hospitals in the country in pediatric specialties and is the only hospital in Michigan ranked in all 10 specialties evaluated. The University of Michigan was ranked 7^th in the nation for Women's Health in U.S. News & World Report's 2012-13 Best Medical Schools ranking.

In 2012, approximately 9,000 inpatient visits, 21,000 emergency department visits, 290,000 outpatient visits took place at C.S. Mott Children's Hospital and 3,800 births happened at Von Voigtlander Women's Hospital.

C.S. Mott Children's Hospital and University of Michigan Health System are continuously recognized for quality and safety by numerous independent analyst groups, including the Truven Health Analytics Top 100 Hospitals list, Parents Magazine Best Children's Hospitals, U.S. News & World Report Best Children's Hospitals rankings, National Research Corporation's 2012 Consumer Choice Award, and Leapfrog Group's Top Hospitals for Patient Safety.

For more information about the hospitals, go to mottchildren.org or http://www.uofmhealth.org/medical-services/adult-womens-health

SOURCE University of Michigan Health System