NEWS RELEASES
Texas Children's Pediatric Associates Appoints Its First Chief Medical Officer

HOUSTON – (Sept. 21, 2009) - Dr. Elizabeth R. Smith has been named Chief Medical Officer of Texas Children’s Pediatric Associates (TCPA). The position is the first of its kind for the organization. The appointment is effective Monday, September 21, 2009.

As chief medical officer, Smith will coordinate clinical operations in all 44 locations, ensuring high quality care in each TCPA practice. She will guide the medical policies, practices and programs of TCPA by working closely with physician groups, researching and implementing cost effective best practices and facilitating communications across the organization.

“We are excited to have Dr. Elizabeth Smith join our TCPA family,” says Kay Tittle, president of Texas Children’s Pediatric Associates. “Her primary focus will be on strengthening our clinical quality improvement programs so that we can continue to provide the highest level of healthcare to the children and families of Houston.”

Dr. Smith comes to Houston from Concord, NH where she was the Medical Director of Dartmouth Hitchcock Concord and served as a member on the Concord Hospital Board of Trustees. She previously served in leadership roles at Pediatric and Medical Associates in New Haven, CT and Community Health Care Plan and Community Health Care Physicians in New Haven. She completed her Master’s Degree in Medical Management at Tulane University in 2009.

About Texas Children’s Pediatric Associates
Texas Children’s Pediatric Associates (TCPA), a subsidiary of Texas Children’s Hospital, is the nation’s largest group of general pediatricians. To provide access to outstanding pediatricians, TCPA has more than 40 locations throughout Houston and its surrounding communities. Founded in 1995, with the mission of providing the finest pediatricians, TCPA is dedicated to delivering comprehensive, quality primary care and education to the children of the community. More than 140 TCPA board-certified or board-eligible pediatricians provide pediatric medical care. Practices are located in convenient urban or suburban areas to provide ease of access to the families they serve. Today, TCPA’s pediatricians serve approximately 20 percent of Houston’s children. They help prevent childhood illnesses and are an integral part of Texas Children’s commitment to building a community of healthy children. Because of its affiliation with Baylor College of Medicine, the depth of the pediatric subspecialties within Baylor College of Medicine is a resource for TCPA’s physicians and their patients who need specialized care.