Children's Health in Dallas announces four exec changes, and other newsmakers

Children's Health in Dallas announced four leadership changes.

David Biggerstaff has been promoted to president of system clinical operations. He will replace Douglas Hock, who was named executive VP and COO of Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. Biggerstaff, has been with Children's Health for eight years. He previously served as senior VP of service lines and ambulatory services. In his new role, he will oversee inpatient and outpatient clinical operations, home health and nursing.

Michele Chulick was named president of the newly formed Children's Health Ventures. The new unit, formed in 2015, seeks to invest and strategically partner with innovative companies and institutional organizations to find new ways to improve care delivery. Chulick will oversee business development and planning.

Dr. Robert Morrow was named president of physician organizations and academic relations, in addition to his role as chief clinical officer. Before joining Children's Health in 2013, Morrow was senior VP of medical affairs and CMO at Arkansas Children's Hospital, in addition to serving as associate dean at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.

Peter Roberts was promoted to president of population health and insurance services. He was previously executive VP for population health and business development. Roberts will oversee population health initiatives, the development and implementation of insurance products, and oversight of the Health and Wellness Alliance for Children, an organization that brings community partners together to address social and economic factors that affect children's health. Before joining Children's Health in 2011, Roberts was group VP of provider relations and health management at Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Iowa and South Dakota.

Dr. Vishal Bhatia has been named senior VP and chief medical information officer at Franklin, Tenn.-based Capella Healthcare. Bhatia, 43, has been a consultant and physician adviser for the system since 2014. He is a board-certified internist and has practiced at Capella's Willamette Valley Medical Center, McMinnville, Ore., since 2006, most recently serving as medical director of the hospitalist program.

John Rossfeld has been named CEO at Antelope Valley Hospital in Lancaster, Calif. Rossfeld has over 30 years of healthcare leadership experience, most recently as CEO of Memorial Hospital at Craig (Colo.).

Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccines division of French pharmaceutical company Sanofi, has announced the retirement of Damian Braga, president of its U.S. unit and senior VP of commercial operations, effective Dec. 31. He was with the pharma company for 27 years.

Braga joined Sanofi Pasteur in 1988 as a financial analyst. He held various senior leadership positions at the company, including CFO of U.S. operations and VP of the Americas. David Loew replaced Braga on Jan. 1. He is based in France.

During his tenure, Braga worked with HHS and government officials in other countries to provide millions of doses of the H1N1 vaccine to combat the flu outbreak in 2009.