Dr. R. Lawrence Moss, a well-known pediatric surgeon and researcher, will be the new CEO of Nemours Children's Health System, the Jacksonville, Fla.-based system announced Tuesday.
Moss replaces Dr. David Bailey, who announced his retirement in January after 12 years heading the health system. Moss' first day is Oct. 1.
Moss joins Nemours after seven years as the surgeon-in-chief at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio. During his tenure, he designed and led the first multi-center clinical trial in children's surgery funded by the National Institutes of Health. His program also developed the first FDA-approved studies in tissue engineering for congenital heart diseases.
Prior to joining Nationwide, Moss was the inaugural chief of surgery at Yale New Haven (Conn.) Children's Hospital and the Robert Pritzker professor of surgery at Yale University School of Medicine.
He has also advised the NIH, the National Quality Forum, the Food and Drug Administration and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
Moss has big shoes to fill at Nemours. Under Bailey's leadership, Nemours' revenue increased from $533 million to $1.4 billion. The size of the health system also ballooned from about 15 locations to more than 90 throughout six states.
Bailey said in a news release that he will work with Moss to "ensure a smooth leadership transition."
In an interview with Modern Healthcare, Moss said he hopes to continue Nemours' work to address population health in pediatrics. He said medical care only impacts 20% of children's health and there are many opportunities in the industry to improve the overall health and well-being of children. "I feel children's hospitals should become the stewards of children's health of our society, and what attracted me to Nemours was looking at children's health from the broad lens of not just excellent medical care."