Up & Comers - 2018

Medical facilities are often the last place children and their families want to be. Ben Salinas knows because he underwent foot surgery in fifth grade.

Many years later, Salinas does his best to make visits as enjoyable as possible for pediatric patients at Children's Health.

In which TV medical drama would you star? "New Amsterdam"

What musician would you dream of having perform at your next birthday celebration? Pink

What superhero are you? Batman

"I had some fused bones. At the time it was an experimental procedure that a lot of places wouldn't do on pediatric patients. I was lucky enough to get it at a center with physicians doing cutting-edge stuff. It helped me to walk correctly," Salinas said.

He's risen through the ranks at Children's Health the last six years. During his tenure, Salinas has reduced staff turnover from 25% to 14% and led efforts to expand the hospital's programming, including addressing gender identity.

One of the favorite parts of his workday is seeing "the kids improving, smiling, going from really scared to excited to see their doctors and the care team because they've established those relationships."

He continues to lead efforts to improve patient satisfaction for the 1,100 daily outpatient visits at two hospital campuses.