NEW ORLEANS – In July, Dr. Mark Kline will assume the role of physician-in-chief at Children’s Hospital New Orleans.
“Dr. Kline’s expert leadership, together with the excellent pedigree of our academic partners, will allow Children’s to innovate care delivery while training our next generation of pediatricians,” said John R. Nickens IV, Children’s Hospital president and CEO, in a press release. “Over the last several years, Children’s has recruited administrative and physician leaders trained in some of the top pediatric programs across the country to join our mission. Combining the new perspectives of these extraordinary leaders with the strong, energized collection of LSU and Tulane pediatric experts has created a dynamic and distinct group of professionals ready to tackle the health challenges our kids and communities are facing.”
The hospital said Kline will oversee pediatric academic medical programs and help expand academic programs at both LSU Health New Orleans and Tulane University School of Medicine. He will hold faculty positions at both LSU and Tulane, working with LSU’s Dean Steve Nelson and Tulane’s Dean Lee Hamm. He will collaborate with Dr. Raymond Watts, professor and head of the Department of Pediatrics at LSU Health New Orleans; and Dr. Samir El-Dahr, chair of the Department of Pediatrics at Tulane University School of Medicine, to advance academic medicine, training, and teaching.
Kline created an international pediatric HIV/AIDS program, the Baylor International Pediatric AIDS Initiative, to “build healthcare infrastructure, train health professionals and provide medical care and treatment to children and families across sub-Saharan Africa and in Romania.” This work led to his nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2019. The U.S. National Institutes of Health and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have provided Kline with more than $150 million in research and training grants.
