Council Leadership

Dr. Stapleton is a pediatric nephrologist, Professor Emeritus and Chair Emeritus at the University of Washington School of Medicine. He served as Chair of the Department of Pediatrics from 1996 to 2018, as well as Chief Academic Officer and Associate Dean from 2005 to 2018.

As a leader, Dr. Stapleton champions a philosophy of teamwork and accountability accompanied with humanistic values. Dr. Stapleton believes that pediatric leaders face many challenges as generational values evolve, resources in the health industry for academic and education missions become limited and disparities challenge trust and collaborations. Many, if not all, of these challenges will be amplified following COVID-19. Successful leaders must find strategic and creative solutions in partnership with their academic and clinical partners.

Dr. Gleason is a neonatologist and Professor Emerita of Pediatrics at the University of Washington School of Medicine. She served as Division Director of Neonatology at Johns Hopkins from 1990 to 1997 and as Division Chief of Neonatology at the University of Washington/Seattle Children’s Hospital from 1997 to 2015. She stepped down as Division Chief in 2015 to pursue new personal and professional opportunities, including her selection as a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health Policy Fellow (2016-2018) where her year-long Congressional placement was in the Office of the Democratic Leader, Nancy Pelosi.

Dr. Gleason’s leadership philosophy is based on the premise that it takes a village: First, find the right position for the right person at the right time; Second, enable/empower that person to be successful. She believes that selfless mentorship and coaching have been among the most satisfying aspects of her academic career, and she is passionate about passing on her own learnings (especially, her failings) to emerging pediatric leaders.

Dr. Hillemeier is a pediatric gastroenterologist and Professor Emeritus of Pediatrics at Penn State University. He served most recently as the CEO of Penn State Health 2014 to 2019. Prior to that office, Dr. Hillemeier held a number of administrative roles at Penn State University College of Medicine, including Dean (2014-2019) Senior Vice President of Health Affairs (2014-2019) and Chair of Pediatrics (2001-2014). During his tenure as Chair of Pediatrics, Dr. Hillemeier led the effort to build a free-standing Children’s Hospital.

Dr. Hillemeier’s leadership philosophy centers on the importance of pediatric leaders learning how the values of respect, integrity and transparency can be transformed into the basis for exceptional leadership. Balancing the everchanging resource environment to ensure that faculty and staff feel their contributions are supported and acknowledged is a challenge that requires a commitment to values-based leadership that performs at the highest level.

Dr. Jenkins is a Professor and Chair Emerita at Howard University College of Medicine in Washington, D.C. Dr. Jenkins served as the inaugural director of the adolescent medicine program from 1976 to 1994 when she was appointed department chair of Pediatrics and Child Health, serving in this capacity until March 2007. Dr. Jenkins served as national president of the American Academy of Pediatrics from 2007 to 2008.

The servant leader philosophy embodies the characteristics Dr. Jenkins feels are important for effective leadership. She believes a servant leader listens more than he/she speaks, shares power rather than uses his/her power to drive growth and understands it is not about them but it’s about the organization, be it the department, lab, or university. As a mentor to young and mid-career faculty, one of Dr. Jenkins’ greatest joys is seeing the mentees grow and succeed in their careers.

Danielle Laraque-Arena (AKA Danielle Laraque), MD, FAAP is President and Professor Emerita of SUNY Upstate Medical University (UMU) and served as the 7th President of UMU, the first woman and first African American to have done so in that institution’s 182 years. In that role she served as Chief Executive Officer of the health system and was tenured Professor of Pediatrics, Public Health & Preventive Medicine and Psychiatry & Behavioral Health Sciences. Currently, Dr. Laraque-Arena is a Senior Research Scientist at the New York Academy of Medicine and Professor, Mailman School of Public Health (in Epidemiology) and Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons (in Pediatrics), Columbia University. She is board certified in Pediatrics and Child Abuse Pediatrics.

Dr. Laraque-Arena is the Past President of Academic Pediatric Association (2009-2010), former member of the American Academy of Pediatrics Board of Directors (2012-2016). She was elected Fellow of the New York Academy of Medicine (2000) and the American Pediatric Society (2005), served as member to the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies Committee on Integrating Primary Care and Public Health (2011) and Co-Chair NYS Governor’s Task Force on Maternal Mortality and Disparate Racial Outcomes (2018-2019). She currently serves on the Board of Directors of Prevent Child Abuse America, President of Women in Medicine Legacy Foundation and is Chair of Vaccinate Your Family (formerly Every Child by Two). She serves on other national advisory boards to advance the health of children, families and communities and efforts to achieve excellence in medicine through justice, equity, diversity and inclusion. In her numerous leadership positions, Dr. Laraque-Arena has advanced maternal-child health in underserved and disenfranchised communities. Her current portfolio includes child rights, health disparities and health equity.

Dr. Opipari is a pediatric hematologist/oncologist and Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Michigan School of Medicine and C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital. Dr. Opipari has held a number of administrative roles at the University of Michigan including Associate Provost for Faculty Affairs, Associate Chair for Research in the Department of Pediatrics and Chair of the University of Michigan Biomedical Research Council. Most recently, Dr. Opipari served as the chair for the Department of Pediatrics and Communicable Diseases (2003-2018).

Dr. Opipari believes the challenges for Chairs and all leaders in academic medicine will include the pace at which our care models, research work and training have/will be impacted by how we have had to function in response to COVID-19 and the financial impact it has had on the health care industry and all of our communities. This coupled with the rapid advancement new technologies and electronic interfaces for distance care (video visits etc.), learning and research will drive innovation and challenge historic academic structures and approaches. She believes e-technologies and social media platforms are transforming society in both good and bad ways.

Dr. Sawin is a pediatric surgeon, Emeritus Professor and Surgeon in Chief at Seattle Children’s Hospital and the University of Washington. Dr. Sawin served as the Vice-Chairman of the Department of Surgery, University of Washington School of Medicine, Senior Vice President and Chief Surgical Officer of the Seattle Children’s Hospital. He also served as President of the UW pediatric faculty practice plan, Children’s University Medical Group, until 2019 when he retired from full-time practice.

At the national and regional level, Dr. Sawin has held many leadership positions including: President of the Pediatric Surgery Biology Club, Secretary of the Pacific Association of Pediatric Surgeons, President of the North Pacific Surgical Association, Chairman of the Organization of Children’s Hospital Surgeons-in-Chief, and President of the Pacific Coast Surgical Association.

Since retiring from full-time clinical practice, Dr. Sawin became trained as an executive coach, and has joined with Marquis Leadership and the Child Health Advisory Council to provide coaching and leadership training for individuals and teams in medicine and healthcare.

Dr. Strauss is a pediatric cardiologist, Emeritus Professor and Chair of Pediatrics at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine and Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. Dr. Strauss served as the Chair of Pediatrics at the University of Cincinnati, Director of the Cincinnati Children’s Research Foundation (CCRF), and Chief Medical Officer of Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center (CCHMC) from 2007 to 2014.

Dr. Strauss believes that leaders are servants to and advocates for their constituents. Successful leaders lead by example, have the goal of developing talent, and encourage diversity and inclusion.