Lawrence G. Duncan, Chief Executive Officer
Lawrence G. Duncan joins El Paso Children’s Hospital as its first Chief Executive Officer. Prior to his current position, he held the position of Vice President of Regional Services for Children’s Hospital and Health System (CHHS) in Milwaukee where he was responsible for two hospitals within the system. CHHS is an independent healthcare system with 14 entities dedicated to improving the lives of children through care giving, advocacy, research and teaching. It was rated the third best U.S. children’s hospital in 2009 by Parent Magazine and earned top-10 ratings in five specialty areas: emergency medicine (No. 2), neonatology (No.5), pulmonary medicine (No. 7), heart care (No. 9) and cancer care (No. 10).Prior to his work in Milwaukee, Duncan held several positions at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), the nation’s first pediatric hospital. It is routinely recognized as one of the top two children’s hospitals in America by U.S.News and World Report, Parents Magazine and Child Magazine. Duncan’s last role at CHOP was Director of Specialty Care.
Duncan graduated from the University of Notre Dame with a Bachelor of Science degree and earned his Master of Science in Health Systems Management from Rush University in Chicago. He is a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives, the National Association of Children’s Hospitals and Related Institutions and the Medical Group Management Association. He has worked in the healthcare arena since 1987.
Duncan’s hiring by the Board of Directors of El Paso Children’s Hospital followed a four-month nationwide search which netted 16 applicants. The Board appointed a search committee to screen the applications and narrow the field to four. After several rounds of interviews, the field was again narrowed to two and the finalists were invited back for additional interviews by the full Children’s Hospital Board, El Paso pediatricians in private practice, members of UMC’s Medical Staff and the administrative teams of UMC and Texas Tech.
“He is a proven leader with an impressive track record and we know his experience at two of America’s top-rated pediatric hospitals will serve this community well.” says Sam Legate, Chairman, El Paso Children’s Hospital Board of Directors.
Paul Ocon, RN, Chief Nursing Officer
Paul Ocón has joined the Administrative team at El Paso Children’s Hospital as its Chief Nursing Officer. He has over 25 years of experience in pediatric nursing. Ocón is a Fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives and has recently served on the Executive Board of the National Association of Hispanic Nurses.
Ocón has led nursing teams at Packard Children’s Hospital in Palo Alto, Children’s Memorial Hospital in Chicago, and most recently at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. As a bedside nurse, he has also worked at Children’s Hospital in Los Angeles and at Oakland Children’s.
His experience in both Academic Medical Centers and Community Hospitals has given him the opportunity to partner with physicians in order to provide quality pediatric patient care and to develop a nursing team that best supports the unique needs of pediatric patients. When asked about his vision for El Paso Children’s, he states:
“I have spent most of my nursing career caring for children, from the bedside to the board room. I see a need in the El Paso community for coordinated pediatric care. My vision of El Paso Children’s is that the community will recognize it as a vital resource for all children in this corner of Texas and that healthcare professionals (physicians, nurses, therapists, and even administrators) will see us as an employer of choice, the best place to work in El Paso. Our mission is clear and simple: provide a place to care for kids in a safe and trusting environment. Excellence is defined globally and practiced locally. Success is not about individuals, but the combined efforts of the collective.”
David Mier, Chief Financial Officer
David Mier comes to El Paso Children’s Hospital from Children’s Hospital and Medical Center of Nebraska where he was the Vice President & Chief Revenue Officer. Prior to his 14 years of service in Omaha, he spent six years in Fort Worth at Cook Children’s Healthcare System as the Assistant Vice President of Revenue Management.
Mier is a member of the Medical Group Management Association, the Healthcare Financial Management Association and the National Forum for Latino Healthcare Executives.
In making the announcement of Mier’s hiring, Children’s CEO Larry Duncan said, “David’s expertise in revenue cycle improvement, physician contracting and managed care contracting are just the kinds of assets we were looking for. He’s a great addition to our team and I know he’ll serve us well not only as we make the final push to open our doors early next year, but for years to come.”
Mier earned both his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Business Administration from the University of Phoenix where he also serves as an Adjunct Faculty member.
Elias Armendariz, Vice President of Operations
Elias Armendariz, MSN, RN, joins the administrative team of the El Paso Children’s Hospital as the Vice President of Operations. He is a native of El Paso and Cathedral High. Prior to joining the El Paso Children’s Hospital team, Armendariz spent 10 years at University Medical Center of El Paso in various management positions. His experience in strategic planning will be an asset to El Paso Children’s and as he says, “We will exceed customer expectations and deliver the highest quality care to the children of this region.”
Armendariz has a Masters of Science in Nursing Administration (Systems Management) from the University of Texas at El Paso and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. He is a 2008 Fellow for the National Association of Public Hospitals and Health Systems. Recently, he was elected President-Elect for the American College of Healthcare Executives local chapter.
Dr. Bradley Fuhrman, Physician-in-Chief
Dr. Bradley Fuhrman joins the team as El Paso Children’s Hospital’s first Physician-in-Chief. Dr. Fuhrman relocated from New York where he was a tenured professor of pediatrics and anesthesiology at the State University of New York (SUNY) at Buffalo and the Division Chief of Pediatric Critical Care at Children’s Hospital of Buffalo. He spent more than two decades at the School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at SUNY. Prior to SUNY, Dr. Fuhrman was a critical care specialist at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.
Dr. Fuhrman is an internationally recognized expert in alternative mode of life support and disaster preparedness. He has authored or co-authored almost 200 articles and publications including the definitive textbook for pediatric care medicine, Pediatric Critical Care. Dr. Fuhrman has had numerous research inventions, patents and patent applications in his name. He has served on the editorial boards of the Journal of Pediatrics, Critical Care Medicine, Pediatric Critical Care Medicine, as well as on the editorial committee of the World Journal of Pediatrics.
Dr. Fuhrman began his distinguished career at the University of Minnesota School of Medicine and earned his medical degree from New York University School of Medicine. Dr. Fuhrman went on to complete sub-speciality training in neonatology and pediatric cardiology at the University of Minnesota School of Medicine.
Dr. Fuhrman is board certified by the American Board of Pediatrics in general pediatrics and three subspecialties: pediatric cardiology, perinatal medicine, and pediatric critical care. He is a Fellow of the American College of Critical Care medicine. He is also board certified by the National Board of Medical Examiners.
Among his many awards and recognitions are the Helen L. DeRoy Distinguished Visiting Professor of Pediatrics Children’s Hospital of Detroit, Luis Mosovich Award, Pediatric ICU Children’s Hospital of Buffalo, and the Distinguished Career Award, AAP Critical Care Section.