Executive Bios

Robert L. Meyer, President and CEO

Murray Pollack, MD, Vice President and CMO

Debra K. Pendergast, RN, MSN, NEA-BC, Vice President of Patient Care Services and CNE

David Bank, MD, Physician-in-Chief

Thomas J. Diederich, Vice President, Human Resources

Renee Fricke, Vice President, Annual Giving, Foundation

Betsy Kuzas, Vice President, Support Services and Construction

Carmen Neuberger, Esq., Vice President and General Counsel

Derrick E. Parker, Senior Vice President of Practice Operations for PCMG

Bob Sarnecki, Vice President and CIO

Steve Schnall, Senior Vice President and Chief Development Officer, Foundation

Les Smith, Vice President, Major Giving, Foundation

Ed Troell, Vice President, Professional Services

Vinay Vaidya, MD, Chief Medical Information Officer

Robert L. Meyer

President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO)

Robert Meyer was appointed President and CEO of Phoenix Children's Hospital in October 2003, having previously served as Interim CEO since May 2003. As the chief executive of Arizona's only freestanding pediatric hospital, Meyer is responsible for planning, directing and managing the current operations, future growth and program development for Phoenix Children's Hospital.

Prior to joining Phoenix Children's Hospital, Meyer was Vice President and National Director for Health Strategy Practice for Cap Gemini Ernst & Young, based in Irvine, Calif., the consulting firm hired by Phoenix Children's to assist the hospital regain financial viability. Meyer is credited for the rapid and significant turnaround of the hospital's finances and operations, and has been heralded for his strong operational and financial management skills, ability to unify diverse constituencies, and his strategic vision to realize the vision and mission of the hospital and advance pediatric health care in Arizona. Meyer joined Ernst & Young in 1985 and has extensive experience in health care administration.

Meyer is actively involved in the community both as an ambassador for Phoenix Children's Hospital and in a variety of roles outside his hospital duties. He serves on the Governor's Committee on Arizona Medical Education, the Ronald McDonald Capital Campaign Cabinet, the Arizona Biomedical Collaboration Board, the Arizona Hospital and Healthcare Council on Government Relations, the NACHRI Council of Child Advocacy, and is the treasurer on the board of the Arizona Medical Education Consortium. Additionally, Meyer has been a guest teacher at the University of California at Los Angeles Anderson School of Business and the Arizona State University Carey School of Business. He also has been a United Way Tocqueville Society member for the past 10 years.

He received his Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Michigan, and became a Certified Public Accountant in 1981.

Murray Pollack, MD

Vice President and Chief Medical Officer (CMO)

Murray Pollack, MD, MBA, a 28-year veteran of Children's National Medical Center in Washington, D.C. and a pioneer in pediatric critical care medicine, joined Phoenix Children's as CMO and Vice President, Medical Affairs in 2007. Pollack is responsible for planning, managing, and evaluating clinical services at the Hospital. Departments and positions reporting to him include Physician in Chief, Division Chiefs, Research Administration, Medical Staff Services, Medical Education, and Quality Management. He also has a major role in implementing the Hospital's strategic plan and promoting patient safety, as well as helping to build research and medical education programs at the Hospital.

Most recently, Pollack served as the Vice President for Medical Affairs at the HSC Pediatric Center as well as Director of their Pediatric Intensive Care Unit Evaluations. Concurrently, he served as Professor of Pediatrics at George Washington University School of Medicine. Pollack is also the creator of the PRISM scoring system, which measures the acuity and status for PICU patients, a system now in commercial use in hospitals across the country. Pollack was named to the "Best Doctors in America® 2007-2008" database, a valued resource with approximately 40,000 of the best doctors in the United States, as chosen by their peers.

Pollack is a graduate of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York. He completed his residency in Pediatrics, as well as his fellowship in Intensive Care Pediatrics, at Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, D.C. In his tenure at D.C. Children’s, Pollack led the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit Evaluations, the Center for Hospital Based Specialties, the Critical Care Division, and the Center for Health Services and Clinical Research.

Debra K. Pendergast, RN, MSN, NEA-BC

Vice President of Patient Care Services and Chief Nurse Executive (CNE)

Debra K. Pendergast, RN, MSN, NEA-BC, Vice President of Patient Care Services and Chief Nurse Executive (CNE), is responsible for oversight of the nursing functions in Care Areas 1 through 5, the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU), Newborn Intensive Care Unit (NICU), the Emergency Department, the Level 1 Pediatric Trauma Center, and Surgical Services. Pendergast also oversees Respiratory Therapy, Clinical Education, Case Management, and Patient and Family Services (including Child Life and Social Work functions).

Prior to joining Phoenix Children's Hospital, Pendergast spent 13 years as the Chair, Division of Nursing Services (CNO) at Mayo Clinic Arizona, where she had accountability and matrix responsibility for the professional practice of more than 1,300 nurses. Prior to her time at the Mayo Clinic, Pendergast held leadership positions at Scottsdale Health Care System and the Veteran's Affairs Administration in Arizona and South Carolina. She spent 20 years in the Naval Reserve Nurse Corps, holding two national board-selected leadership positions.

Pendergast received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Hampton University in Virginia and her Master of Science in Nursing Administration from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. She is a Wharton Fellow in Nursing Management (University of Pennsylvania) and is a Robert Wood Johnson Executive Fellow since 2007. She has held adjunct faculty appointments at Arizona State University, Northern Arizona University, University of Phoenix, University of Wisconsin, and Medical College of South Carolina.

David Bank, MD

Physician-in-Chief

David Bank, MD, serves as Physician-in-Chief for the Phoenix Children’s Medical Group and Section Chief of Pediatric Emergency Medicine on the Phoenix Children’s Medical Staff. He came to the Hospital from the Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota, where he served as Clinical Associate Professor of Pediatrics.

Bank received his medical degree at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York, N.Y. He completed his residency at Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles, Calif., and his fellowship at Children’s Hospital and Clinics of Minnesota. He is certified by the American Board of Pediatrics and Subboard in Pediatric Emergency Medicine.

Thomas J. Diederich

Vice President, Human Resources

Tom Diederich has more than 25 years of leadership experience in the Human Resources field and has a personal area of expertise in employee compensation and benefit programs.

Prior to joining Phoenix Children's, Diederich had been Vice President of Compensation and Benefits since 1990 for the Advocate Health Care Network, a health care system of eight hospitals and 25,000 employees.

During his 15 years at Advocate Health Care, Diederich designed and implemented a new common benefits program and an updated and common approach to compensation management and administration including standardized and simplified pay practice.

Diederich graduated from Illinois State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology.

Renee Fricke

Vice President, Annual Giving, Foundation

Renee Fricke is responsible for all annual giving programs including leadership giving from individuals, special event fundraising, and corporate sponsorship programs.

Prior to joining Phoenix Children's Hospital Foundation, Renee spent 14 years working at the University of Washington. She served in several positions at the University's Foundation, most recently as the Director of Annual Giving Programs. Renee has a strong history of building successful and sophisticated fundraising programs that deliver outstanding results.

A Chicago native, Renee earned her B.A. in English and Philosophy from North Park College.

Betsy Kuzas

Vice President, Support Services and Construction

Kuzas has over 20 years of industry experience with a concentration in consulting. She was a Senior Manager with Capgemini, (formerly Ernst & Young) in heath care management consulting. Specific areas of experience and demonstrated results include strategic planning, operational improvement and enterprise turnaround, ranging from strategic agenda development, program and services planning/growth development, operations assessments and implementation. Kuzas was the Project Director for the Capgemini turnaround at Phoenix Children's. Following Capgemini, Kuzas was the Senior Vice President, Clinical Services at Beth Israel Medical Center – Continuum Health Partners, Inc.

With Phoenix Children's, Kuzas is responsible for ambulatory operations supporting the Phoenix Children's Medical Group physicians and implementation of the network strategy for the Valley.

Kuzas earned an MBA at Baldwin Wallace College, MT(ASCP) – University Hospital Heath System of Cleveland, and a BA from Miami University of Ohio.

Carmen Neuberger, Esq.

Vice President and General Counsel

Carmen Neuberger, Esq., joined Phoenix Children's as Vice President and General Counsel in 2007. As General Counsel, Neuberger is responsible for managing the legal environment at Phoenix Children's. This includes providing legal guidance, developing hospital-wide policies and procedures, counseling the Hospital on business transactions, and managing complex contractual relationships. She is also involved in the legal aspects of medical staff privileging and credentialing, risk management, patient-related matters, regulatory compliance, and employment law.

Neuberger graduated cum laude with a B.S. in Nursing at the Duke University School of Nursing in Durham, N.C. She worked at The George Washington University Medical Center in Washington, D.C. for five years before earning her law degree at The George Washington University National Law Center. Neuberger spent eight years in private practice and then joined the Georgetown University, Office of University Counsel, where she worked for four years. She most recently served as Senior Corporate Counsel for MedStar Health, Inc., a complex tri-state health care system based in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area.

Derrick E. Parker

Senior Vice President of Practice Operations for PCMG

Derrick E. Parker joined Phoenix Children’s Hospital in 2009 as Senior Vice President, Practice Operations for Phoenix Children’s Medical Group, the hospital’s group of approximately 175 employed pediatric specialists. In this role, he is responsible for all aspects of physician practice operations.

Parker previously served in a similar role as Administrator/President of Children’s Physician Services of South Texas/Driscoll Physician Groups in Corpus Christi, Texas. His prior positions also include Chief Financial Officer for The Care Group of Texas; Manager, Solutions Practice at Deloitte & Touche LLP; Chief Operating Officer for Cal Data Systems, Inc.; and management positions at Cook-Children’s Health System, where he was responsible for the daily operations of their 180 pediatric physician group practice.

Parker received his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Louisiana Tech University and his Master of Arts in Hospital and Health Administration from the University of Iowa. He is a Diplomat in the American College of Healthcare Executive (ACHE) and a member of the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA).

Bob Sarnecki

Vice President and Chief Information Officer (CIO)

Bob Sarnecki became Vice President and CIO of Phoenix Children's Hospital in March 2006. Prior to joining the Hospital, Sarnecki acted as interim CIO through Capgemini, Ernst & Young, a consulting firm that was hired to provide Information Technology Services (ITS) to the Hospital. As CIO, Sarnecki is responsible for overseeing and implementing the cutting edge technology at the Hospital including the hardware, software, and telephone systems. In 2006, the ITS Department implemented over 90 projects to improve the Hospital experience for employees, patients, and their families. In 2007, Sarnecki's department made significant progress in Phoenix Children's ongoing clinical documentation and physician order entry initiatives. Sarnecki hopes to have a functional Electronic Medical Record - comparable to most EMRs in Phoenix and at other children's hospitals - up and running in 2009.

After receiving his Masters Degree of Administrative Science with a concentration in Information Technology from Johns Hopkins University, Sarnecki went on to work at The Johns Hopkins Hospital, Riverside Health System, Ernst & Young, and later Capgemini Ernst & Young.

Steve Schnall

Senior Vice President and Chief Development Officer, Foundation

Steven Schnall has served Phoenix Children's since 1983. As Senior Vice President and Chief Development Officer, Phoenix Children's Hospital Foundation, Schnall provides leadership for all aspects of philanthropy of the Hospital, including principle gifts, events and planned giving. Community outreach and volunteer services are also under the administrative guidance of Schnall. Under his direction the Foundation has led successful campaigns that supported development of the freestanding Phoenix Children's, as well as the new Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

Schnall's prior roles at Phoenix Children's included Vice President, Business Development and Outreach where his responsibilities included strategic planning, community relations, physician relations and grants. Schnall has also served as Vice President, Ambulatory Services and additional administrative posts for the Hospital.

Schnall is a graduate of Arizona State University where he received a Bachelor of Arts, Psychology. He received a Master of Arts in Organizational Management from University of Phoenix.

Les Smith

Vice President, Major Giving, Foundation

Les Smith plays a key role in strategic planning and administrative leadership at Phoenix Children's Hospital Foundation. He and his staff are responsible for identifying, cultivating, and soliciting major gifts from philanthropic minded individuals, corporations, businesses, and foundations.

Prior to joining Phoenix Children's Hospital, Les spent six years at Arizona State University (ASU) in several different roles. His tenure at ASU included positions such as Executive Director for Constituent Relations, Vice President for University Development at the University's Foundation, and Assistant Dean at the ASU College of Law.

He earned his Bachelor’s degree, Master’s in Public Administration, and PhD in Higher Education Administration from Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah.

Ed Troell

Vice President, Professional Services

Ed Troell brings to Phoenix Children's more than 14 years experience in Pharmacy Services and Business Administration. He has been Administrative Director of Pharmacy Services at Phoenix Children's since 2004, and a manager since 2001.

Before coming to Phoenix Children's, Troell served in administrative positions at the Apothecary Shops of Arizona and at Banner Samaritan Health System. He holds a Masters of Business Administration from the University of Phoenix and a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy from the University of New Mexico College of Pharmacy in Albuquerque, NM.

Vinay Vaidya, MD

Chief Medical Information Officer

Vinay Vaidya, MD, is the chief medical information officer at Phoenix Children's Hospital. He brings to the position more than 20 years of clinical experience, including six as a general pediatrician and 14 as a pediatric intensive care physician. In addition, Dr. Vaidya has more than 11 years of experience in the development, implementation, dissemination, and support of innovative information technology solutions aimed at improving the safety, quality, and efficiency of medical care at the local and national levels.

In his role, Vaidya serves as a liaison between the Information Technology Department and the clinical staff, providing reviews of medical informatics experiences and approaches, while also developing technical and application implementation strategies. Additionally, he manages the implementation of advanced clinical information systems and works closely with Chief Information Officer, Robert Sarnecki in the development of strategic plans for clinical information systems. In a unique arrangement allowing him to work in clinic, Vaidya also spends up to 20 percent of his time serving as a critical care physician in Phoenix Children's Pediatric Intensive Care Unit.

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