Children's Hospital Association Named New Innovation Chief
The national health group appointed an expert to lead new strategies across more than 200 children's hospitals.
Updated on Sept. 24, 2026 in Children’s Health
The Children's Hospital Association, which represents over 200 hospitals, has appointed Dawn Wolff as its inaugural chief innovation and transformation officer. In this role, Wolff will oversee national enterprise strategy, pediatric health intelligence, and strategic partnerships.
Why it matters
This leadership appointment signals a national effort to standardize innovation and health data strategies across the country's pediatric hospital systems. Coordinating these efforts through a centralized association could impact how these institutions adopt new care models and collaborative technology.
The association represents more than 200 children's hospitals across the country. The appointment follows Dawn Wolff's two-decade tenure at Children's Mercy, where she focused on pediatric health strategy.
The players
Dawn Wolff
The inaugural chief innovation and transformation officer for the Children's Hospital Association who previously served as vice president of strategy at Children's Mercy.
Children's Hospital Association
A national organization based in Lenexa, Kansas, that represents more than 200 children's hospitals to improve pediatric care delivery.
Children's Mercy
A pediatric health system where Dawn Wolff spent 20 years leading strategy and innovation initiatives.
The details
As the inaugural chief innovation and transformation officer, Wolff is responsible for developing enterprise-wide strategy and health intelligence. Her prior experience includes creating the Center for Pediatric Innovation and co-creating PedsMarket, which focus on identifying and scaling pediatric healthcare solutions. She will now apply these frameworks to the national landscape of member hospitals.
Timeline
Dawn Wolff joined the Chief Strategy Officer Forum in 2018.
The Children's Hospital Association announced the appointment on September 24, 2026.
Health Landscape
This appointment marks a shift toward centralizing pediatric health intelligence and innovation strategy on a national level. It builds upon the established work of institutions like the Center for Pediatric Innovation to foster collaborative care advancements across the country.
While this leadership change occurs at the administrative level, it aims to influence how quickly your local children's hospital adopts new care technologies and strategies. If you have questions about current innovation initiatives or upcoming care models at your facility, it is worth discussing with your doctor.
The takeaway
This appointment highlights a national push to harmonize pediatric care innovation and strategy. Parents should monitor their local pediatric hospital for new health intelligence tools or standardized care programs that may emerge from these collaborative efforts.
Further reading
Learn more about the latest developments in Children’s Health.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Becker's Hospital Review | Healthcare News & Analysis.
