Dell Children’s names CAO for new pediatric hospital

Austin, Texas - Cathy Heckenlively, MSN, MHA, RN-CENP, has accepted the role of chief administrative officer of Dell Children’s Medical Center North Campus. In her role, Cathy is responsible for overall leadership in operational and administrative areas at Dell Children’s Medical Center North, the new state-of-the-art pediatric hospital in North Austin expected to open in Spring 2023.

Cathy joins Dell Children’s at a time of unprecedented growth, Dell Children’s Medical Center North is located in Williamson County. Dell Children’s North will offer emergency and trauma services, with operating rooms, endoscopy and procedure rooms, and a shelled space for future growth.

“Cathy has tremendous experience in both clinical program development and operational excellence. She brings valuable insight and leadership to Dell Children's Medical Center North Campus,” said Christopher M. Born, president of Dell Children’s Medical Center.

“I am thrilled to help launch and lead the team of dedicated healthcare specialists at Dell Children's Medical Center North Campus,” said Cathy. “It’s exciting to see Dell Children’s expand world class care to North Austin and beyond, providing a comprehensive care destination for children in need.”

For the past five years, Cathy served as the executive director of The Children’s Hospital at Providence Alaska Medical Center where she led clinical quality improvement, program development, operational management, and recruitment. Cathy has a long-standing record in innovation in healthcare and has held numerous leadership roles at The Children’s Hospital at Providence Alaska over the past 15 years.

Cathy graduated from the University of Nebraska at Kearney, received her Master in Nursing and Master of Healthcare Administration at the University of Phoenix and is currently a doctoral candidate for Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) at American Sentinel College of Nursing & Health Sciences at Post University.

About Ascension Texas
In Texas, Ascension operates Ascension Providence and Ascension Seton, which includes Dell Children’s Medical Center, the region’s only comprehensive children’s hospital and pediatric Level I trauma center, and Dell Seton Medical Center at The University of Texas, the region’s only Level I trauma center for adults. Ascension Seton partners with Dell Medical School at The University of Texas at Austin and shares a common vision of transforming healthcare through a focus on quality and value. Serving Texas for 120 years, Ascension is a faith-based healthcare organization committed to delivering compassionate, personalized care to all, with special attention to persons living in poverty and those most vulnerable. Ascension is one of the leading non-profit and Catholic health systems in the U.S., operating 2,600 sites of care – including 150 hospitals and more than 50 senior living facilities – in 20 states and the District of Columbia. Visit www.ascension.org and www.dellchildrens.net.