Dr. Karen Hendricks-Muñoz wears many hats, spins many plates or, if juggling is more your cup of tea, keeps many balls in the air on any given day. She’s an expert clinician and national leader in neonatal medicine, pediatric research and education. At CHoR, she serves as division chief of neonatal medicine, program director of the neonatal medicine fellowship training program, and vice chair of diversity, equity and inclusion. She’s also deputy director of the VCU Center on Health Disparities. Earlier this month, she added the roles of interim physician-in-chief of CHoR and chair of the VCU Department of Pediatrics to the list. What are her priorities and how does she balance it all? We asked!
I would describe myself as a builder, fixer and relationship-focused physician. I prioritize understanding what is required to support our mission and offer the variety of clinical services needed for children and their families at CHoR and in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Through this, my goal is to empower improvements in accessible, quality, inclusive and equitable care that supports the best outcomes for all children’s health.
As a leader, I’m passionate about collaboration and teamwork, working with my dedicated medical colleagues at CHoR, VCU and VCU Health System to gain insight and prioritize changes needed to advance their caregiving and personal career goals. Through this, we can collectively provide better care, optimize groundbreaking research and facilitate training the next generation of medical professionals to continue to transform children’s health care today and in the future.
Collaboration, clear mission, transparency and commitment are key to balancing these roles. Prioritizing relationships that support and motivate our teams helps to advance the mission of care excellence, research and education, as well as professional and personal development.
My vision is to carry on work to recruit, retain and educate physicians and health leaders, as well as expand and add key service programs to advance momentum in children’s health care in Virginia. Over my 12 years at CHoR, the continuous steep rise focused on transformation of children’s health and health care in Virginia has provided care at home but also served as a regional care model and a model for other states. I am excited to step into this role to continue this trajectory.
Addressing health care with a diverse, equitable and inclusive lens crosscuts everything we do in clinical care, education, research and advocacy as this focus improves public health. Inclusive, equitable care is vital to saving lives, decreasing health inequities and ensuring the highest level of quality in the care we deliver. Additionally, as leaders of the next generation, poised attention to an inclusive, welcoming, health-promoting environment is important in providing quality educational and wellness-focused work environments for health care now and in the future. This is impactful not only for those we touch directly at CHoR but through advocacy, policy and scientific advancements impacting children and families everywhere.
I’m excited to be a part of an incredible and dedicated team of colleagues. As a neonatologist I am fortunate to work with an amazing team of VCUHS obstetrical and fetal medicine experts caring for mothers’ health as well as newborn and neonatal critical care physicians, nurse practitioners, nurses and other critical ICU staff in our mission to advance care in our regional neonatal critical care unit for Virginians.
As I transition to the chair and physician-in-chief role, I look forward to more expansive work with a larger team of committed physicians in our mission to improve health care for children from the tiniest infant onward. The future is bright with our outstanding comprehensive children’s hospital facility and plans for continued growth of innovative programs that will address the needs of Virginia’s children.
As an educational leader, CHoR’s collaboration with the VCU School of Medicine is taking a lead role in contributing to the next generation of pediatricians and pediatric subspecialists in the nation.
Things to come include continued growth of Virginia Children’s Care Network and its critical work with our community colleagues, further growth of our residency program – including curriculum advances in advocacy – to contribute to the next generation of pediatricians, advances for the tiniest infant through the CHoR NICU Tiny Baby Program and expansion of the NICU within the Children’s Tower, expansion to our acute care footprint to respond to community needs, advances in clinical care in hematology and oncology including sickle cell and cancer, increases in vital pediatric transplant programs for Virginia’s children, as well as advances in children’s cardiac care, neurological care and research.
I look forward to our teams collaborating with colleagues across the state for even more exciting children’s health advancements on the horizon.
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