COLUMBUS, Ohio – Following a national search, Katherine Deans, MD, MHSc, has been appointed to the new position of Chief Clinical Research Officer at Nationwide Children's. She will begin in the role on September 1, 2020.
Dr. Deans has been a faculty member at Nationwide Children's since 2011. She is co-director of the Center for Surgical Outcomes Research at Nationwide Children's Hospital and a professor of Surgery at the Ohio State University, a fellow of the American College of Surgeons and an assistant editor for the Journal of Pediatric Surgery. As an educator, Dr. Deans has trained more than 20 pediatric surgery residents and fellows; served as a preceptor for 12 fellows in minimally invasive and colorectal surgery; and supervised more than 15 post-doctoral research fellows and medical students.
“Kate is passionate about the mission of Nationwide Children's and believes that best outcomes are achievable through scientific innovation and its translation into a wide range of interventions that improve access to evidence-based patient care,” said Dennis Durbin, MD, MSCE, chief scientific officer at the Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children's. “We are excited to have an accomplished clinician and scientist to serve as our first Chief Clinical Research Officer to lead our clinical research into a new era.”
The Chief Clinical Research Officer will focus on the development and oversight of clinical research operations across Nationwide Children's, with an overall goal of facilitating impactful clinical research throughout the organization. Dr. Deans will oversee the full life cycle of the clinical research process, with an emphasis on increasing quality, compliance, and efficiency along with promoting a culture of excellence among investigators and clinical research staff.
During her career, Dr. Deans has published more than 190 peer-reviewed papers, book chapters and abstracts; and has received over $10 million in research funding. She received her medical degree from Dartmouth Medical School and her Master of Health Science degree from the Duke University School of Medicine. She completed residencies at Massachusetts General Hospital, held clinical and research fellowships at the National Institutes of Health and a clinical fellowship at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.