(COLUMBUS, Ohio) – Robert Gajarski, MD, MHSA has been appointed to a new leadership position within the Center for Clinical Excellence at Nationwide Children’s Hospital and Stephen Hart, MD, has been selected as the next Executive Co-Director Pediatric Acute Care Cardiology Collaborative.
Dr. Robert Gajarski has been appointed Medical Director for The Center for Clinical Excellence effective May 1, 2025. He will continue his roles as Section Chief of Cardiology and professor of pediatrics at The Ohio State University College of Medicine while focusing on this latest role to expand quality and safety initiatives to further improve clinical outcomes of patients at Nationwide Children’s.
Dr. Gajarski has focused on cardiac critical care, transplant and pulmonary hypertension while in his clinical leadership roles. His also served as Associate Chief Quality Officer in charge of patient safety. In this position, along with the Center for Clinical Excellence team, Dr. Gajarski leads efforts in preventing patient harm through various safety initiatives and works to reduce hospital acquired conditions.
In his new appointment, Dr. Gajarski will work closely with the newly named Chief Quality Officer, Maitreya Coffey, MD to promote Nationwide Children’s commitment to quality and safety for patients and staff.
Dr. Stephen Hart has been selected as the next Executive Co-Director for the Pediatric Acute Care Cardiology Collaborative effective 2026.
The Pediatric Acute Care Cardiology Collaborative (PAC3) is an international collaboration of inpatient pediatric cardiologists with a mission to improve cardiac acute care outcomes and experiences for patients, families and hospital systems through quality improvement and a dedicated clinical registry.
In previous roles with PAC3, Dr. Hart served as the co-chair of the database committee and helped guide the organization through registry updates. He was instrumental in developing PAC3’s virtual auditing process, ensuring the registry remains robust.
Dr. Hart will continue his present role as Associate Section Chief for the Division of Cardiology and associate professor of pediatrics at The Ohio State University College of Medicine during his appointment with PAC3.
“The Heart Center at Nationwide Children’s provides quality care to our families and patients. Dr. Gajarski and Dr. Hart embody the importance we place on quality care,” said Catherine Krawczeski, MD, physician-in-chief and chief medical officer at Nationwide Children’s. “These leadership appointments signify where our esteemed Heart Center will go in the future, with a focus on quality and compassion for our families.”