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Angelo P. Giardino, MD PhD, will join �㽶��Ƶ of Utah Health as Chair of the Department of Pediatrics, effective June 4, 2018. Giardino will replace Edward B. Clark, MD who has served in that role since 1996.

Giardino, who is a Professor of Pediatrics and Section Chief of Academic General Pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine, currently serves as the Senior Vice President and Chief Quality Officer at Texas Children’s Hospital. He received both his medical degree and doctorate in education from the �㽶��Ƶ of Pennsylvania, completing his residency and fellowship training at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Additionally, he trained in public health and theology, earning an MPH from the �㽶��Ƶ of Massachusetts and an MA from the Catholic Distance �㽶��Ƶ in Charles Town, West Virginia.

Giardino has focused much of his career specializing in treating and preventing suffering in children who may have experienced abuse or neglect. He remains clinically active and sees patients at Texas Children’s, who are suspected of having been maltreated. He trains health care professionals to recognize the signs of abuse and accurately respond to these patients. Additionally, he educates audiences nationally about how to stop abuse before it occurs. And he has scaled this knowledge for even broader impact, serving on the National Board of Directors for Prevent Child Abuse America, the National Review Board for the Protection of Children, and the U.S. Center for SafeSport.

From a system level and as an administrator, Giardino brings a deep understanding of quality improvement processes and procedures—informed by his robust expertise in clinical care and education. He also brings broad based experience in operationalizing quality improvements through the practices of listening, learning and valuing the perspectives of health care professionals who are on the front lines of care.

“We are extremely fortunate to have a clinician, educator and administrator of Dr Giardino’s caliber at the helm of our department,” said Ed Clark, MD. “His unique background and qualifications make him the ideal choice to continue to drive our commitment—caring for children and caring for their future.”

CEO of �㽶��Ƶ of Utah Health and Senior Vice President for Health Sciences, A. Lorris Betz, MD, PhD, recognized Clark for his leadership and vision in guiding the pediatrics department for the past 22 years. “Suffice it to say, there are not enough words to thank Dr. Clark for his contribution to our institution and community,” Betz said. “He has been a fixture at the �㽶��Ƶ and throughout the region for his efforts to improve the lives of  children and their families. Some of those efforts include the Woman and Child Institute, programs for LGBT youth, and a 21-year longitudinal cohort study as part of the Environmental Children's Health Outcome (ECHO) program.”

Addressing the future of the department of pediatrics, Betz continued, “Dr. Giardino’s perspective on education—as a fundamentally optimistic, bi-directional endeavor—will serve our institution well. I look forward to our organization learning as much from him as he will learn from our organization.