Contact:
Sharon Beasley, 512/465-1030
The Earl M. Collier Award for Distinguished Health Care Administration is the highest honor bestowed by the Texas Hospital Association. It recognizes outstanding executives who have distinguished themselves through their contributions to the health care industry and who are leaders in providing quality health care services and are active in THA and other industry groups. Recipients have set a standard of excellence in leadership, service and professional achievement that exemplifies THA’s commitment to the health care industry.
2022 Award Winner
Christopher Durovich, FACHE, President and CEO, Children’s Health
Christopher J. Durovich is an innovative and results-driven chief executive with more than 40 years of health care leadership experience. For the past 20 years, he has led Children’s Health as president and CEO, guiding the organization through extensive growth and transformation, evolving from a single local children’s hospital to a nationally recognized, award-winning, and market-leading pediatric health system serving one of the nation’s fastest-growing pediatric populations.
Children’s Health’s is comprised of two full-service hospitals, six urgent care centers, more than 30 specialty care centers, and a network of more than 600 pediatric physicians. It employs more than 8,000 people, including a medical and dental staff of more than 1,400, and serves as the pediatric teaching institution for the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and the Texas A&M Health Science Center’s College of Dentistry, as well as providing pediatric services for Parkland Health & Hospital System. During his two-decade tenure, the organization has significantly grown all key metrics, including patients served, revenue generated, and economic impact. Today, the system serves more than 300,000 unique patients annually across 800,000 separate patient encounters and contributes $3.3 billion to the North Texas economy.
Under his leadership, Children’s Health is consistently recognized as a leader in pediatric health care, being one of only a few children’s hospitals nationally – and the only children’s hospital in North Texas – to be ranked by U.S. News & World Report in all 10 pediatric specialty care areas. This dedication to innovation and clinical excellence was further recognized by D CEO Magazine, which named Children’s Health as the area’s Outstanding Health System in 2021. Its Nurse Residency Program is ranked fourth overall by the University of Kansas School of Nursing and Vizient/American Association of Colleges of Nursing, and under his leadership, the organization has routinely received Magnet Recognition by the American Nurses Credentialing Center.
Durovich prioritizes a patient-centered approach, having invested more than $1 billion in technology and digital infrastructure over the past two decades to better connect all providers and increase access to care. This investment has led Children’s Health to be recognized eight times since 2013 as a “Digital Health Most Wired” organization in acute and ambulatory technology from the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives. He also completed $1.26 billion in construction to increase capacity and access to care. Children’s Health is a leader in workplace culture and has been recognized among the “150 Top Places to Work in Healthcare” by Becker’s Hospital Review for ten consecutive years, named a “Best Place to Work” by the Dallas Business Journal in 2022 and awarded the “Gallup Exceptional Workplace Award” in 2021.
Durovich is driven by a strong commitment to industry leadership and the health of Texans and their children. In 2020, Durovich served as the chairman of the Texas Hospital Association’s Board of Trustees and continues to serve and advise the boards of the THA, Teaching Hospitals of Texas and the Children’s Hospital Association of Texas. He actively invests his time in community leadership through organizations such as the Dallas Citizens Council, Dallas Regional Chamber of Commerce, Boy Scouts of America Circle Ten Council and the University of Vermont Grossman School of Business Administration.
He has previously served on the Board of Trustees and Executive Committee of the American Hospital Association and has served as Chair of the Children’s Hospital Association, Dallas-Fort Worth Hospital Council, and the Children’s Hospital Association of Texas.
Prior to joining Children’s Health, he served as the Vice President of Operations at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, as well as leadership positions with Baylor College of Medicine, the University of Michigan Health System, and the Northwestern Medical Faculty Foundation. He was on active duty as a United States Army Medical Service Corps Officer for six years.
Durovich has a Master of Management degree from Northwestern University, is a Fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives (FACHE) and received his Bachelor of Arts from the University of Vermont.
History
Established in 1965, the Collier Award was first presented to Earl M. Collier, LL.D., FACHE, a past THA president who served as CEO of Hendrick Medical Center in Abilene for 41 years. Collier is considered the dean of hospital administration in Texas. He was respected for his philosophy of improving patient care, the driving force behind his administrative acts and decisions. Because of Earl M. Collier’s dedication to his profession, the Collier Award has come to symbolize excellence in health care administration.
