PHOENIX – Banner Health is pleased to announce the recruitment of Karen Stratton, Ph.D., a highly accomplished health care executive, to the newly established role of pediatric service line executive director. Stratton will lead the strategic development of Banner Children’s programs, which care for more kids than any other health system in Arizona.
“As our Banner Children’s services continue to grow statewide, we saw a pressing need to bring on an executive director to lead those efforts,” said Todd Werner, president of Arizona Community Delivery for Banner Health. “Karen will be responsible for the development and execution of our pediatric service line strategic plan, ensuring Banner Children’s services fulfill our mission of making health care easier so that life can be better.”
Stratton began her new role on Monday, Oct. 30.
She previously served at the University of Chicago Medicine, where she spent the last five years as the vice president for Women’s and Children’s Services. In this role, she provided administrative leadership and clinical operations oversight for Comer Children’s Hospital, Pediatric Ambulatory Services, Women’s Obstetrical Care and the Perinatal Network.
Stratton spent the previous 10 years working in various operational, academic and consulting roles within the Chicago-Metro area, including a joint appointment at University of Illinois at Chicago. In this role, she was the director of Clinical Practice and Professional Development for the 450-bed academic medical center, as well as a clinical assistant professor responsible for coordinating the College of Nursing graduate administrative studies program. This included teaching graduate and Ph.D. students, and conducting and coordinating research projects between the college of nursing and the hospital.
She began her nursing career as a pediatric intensive care nurse. Stratton holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing from Oakland University in Michigan, a master’s in nursing from Rush University in Chicago, and a Ph.D. in Health Outcomes and Services Research from the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center in Denver.
From well-child exams to treatment of minor injuries and illnesses to management of chronic conditions, the experienced team at Banner Children’s provides comprehensive, family-centered medical care for every child in Banner Health centers and clinics, emergency rooms, hospitals and outpatient facilities. Services include: behavioral health, cancer care, diabetes and endocrinology, digestive care, emergency care, heart care, neurosciences, primary care, surgery and more. For more information about Banner Children’s services, physicians and locations, visit www.BannerChildrens.com or check us out on Facebook.