Dr. Karen Murray named chair of Cleveland Clinic Pediatric Institute - Crain's Cleveland Business

Dr. Karen F. Murray has been named chair of the Cleveland Clinic Pediatric Institute, physician-in-chief of Cleveland Clinic Children's and president of the Cleveland Clinic Children's Hospital for Rehabilitation, effective in early July, according to a news release.

A national leader in pediatric gastroenterology, Murray will succeed Dr. Rita Pappas, who has served as interim chair since 2017.

In the new role, Murray will oversee the Pediatric Institute at Cleveland Clinic Children's, which includes more than 300 pediatricians, practitioners and specialists, as well as more than 50 outpatient sites, providing primary, specialty and subspecialty care, according to the release.

Murray joins the Clinic from the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle, where was vice chair of Clinical Affairs for the Department of Pediatrics and professor-in-chief of the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology.

"I'm excited to help lead and make the nation more aware of the pediatric program at Cleveland Clinic," Murray said in a prepared statement. "A program and group of professional staff that deliver world-class, state-of-the-art clinical care in a visionary setting designed to assure that all patients, families and the community receive care at the cutting edge of excellence and efficiency, and are advancing pediatric knowledge and care through innovation and research."

Her clinical interests include care in gastroenterology and transplantation, and her research focus is on hepatology, primarily in the treatment and pathophysiology of childhood liver disease, such as hepatitis B and C viral infections, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and cholestatic liver diseases in childhood, according to the release. She has spearheaded efforts to eradicate hepatitis C by bringing two highly effective adult drugs to infected children.

A fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics, Murray chairs the Gastroenterology Sub-board of the American Board of Pediatrics and has served on the steering committees of three National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases clinical research networks related to her research, according to the release. In 2016, Murray became president of the North American Society of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition.

"Dr. Murray is nationally recognized for her academic accomplishments, as well as her experience in leadership and operations. We anticipate the contributions she will bring in her leadership role," said Dr. Herbert Wiedemann, Cleveland Clinic's chief of staff, in a prepared statement.

Murray earned her medical degree from Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore and completed her internship and residency in pediatrics from the Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Center at the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle. She also completed a clinical and research fellowship at the Combined Program in Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition from Boston Children's Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital at Harvard Medical School, according to the release.

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