Texas Children's names Debra Sukin new president

“I am truly honored and excited to serve as the new president of Texas Children’s,” Sukin said in the news release. “Texas Children’s has always been a profoundly special place to me, and I’m humbled to have this opportunity. This is an amazing organization, and I look forward to working with the outstanding faculty and staff throughout the system and leading the next evolution of Texas Children’s.

In a Sept. 22 email obtained by Community Impact, Marc L. Boom, president and CEO of Houston Methodist, acknowledged Sukin's departure.

"I am both proud and personally sad to announce that Debbie Sukin, Ph.D., executive vice president and CEO of Houston Methodist The Woodlands Hospital, is resigning to become the new president of Texas Children’s, effective Jan. 1," Boom said. "During her career, Debbie has worked for more than 15 years at Houston Methodist, where she has served in various leadership roles. Most recently, she led the opening of our hospital in The Woodlands in 2017, which has had tremendous success serving its community from the day it opened its doors. Debbie was instrumental in creating and growing the North region of the system, where she is responsible for four of our hospitals in addition to having senior executive responsibility for the neuroscience service line and the Houston Methodist DeBakey Heart Center. Debbie also serves as the preceptor and executive leader for the Houston Methodist Administrative Fellowship Program."

Boom also noted that Sukin's father, Dr. Ralph Feigin, served as physician-in-chief at Texas Children's Hospital for more than 30 years, and her two sons with special needs have received care there.

The backstory

In addition to her primary leadership roles with Houston Methodist:

• Sukin leads neurosciences at Houston Methodist and the Houston Methodist DeBakey Heart Center.
• She was previously senior vice president of St. Luke’s Health System in the Texas Medical Center.
• She received her Master of Healthcare Administration from Washington University in St. Louis and her doctorate in health policy and health management at The University of Texas Health Science Center.

Texas Children’s is the largest children’s hospital in the nation, according to the news release. The hospital:

• Has 5.2 million patient encounters annually
• More than 120 locations throughout Houston, Austin and Central Texas
• 17,000 employees, faculty, specialists and pediatricians