Steve Davis, MD, has been president and CEO of Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center since Nov. 22, 2021. He previously served six years as chief operating officer.
Dr. Davis was the driving force behind the medical center’s largest expansion ever, a $600 million Critical Care Building that opened in 2021 for patients with cancer, heart ailments, or other complex conditions. It also features a state-of-the-art emergency department, which serves residents of Cincinnati and surrounding neighborhoods.
Cincinnati Children’s is a $2.7 billion nonprofit with a workforce of 16,500, making it the region’s largest hospital system and second-largest employer. The 1.5 million patient encounters in fiscal 2020-21 benefited kids from all 50 states and 32 countries, including children with complex or rare disorders.
For over a decade, Cincinnati Children’s has ranked among the Top 5 in U.S. News & World Report’s survey of Best Children’s Hospitals. Cincinnati Children’s also is among top recipients of pediatric research grants bestowed by the National Institutes of Health. Nearly one-third of the medical center’s employees are engaged in scientific research.
Before joining Cincinnati Children’s, Dr. Davis was chief operating officer of Hillcrest Hospital, which is part of the Cleveland Clinic system. Dr. Davis served the Cleveland Clinic in a variety of key positions from 1996 to 2015.
A pediatric critical care physician, Dr. Davis came to Cincinnati Children’s in 2015 because he wants to change the world of healthcare – for children in Cincinnati and beyond. In 2021, Dr. Davis helped Cincinnati Children’s launch HealthVine – a network of pediatric care providers and organizations. It coordinates excellent, equitable, and value-based care and support services for about 135,000 children and their families across Southwest Ohio.
Amid the pandemic, Dr. Davis helped coordinate the response of local hospitals. As co-chair of the Regional COVID-19 Steering Committee (March 2020-December 2021) and co-chair of the Hamilton County Test and Protect COVID-19 Project, Dr. Davis helped create policies and procedures to ensure care for patients and safeguard hospital workers.
Also under the leadership of Dr. Davis, Cincinnati Children’s ramped up telehealth visits during the pandemic. Many clinical areas now offer telehealth appointments via the CincyKids Health Connect app. Intended for patients who don’t require an in-person visit, the app provides easier access to care for more kids.
In January 2022, Dr. Davis became vice chair of an international network of more than 140 pediatric hospitals – the Children’s Hospitals’ Solutions for Patient Safety. The network’s efforts have saved more than 18,000 children from serious harm and trimmed an estimated $421.9 million in healthcare costs.
After receiving a bachelor’s degree from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore in 1984, Dr. Davis earned a medical degree in 1989 from the University of Vermont. He was a medical resident at Pittsburgh Children’s Hospital from 1989-92 and chief resident there from 1992-93. Dr. Davis completed a fellowship in pediatric critical care medicine at Johns Hopkins Hospital in 1996.
In 2012, Dr. Davis received a master’s in medical management from the Heinz College at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, where he serves on the faculty and teaches leadership development. He earned a master’s in strategic leadership from Michigan State University in 2020.
Dr. Davis grew up in Revere, Mass., outside Boston. His wife, Denise, is a nurse practitioner. They have four children and two grandchildren.