World-renowned pediatric physician, researcher, and Nobel Peace Prize Nominee Dr. Mark W. Kline took the helm as Physician-in-Chief, Chief Medical Officer, and Chief Academic Officer at Children’s Hospital New Orleans in 2021. After a career providing essential and groundbreaking care to children suffering from HIV/AIDS in Eastern Europe and Sub-Saharan Africa, Dr. Kline relocated to New Orleans after more than a decade serving as Physician-in-Chief at Texas Children’s Hospital.
“New Orleans has a magnetic attraction for so many people,” says Dr. Kline. “ It’s a unique and alluring place to live. And there is an opportunity to attract top talent to the healthcare industry here.”
Beginning his career without a particular medical specialty in mind, Dr. Kline was inspired by the physicians he worked with on the pediatric wards. Their compassion and sense of fun captivated him along with the unique relationship required between physicians, the children they treat, and their parents. This was precisely the kind of challenge Dr. Kline thrived on.
“You have to be playful with kids and develop a relationship to gain their trust for treatment,” says Dr. Kline. “I loved working with the parents and becoming an extension of the family’s efforts to restore their child to health. It was very fulfilling to know you played a small part in the rest of that child’s happy and healthy life.”
Coming into his own during the rise of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, Dr. Kline found a global challenge worth devoting himself to. Against the advice of many of his mentors, Dr. Kline began research into HIV/AIDS-related illnesses in children; revolutionizing the care of HIV-infected children worldwide and saving countless lives. His efforts were seismic in their impact, leading to his nomination for a Nobel Peace Prize in 2019. This monumental work trained Dr. Kline not just in the prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS but in every aspect of pediatric health, offering a versatility rarely achieved.
“New Orleans has a magnetic attraction for so many people. It’s a unique and alluring place to live. And there is an opportunity to attract top talent to the healthcare industry here.”
Coming to South Louisiana, Dr. Kline sees a wealth of opportunities to better serve the people of New Orleans while providing a breadth of services that other children’s hospitals are unable to, or choose not to, offer. While some children’s hospitals nationally provide a limited menu of services and can be considered “boutique,” Children’s Hospital New Orleans prides itself on never turning away a child or family in need of its services, providing world class healthcare to children from across Louisiana and the Gulf South.
“When a parent anywhere in Louisiana has a problem, no matter the diagnosis, and asks where the best place to go is, I want that answer to be Children’s Hospital New Orleans,” says Dr. Kline. “That’s why I came to Louisiana to provide the best care possible to those who need it most right here at home.”
Leader Tip
Brilliant physicians are common, but brilliance is not enough. “Accessible Brilliance,” a combination of professional excellence with a commitment to treating all patients, families, and coworkers with kindness, dignity, and respect, is what Children’s Hospital New Orleans is all about.
