Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital announced today that Michael Wiggins, MBA, FACHE, will become its next president. He will begin his tenure April 8, 2019.
Wiggins comes to Le Bonheur from Children’s Health in Dallas, Texas, where he served as senior vice president of Clinical Operations and the Northernarket and administrator of the Children’s Medical Center Plano.
“I am thrilled about joining the team at Le Bonheur Children’s and look forward to continuing Le Bonheur’s trajectory,” said Wiggins. “Throughout my career, I have admired
Le Bonheur’s excellence, commitment to children and the work the entire staff does to ensure children in the community are healthy and strong.”
Wiggins was selected via a national search process that included candidates from throughout the country. A search committee that included members from throughout the community, including St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, The University of Tennessee Health Science Center, donors and physicians, among others, led the process.
He succeeds Meri Armour, who is retiring after 12 years at Le Bonheur. Under Meri ’s tenure, Le Bonheur has consistently been named as one of the country’s ‘Best Children’s Hospitals’ by U.S. News & World Report, was awarded Magnet status by the American Nurses’ Credentialing Center, verified by the American College of Surgeons as a Level 1 Trauma Center, awarded a three-star rating for Le Bonheur’s Heart Institute by the Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) and received designation for FedEx Neuroscience Institute as a Level IV Center by The National Association of Epilepsy Centers. Under her guidance, Le Bonheur was also named a Top Children’s Hospital in 2017 by the Leapfrog Group, an independent hospital watchdog organization. She also opened a $340 million state-of-the art hospital addition, led a $100 million capital campaign and established a $100 million hospital endowment.
“The search committee was impressed with Michael’s experience and commitment to safety and quality for children’s health,” said Michael Ugwueke, president and CEO of Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare. “He has great passion for caring for children in their communities and I believe he will continue Le Bonheur’s trajectory as a top-tier children’s hospital. I am confident that he will build on the momentum that Meri Armour has begun.”
“Michael Wiggins will be a great leader for Le Bonheur,” said Kathleen Forbes, M.D., Executive Vice President, MLH Academic Group. “We are excited that he has such a strong academic background and extensive experience working with physicians at excellent children’s hospitals throughout his career.”
Wiggins holds a master’s of business administration and a bachelor’s of science from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He is a fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives (FACHE).
He and his wife, Robin, have three children.
