Cook Children’s Physician Network names new president

Dr. Matthew Dzurik courtesy

Cook Children’s Physician Network (CCPN) has appointed Matthew Dzurik, M.D., as its new president. Dzurik assumes the role following the retirement of Britt Nelson, M.D., who became the network president in 2009.

Throughout his 14 years at Cook Children’s, Dzurik has proven himself as a leader, the organization said in the announcement. He is the medical director of the Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory and has served on the Cook Children’s Physician Network Board of Directors since 2017. He will now oversee the health care system’s network of more than 460 physicians.

“Dr. Dzurik has distinguished himself as an outstanding clinician and an excellent physician leader during his time at Cook Children’s,” said Jim Cunningham, M.D., executive vice president and chief medical officer at Cook Children’s. “He has proven himself to be an excellent leader and has provided steady and compassionate leadership to the organization. He is well-respected by his peers and has been a strong advocate for our staff, CCPN, the Medical Staff, our Board, and the Health Care System. Under his leadership, I believe the organization is poised to continue to grow and develop along the trail that Dr. Nelson has blazed.”

Dzurik plans to continue his clinical medicine role at Cook Children’s because he believes it will allow him to stay relevant with both his patients and his peers.

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“I want to help Cook Children’s continue to do the fantastic work we do here, but also I think a fresh perspective on things is good. The word I would use is evolving. The times are changing,”  Dzurik said. “Physicians are changing. Generations are changing. I think that will make a big impact on our network. It will be vital to meld the old and everything that we’ve done well here with new ideas to help us move forward. We want to take the best of both worlds and move forward together.”

Dzurik is already looking ahead to the challenges that await him, including addressing physician burnout.

“I believe that to be my key initiative in the first few years here,” he said. “We’re hiring a physician wellness champion with whom I’ll work closely to implement changes. We’ve all felt burnout. Having experienced it in my career, I think it will give me a good perspective.”

Dzurik is a native of Louisiana and completed medical school and pediatrics residency at Louisiana State University. He attended Vanderbilt University for his training in pediatric cardiology and arrhythmia.