Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta today announced Donna Hyland, Chief Executive Officer, will retire this year. The trailblazing healthcare visionary will be succeeded by Patrick Frias, M.D., currently Co-President and CEO of Rady Children’s Health in Southern California. Frias returns to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, where he previously served for 18 years as a cardiologist, Chief Physician Officer, and Chief Operating Officer.

Hyland joined Children’s in 1986 and has led the organization as CEO since 2008, guiding the healthcare system into national prominence through remarkable achievements, growing patient volumes to 1.2 million a year and serving more than 3,000 patients daily.

“Over four decades, Donna’s visionary leadership has transformed pediatric healthcare across Georgia,” said Paul Brown, Children’s Board of Trustees Chair. “Her unwavering pursuit of excellence has strengthened this vital organization and fueled its ability to grow, innovate, and serve countless children and families, creating lasting impact where it matters most.”

Significant accomplishments under Hyland’s tenure include the merger of Scottish Rite and Egleston to form Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta; welcoming Hughes Spalding Children’s Hospital under Children’s operations; bringing the Marcus Autism Center into the Children’s System to advance care and research for children with autism; and most recently developing the North Druid Hills campus and opening the Arthur M. Blank Hospital.

“I am so lucky to have joined a small children’s hospital 40 years ago and to have been given the opportunity to help grow this powerful mission,” said Hyland. “Every role that I have held, every challenge faced, every milestone reached has been grounded in our team’s shared commitment to do our best for the children and families we serve. There is nothing more rewarding than meeting a family that experiences the life-changing impact of our work.”

Under her leadership, cancer survival rates at Children’s improved from roughly 60% when she began her journey to more than 85% today, with some cancers now seeing survival rates above 90%.

Other significant lifesaving initiatives during Hyland’s tenure include building the largest sickle cell disease program in the country, which is improving life expectancy and quality-of-life for kids with this challenging disease and curing them through cord blood transplants, BMT and cell therapy. Children’s 460 heart transplants in program history put Children’s among the top in the nation in that specialty.

“On behalf of the board of trustees, physicians, nurses, staff and, most importantly, the millions of patients and families positively impacted by her work, we are deeply grateful for Donna’s dedicated service to the mission and for her vision which has fueled Children’s extraordinary growth; expanding hope, possibility, and healing for generations of children,” said Brown.

Hyland was also the architect of formalizing the academic relationship between Children’s and Emory School of Medicine, helping the collaboration between the two organizations rise in national ranking from 49^th in 2004 to the top five nationally for pediatric NIH research dollars for ten consecutive years. This work has led to results such as pioneering treatments for Cystic Fibrosis that are extending the life expectancy of children from 18 years old in the past to 50 years old today and is also supporting a path to curing peanut allergies for kids. Training programs made possible by the academic relationship have also produced nearly 800 residents and fellows, more than half of whom practice in Georgia. 

Frias brings to Children’s not only his deep experience as a clinician, and as a senior executive leading through significant growth and change, but also as a “people first” leader. Frias will assume the CEO role in the coming months, partnering with Hyland to ensure a smooth transition.

“Dr. Patrick Frias is the clear choice to lead Children’s into the future. He is a highly experienced leader with a clear strategic vision who is passionate about people,” said Brown. “With Dr. Frias at the helm, we are poised to continue accelerating transformation and redefine what’s possible in pediatric healthcare in Georgia and beyond.”