Children’s Hospital Names Ellis Arjmand, MD, PhD, MMM Surgeon-in-Chief

Nationally Known Head and Neck Surgeon to Join Staff in January

Children’s Hospital has appointed Ellis Arjmand, MD, PhD, MMM to the newly created position of Surgeon-in-Chief. In this capacity, Dr. Arjmand will be charged with providing oversight of all surgical service lines and will develop and implement a strategic vision and direction that will lead to continued growth of high-quality surgical services at Children’s. Dr. Arjmand is nationally known for his expertise in the areas of health care quality improvement and health economics, and for his research related to pediatric hearing impairment.

“It is a great privilege to be selected to lead this group of talented, dedicated pediatric surgeons across so many specialties, especially given the excellent reputation Children’s Hospital enjoys,” said Dr. Ellis Arjmand upon accepting the position. “I look forward to facing the exciting challenges that lie ahead as the hospital continues its transformation, and as we expand the scope of services that we can provide for the children of New Orleans and for others throughout the region.”

Dr. Arjmand joins Children’s from Texas Children’s Hospital, where he served as chief of the otolaryngology service, Director of Faculty Development and Practice Standards for the Department of Surgery, and Associate Medical Director of the hospital’s Evidence-Based Outcomes Center. He is also a Professor of Otolaryngology and Pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine, where he held the Bobby Alford Endowed Chair in Pediatric Otolaryngology.

The recruitment of Dr. Arjmand to Children’s Hospital is garnering the attention of pediatric surgeons across the nation. Dr. Charles Fraser, chief of pediatric and congenital cardiothoracic surgery at Dell Children’s Medical Center of Central Texas, who worked with Dr. Arjmand at Texas Children’s, had this to say, “Dr. Arjmand’s history of leadership and demonstrated success in building surgical programs at elite pediatric institutions will be a tremendous benefit to Children’s Hospital. Ellis is the real deal.”
Arjmand’s appointment as Surgeon-in-Chief comes on the heels of other significant physician leadership developments at Children’s Hospital, including the appointment of George Bisset, III, MD as Chief Medical Officer and Leron Finger, MD as Chief Quality Officer.

“We are ecstatic about Dr. Arjmand joining us at CHNOLA. His previous experience in fostering the growth of ENT programs is unprecedented,” said Dr. George Bisset, III, chief medical officer at Children's Hospital. “We are confident that he will use this foundation to enhance our current high quality surgical services and help us build new programs.”

Arjmand previously served as professor of otolaryngology at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine where he was director of their Ear and Hearing Center and Pediatric Cochlear Implant Program, medical director of the Liberty Campus of Cincinnati Children's Hospital, and chair of the hospital's peer review committee. He earned his bachelor's degree, medical degree and his Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree from Northwestern University in Chicago in Evanston, Illinois. Dr. Arjmand completed his otolaryngology residency and pediatric otolaryngology fellowship at Washington University in St. Louis and St. Louis Children's Hospital. He also holds a Master of Medical Management (MMM) degree from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh.