David Biggerstaff has been president of Indianapolis-based Riley Children’s Health for nearly two months, but his passion for and background in pediatric healthcare runs deep and has prepared him for success in his new role.
“The Hoosier spirit is alive and well,” Mr. Biggerstaff told Becker’s March 24. “The reception not only within the organization, but in the community, has just been fantastic.”
Riley Children’s, part of Indianapolis-based IU Health, is Indiana’s largest pediatric system and has more than 50 locations of care, according to its website.
Mr. Biggerstaff began his career with a focus in IT, but over the years shifted his career toward children’s healthcare. In coming to Riley Children’s, Mr. Biggerstaff said he was not only drawn to the depth of its programs, but its affiliation with the Indiana University School of Medicine.
“Through the department of pediatrics, the department is actually the sixth-highest funded National Institutes of Health program in the country,” he said. “In that regard, advancing our research mission is incredibly important for us as well.”
Amid recent concerns over potential NIH funding cuts nationwide, Mr. Biggerstaff said Riley Children’s is advocating through legislative channels to ensure Indiana elected officials understand the severity of what potential cuts would mean to crucial research.
“When you start cutting programs that fund things like child cancer research, that’s a concern for us,” he said. “But … we feel like we’ve got the right people advocating for that, and certainly [we are] in partnership with the Children’s Hospital Association, and the American Hospital Association and with others across the country that are trying to address this particular issue.”
Mr. Biggerstaff said one of his main goals during his first year as president of Riley Children’s is to be intentional about developing a shared vision for what the pediatric system can become and to also connect with the communities that it serves.
“I’ve got a number of visits to Evansville (Ind.) and Fort Wayne (Ind.) and other locations scheduled in the next 30 days to really begin to make those connections and understand the opportunities we have to partner across the state,” he said.
Mr. Biggerstaff urged other healthcare leaders to hone in on curiosity and transparency skills to help develop a full understanding of the organizations they serve.
“The final thing that I would offer is an acknowledgement and an understanding that we’re not perfect as individuals, we’re not perfect as an organization, [but] that’s OK … as long as we aspire to continuously improve,” he said. “
