Newman Named Vice Chair for Clinical Performance

The Department of Pediatrics is excited to announce the appointment of Christopher D. Newman, MBA, PA-C, associate professor of clinical practice, Section of Critical Care Medicine, as our next Vice Chair for Clinical Performance effective July 19. Newman was selected from an impressive pool of candidates following a comprehensive national search conducted over the past several months. He assumes the role previously held by Tim Givens, MD, FAAP, who retired effective June 30.

Newman has been a long-time member of the department and Section of Critical Care Medicine. With his appointment as vice chair, he will be responsible for furthering the development of clinical initiatives that enhance and transform clinical services across the department. In partnership with Elizabeth Jackson (associate director for finance and administration – Clinical Operations), he will oversee a dedicated team of experts responsible for the day-to-day progress on key clinical initiatives and develop strong collaborative relationships with both hospital and department leaders in the advancement of shared clinical practice optimization goals across our multi-site system.

Newman has been a part of the University of Colorado Department of Pediatrics in the Section of Critical Care Medicine since joining our faculty as a senior instructor in 2010. His training included completion of his bachelor of science in clinical health services from the MEDEX Northwest Physician Assistant Program at the University of Washington School of Medicine in 2002. He received an MBA from California State University Dominguez Hills in 2012. He is currently working towards completion of his doctorate in physician assistant studies from the University of Pittsburgh School of Rehabilitation Science. 

Since joining the department, Newman has held a number of progressively important roles in clinical care, education and administration. He has served as co-chair of the Children’s Hospital Colorado Medical Staff Credentialing Committee and co-chair of the Advanced Practice Council. Within the Section of Critical Care Medicine, he served in the role of APP lead from 2011 to 2018. In 2018, he began supporting the department as a subject matter expert in the advanced practice provider clinical workforce and subsequently, from 2019 to present, as the director of APP practice development. At the national level, he has been active within the Society of Critical Care Medicine and on the planning committee for the Children's Hospital Association APP Leadership Forum.

Newman shares a dedication and passion for helping identify opportunities for enhancing clinical operations in service to the needs of our child health patient population and their families as well as to maximizing the talent and satisfaction of our clinical workforce. We are excited by the leadership energy and collaborative spirit that he brings to this position.

Congratulations and welcome to Vice Chair for Clinical Performance Chris Newman.