Dr. Henri Ford, a La Cañada Flintridge resident who has been serving as senior vice president and surgeon-in-chief at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, is preparing to depart CHLA to assume the role of dean of the University of Miami Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine. Ford’s last day at CHLA is May 31.
He has served as a member of the hospital’s executive leadership team, board of trustees and board of directors as well as a member of the board of directors for the CHLA Medical Group.
During this time at the hospital, he has been credited with countless significant and impactful achievements including:
• Developing a state-of-the-art, minimally invasive surgery program, including one of the busiest robotic surgery programs in the nation
• Increasing the annual number of surgical operations performed from 12,000 to more than 17,000
• Doubling the size of the faculty in the department of surgery.
• Fostering interdisciplinary research at CHLA
• Recruiting new chiefs for six divisions
• Helping secure more than $50 million in philanthropic support for the department
• Tripling the research funding for the department
Ford has been recognized for not only helping countless children at CHLA, but also in his home country of Haiti. In 2010, when a devastating earthquake struck Haiti, he provided life-saving care and has made medical mission trips since then, bringing other surgeons with him to support the nation’s health system and address health needs. Notably, he oversaw a landmark medical moment in Haiti, as conjoined twins were separated during a successful surgery.
He has also been recognized for his leadership in the field of pediatric surgery. Just a few of these honors are being named an honorary fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons, being elected president of the American Pediatric Surgical Association and receiving the National Humanism Award from the American Association of Medical Colleges.
