March 17, 2023

Mary Bridge Children’s names new chief medical officers

Mary Bridge Children’s names chief medical officers for its hospital and network of pediatric clinics

Vanessa Carroll, MD, MBA, joins as CMO of hospital; Barbara Thompson, MD, MBA, promoted to CMO of network of pediatric clinics

TACOMA, Wash. — Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital & Health Network has announced the appointment of Vanessa Carroll, MD, MBA, to chief medical officer of its hospital, and the promotion of Barbara Thompson, MD, MBA, to chief medical officer of its health network.

“We are thrilled to welcome Vanessa to the Mary Bridge family,” said Jeff Poltawsky, president and market leader of Mary Bridge Children’s. “Her experience developing and improving hospital-based programs and standards of care, as well as her clinical background in pediatric emergency medicine and inpatient services, is of tremendous value to Mary Bridge Children’s, especially as we build our new pediatric hospital campus.”

Dr. Carroll joined Mary Bridge Children’s on March 6 and brings almost two decades of pediatric hospital medicine and leadership experience from both academic and community-based health care systems. She comes to Mary Bridge Children’s from Kootenai Health in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, where she held various positions, including medical director of pediatrics, hospital physician informaticist, and clinical division director of hospital, surgical and neurosciences.

“Mary Bridge Children’s is a highly respected pediatric hospital and I’m grateful for the opportunity to join the team,” Dr. Carroll said. “I look forward to collaborating with my colleagues to ensure children in our communities throughout the Northwest have access to the best health care services possible and that we provide the highest value to all of our patients in the ever-changing landscape of pediatric medicine.”

Dr. Carroll is board certified in pediatrics and earned her medical degree from Tulane University School of Medicine in New Orleans. She completed her pediatrics residency at Tulane’s Ochsner Clinic Foundation, Department of Pediatrics, and holds an executive MBA from Washington State University, where she is also a clinical associate professor for the Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine.

Both Drs. Carroll and Thompson are responsible for overseeing operations and working with hospital executives to further the organization’s mission of partnering for healing and a healthy future for all children.

In January 2023, Mary Bridge Children’s promoted Dr. Thompson to CMO of its health network, which includes pediatric outpatient services, specialty and subspecialty clinics, as well as Mary Bridge Children’s urgent care, primary care and affiliate clinics.

“Barbara has been an integral part of Mary Bridge for many years,” said Poltawsky. “She exemplifies our mission and values every day. She is a wonderful leader who is passionate about her patients and their well-being, and I’m confident she’ll excel in this role as we grow our ambulatory services.”

Dr. Thompson is a pediatric endocrinologist and has led Mary Bridge Children’s pediatric endocrinology clinic for more than 15 years. She has served as medical director for Mary Bridge Children’s pediatric endocrinology clinic since 2008. She’s also an active member of the Mary Bridge Children’s medical executive committee and was chief of staff until 2021.

Dr. Thompson is board certified in pediatric endocrinology and earned her medical degree from Ross University School of Medicine in Dominica, West Indies. She completed her residency at New York Medical College’s Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital in Valhalla, N.Y., and a fellowship in pediatric endocrinology at Albert Einstein College of Medicine’s Children’s Hospital at Montefiore in Bronx, N.Y.

In addition to their CMO responsibilities, Drs. Carroll and Thompson will continue their clinical roles seeing pediatric patients on inpatient hospital units and in the endocrinology clinic, respectively.

For more information about Mary Bridge Children’s, visit www.marybridge.org.

About Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital

Founded in 1955, Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital is the state-designated Level II Pediatric Trauma Center for Western Washington, offering comprehensive care and resources for critically ill and injured children, and is the only pediatric hospital in Southwest Washington. Mary Bridge Children’s also provides primary, specialty, therapy and urgent care services at its outpatient centers and clinics across the Puget Sound region, including Tacoma, Puyallup, Gig Harbor, Olympia, Auburn, Covington, Maple Valley, Federal Way, Renton, Bonney Lake and Silverdale.

Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital & Health Network is more than a place for children to heal. It’s a place for them to grow and thrive. A place for families to come for solutions and support. A place where medical expertise and passion for children and families work together in perfect balance. Mary Bridge Children’s serves children and families, regardless of ability to pay, thanks to generous contributions to the Mary Bridge Children’s Foundation.

Mary Bridge Children’s is a part of MultiCare Health System, the largest community-based and locally governed health system in Washington state. For more information about Mary Bridge Children’s, visit marybridge.org or follow on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or our Kite Strings blog.