A Surgeon’s Career Pivot

A Surgeon’s Career Pivot

From PEMBA ON-DEMAND: Real Stories from Physician Leaders by Physician Executive MBA at the University of Tennessee

October 16, 2025 · 36 min

About this episode

Dr. Karin Hotchkiss discusses her experience leading the transformation of Saint Joseph’s Children’s Hospital while balancing clinical and administrative roles.

How do you lead a hospital through massive transformation while still caring for patients at the bedside? In this episode of “PEMBA On Demand,” host Dr. Norman A. Chapin sits down with Dr. Karin Hotchkiss, pediatric surgeon and Chief Medical Officer at Saint Joseph’s Children’s Hospital. Dr. Hotchkiss shares her experience leading the hospital’s transformation into a freestanding children’s facility, offering an inside look at the challenges and opportunities that come with guiding large-scale organizational change. She discusses balancing clinical and administrative responsibilities, leveraging her PEMBA education to enhance leadership effectiveness, and using innovation to improve care delivery. The conversation also touches on integrating telehealth, addressing pediatric specialist shortages, and creating centers of excellence to elevate specialized pediatric care. Key Topics Covered Leading the transition of Saint Joseph’s Children’s Hospital to a freestanding facility The evolving role of the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) in modern healthcare leadership Balancing clinical practice with administrative duties while maintaining physician credibility How the PEMBA program shaped…

People in this episode

Host: Dr. Norman A. Chapin

Guest: Dr. Karin Hotchkiss

Topics covered

  • hospital transformation
  • leadership in healthcare
  • pediatric care
  • telehealth integration
  • administrative responsibilities
  • innovation in healthcare

Keywords

  • hospital leadership
  • pediatric surgery
  • telehealth
  • healthcare innovation
  • PEMBA education
  • organizational change

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Saint Joseph’s Children’s Hospital, PEMBA

More episodes of PEMBA ON-DEMAND: Real Stories from Physician Leaders

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the PEMBA ON-DEMAND: Real Stories from Physician Leaders podcast page.