Dr. Mueller is Named Chair of CPMC Peds Department

Dr. Claudia Mueller has been named Chair of the Department of Pediatrics at California Pacific Medical Center (CPMC).

“[Dr. Mueller] will be a wonderful advocate for all the exciting programs at CPMC, and I am absolutely thrilled she has taken on this position,” said Terri Slagle, MD, the current CPMC Chair of Pediatrics. “Those of you on the ground daily at CPMC know there is no one who understands the ins and out of CPMC Children's Programs better than Dr. Mueller does.”

CPMC is located in San Francisco, CA and part of the Sutter Health network. There is a long tradition of pediatric care at CPMC which began in 1875 when the first inpatient ward for children was opened on the California campus of the hospital.  Stanford Children’s announced a formal relationship with CPMC in 2012.

“I’m so proud to represent Stanford within CPMC and the Sutter network,” said Mueller. “It is unusual for a surgeon to be chair of a pediatrics department, but the Medical Executive Committee at CPMC was kind enough to make an exception, which I think is an amazing thing. Everyone who takes care of kids—no matter what their specialty—feels like a pediatrician even if we haven’t done a pediatric residency, so I’m super honored that the department would give me this vote of confidence.”

According to Stanford Division of Pediatric Surgery Chief, Dr. James Dunn, Mueller was the first Stanford surgeon at CMPC and started developing the pediatric surgery practice there more than 10 years ago. She also serves as the Medical Director for Stanford Children’s relationship with CPMC/Sutter, which includes both medical and surgical specialties.

“Sutter and CPMC are making a tremendous investment in caring for children in northern California,” said Mueller. “I think this is an exciting opportunity to develop programs and expand access to pediatric care—including sub-specialty care of the highest level—that will benefit children throughout the region. I am delighted to be part of the team that can enable this vision.”

Mueller is an Associate Professor (UML) in Stanford’s Division of Pediatric Surgery and has been on the faculty at Stanford since 2008.  Despite her new role, she will continue to perform operations at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital in Palo Alto and to develop her academic research into how mindset theory influences health outcomes for children.

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