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About
Dr. Chris DeRienzo is a physician executive and national voice for purposeful leadership in healthcare. As Chief Physician Executive of the American Hospital Association and President of its Health Research & Educational Trust, he leads national efforts to strengthen hospitals, improve outcomes, and build a healthier future for all.
Chris believes in the quiet power of perseverance—that purpose isn't formed at finish lines but forged in the middle miles, when no one is clapping and the outcome is uncertain. He writes The Perseverance Playbook, a weekly newsletter exploring how leaders show up, stay in, and build work that compounds.
He is the author of Tiny Medicine: One Doctor's Biggest Lessons from His Smallest Patients and a frequent keynote speaker whose guidance has shaped healthcare transformation across systems large and small, from launching AI-powered platforms to leading quality turnarounds and cultural transformations in the wake of crisis.
Board-certified in pediatrics and neonatology, Chris also serves as an Adjunct Professor of Pediatrics at Duke University and sits on the Board of Mednition. He's an Ironman finisher who believes that perseverance—not perfection—is leadership's quietest superpower.
His proudest roles by far, however, are husband and father. While he lives in North Carolina with his wife and three children, he spends more time in airports than any person reasonably should.