Lauren M. Hess, MD, FAAP, FAMIA, ABPM-C

Dr. Lauren M. Hess is the Chief Health Information Officer at Texas Children’s Hospital, where she leads enterprise-wide strategy for clinical informatics, digital health and health information technology. In this role, she partners closely with clinical, operational and information services leaders to optimize the electronic health record, strengthen data literacy and advance a unified approach to clinical communication across the organization.

Dr. Hess oversees major initiatives spanning EHR optimization, clinical decision support, generative AI governance, business continuity and downtime planning and secure clinical communication. She is known for emphasizing human-centered design, simulation and testing of clinical workflows and the use of meaningful metrics that reflect real clinical impact rather than technology adoption alone. Her work consistently balances innovation with safety, reliability and clinician well-being.

In addition to her enterprise leadership responsibilities, Dr. Hess remains clinically active as a pediatric hospitalist and is deeply involved in education and mentorship. She serves in multiple national leadership roles in pediatric informatics, including elected positions within Epic governance and the American Academy of Pediatrics. She is a frequent national speaker on topics such as clinical communication transformation, EHR usability, and applied clinical informatics, and has contributed to peer-reviewed literature focused on decision support, patient safety, and simulation-based education.

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I believe great care happens at the intersection of compassion, teamwork and systems that truly support the people delivering care. My philosophy of care is grounded in a deep respect for patients and families—especially during vulnerable, stressful hospitalizations—and a commitment to creating environments where clinicians can focus on what matters most: caring for kids.

I genuinely love all aspects of my work and how it supports both patients and families. I find meaning in taking care of children and their parents at the bedside, helping them navigate complex medical situations with clarity, empathy and honesty. At the same time, I equally enjoy working behind the scenes to make technology work better for clinicians—simplifying workflows, improving communication and reducing friction so care teams can be more present and effective. One of my greatest joys is seeing “lightbulb moments” when working with learners or colleagues, whether that’s helping someone understand a clinical concept, use data more effectively, or feel more confident navigating the electronic health record.

Outside of work, my family is at the center of my life. I love spending time with them—along with our family corgi, Ethel—whether we’re at home or traveling together to new places. I’m passionate about exercise and make it a priority, including training each year for the Houston Half Marathon. I’m also a self-proclaimed Disney adult, with a particular love for Disney cruises, which combine travel, fun and time to truly unplug. When I have time to slow down, I enjoy hobbies like amigurumi crochet and I value opportunities to serve on medical mission teams whenever I get the chance.

At my core, I am motivated by service—to patients, families, learners and care teams. I take pride in being approachable and collaborative, while also bringing deep expertise, thoughtful leadership and attention to detail to everything I do. I believe that trust is built through listening, showing up consistently and doing the hard work required to deliver safer, better and more human-centered care.

Intereses Clinicos

Pediatric hospital medicine; patient safety and quality improvement; clinical communication and care coordination

Educacion

Organizaciones

Board Certifications

Honors and awards

2023-2024

“Caught you Caring,” Texas Children’s Hospital

2023

Dr Milton H Nirken: Excellence in Teaching Award, Baylor College of Medicine, Division of Pediatric Hospital Medicine

2020

Norton Rose Fulbright Faculty Excellence Award: Teaching and Evaluation Baylor College of Medicine 

2019

Terri Brown, Lauren Hess on Behalf of Sepsis Quality Improvement Team, Sepsis Heroes Award awarded for excellence in Sepsis Care, Texas Children’s Hospital 

2017

Sub-Intern Educator of the Year Award, Section of Pediatric Hospital Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine 

2011

Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society Membership, University of Texas Medical Branch 

* Texas Children’s Hospital physicians’ licenses and credentials are reviewed prior to practicing at any of our facilities. Sections titled From the Doctor, Professional Organizations and Publications were provided by the physician’s office and were not verified by Texas Children’s Hospital.

Research interests

Clinical decision support; health IT usability and workflow optimization; simulation-based education and human factors

Hess LM, Das S, Asaithambi R, Delbecq E, Molleda Castro C, Molchen W, Lemke D. Impact of EHR on Realism, Skills, and Workload in Sepsis Simulation, Clinical Simulation in Nursing, Volume 93, 2024, 101560, ISSN 1876-1399, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecns.2024.101560

Sanders N, Abela KM, Davenport L, Lawrence J, Gibbs K, Hess LM. Improving clinician agreement and comfort through the development of a pediatric behavioral health huddle tool. Journal of Pediatric Nursing, 2024 May 7:S0882-5963(24)00174-X. doi: 10.1016/j.pedn.2024.04.048

Schroder AR, Desai S, Hess LM. Intravenous Antibiotic Durations: “Short” Wins Again. Hospital Pediatrics, July 2022

Yarahuan JW, Lo HY, Bass L, Wright J, Hess LM.CIC 2021: Design, Usability, and Acceptability of a Needs-Based, Automated Dashboard to Provide Individualized Patient-Care Data to Pediatric Residents. Applied Clinical Informatics, March 2022

Yarahuan JW, Bass L, Hess LM, Singhal G, Lo HY. COVID-19 Impact on Intern Exposure to Common Inpatient Diagnoses. Hospital Pediatrics, Nov 2021

Gibbs KD, Shi Y, Sanders N, Bodnar A, Brown T, Shah MD, Hess LM. Evaluation of a Sepsis Alert in the Pediatric Acute Care Setting. Applied Clinical Informatics, May 2021

Hess LM, Foradori DM, Singhal G, Hicks PJ, Turner Teri. “Please Complete Your Evaluations!” Strategies to Engage Faculty in Competency- Based Assessments. Academic Pediatrics, Aug 2020