Lauren M. Hess, MD, FAAP, FAMIA, ABPM-C
- Pediatric Hospital Medicine
Chief Health Information Officer
Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Hospitalist Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine
Phone:
832-824-5447
Languages: English
Departments:
Office location:
1102 Bates Avenue
Houston, TX 77030
Get to know 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.
Personal Statement
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.
Clinical Interests
Pediatric hospital medicine; patient safety and quality improvement; clinical communication and care coordination
Education
| School | Education | Degree | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baylor College of Medicine | Residency | Pediatrics | 2015 |
| University of Texas Medical Branch School of Medicine | Medical School | Doctor of Medicine | 2012 |
| The University of Texas at Austin | Bachelors | Bachelor of Arts in Biology | 2007 |
Organizations
| Organization Name | Role |
|---|---|
| American Academy of Pediatrics, Council on Clinical Information Technology | Executive Committee Member |
| American Academy of Pediatrics, Section of Hospital Medicine | Member |
| American Medical Informatics Association | Fellow |
| Epic Pediatric Hospitalist Steering Committee | Chair |
| Pediatric Clinical Decision Support Collaborative | Member |
Board Certifications
| Title |
|---|
| American Board of Pediatric Hospital Medicine |
| American Board of Preventative Medicine-Clinical Informatics |
| American Board of Pediatrics |
Honors and awards
- 2026
-
Fellow, American Medical Informatics Association
- 2023-2024
-
Caught You Caring” Award, Texas Children’s Hospital
- 2023
-
Dr. Milton H. Nirken Excellence in Teaching Award, Baylor College of Medicine
- 2023
-
Nominee, Pediatric Clerkship Feedback Award (TCH Feedback Champion), Baylor College of Medicine
- 2022
-
Nominee, Friend of Nursing Award, (Nursing Excellence Awards), Texas Children’s Hospital
- 2022
-
Davies Award–Affiliated Recognition (Data Utilization for Pediatric Sepsis), Health Catalyst
- 2020
-
Norton Rose Fulbright Faculty Excellence Award: Teaching and Evaluation, Baylor College of Medicine
- 2019
-
Excellence in CME Award for Pediatric Hospital Medicine Faculty Development Series, Texas Children’s Hospital
- 2019
-
Award for Data Utilization in Sepsis Care (team award) Health Catalyst
- 2019
-
Excellence in Medical Student Teaching Award, Baylor College of Medicine
- 2017
-
Sub-Intern Educator of the Year Award, Baylor College of Medicine
- 2015
-
Distinguished Resident Educator Award, Baylor College of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics
- 2011
-
Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society
* 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
Kandaswamy S, Knake LA, Dziorny AC, et al., Hess LM. Pediatric Predictive Artificial Intelligence Implemented in Clinical Practice from 2010 to 2021: A Systematic Review. Applied Clinical Informatics, 2025
Guzman Karlsson MCG, Hess LM, Jeppesen AL, Fortunov RM. Redesigning Clinical Decision Support for Retinopathy of Prematurity Screening After Alert Failure. Applied Clinical Informatics, 2025
Molloy MJ, Yan AP, Wilson AE, et al., Hess LM. Using the Electronic Health Record to Facilitate Drug Allergy Delabeling. Current Allergy and Asthma Reports, 2025
Hess LM, Das S, Asaithambi R, et al. Impact of the Electronic Health Record on Realism, Skills, and Workload in Sepsis Simulation. Clinical Simulation in Nursing, 2024
Sanders N, Abela KM, Davenport L, et al., Hess LM. Improving Clinician Agreement and Comfort Through a Pediatric Behavioral Health Huddle Tool. Journal of Pediatric Nursing, 2024
Kandaswamy S, Yarahuan JKW, Dobler EA, et al., Hess LM. Alert Design in the Real World: A Cross-Sectional Analysis of Interruptive Alerting at Academic Pediatric Health Systems. Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association, 2025
Chaparro JD, Hess LM. Clinical Decision Support for Patients and Guardians. In: Pediatric Informatics, 2nd Edition. Springer, pending printing