From her childhood in New Orleans, where she watched her father — a surgeon and passionate community advocate — serve the underserved, Michelle Riley-Brown, M.H.A., FACHE, grew up inspired by the idea that healthcare could transform lives. Today, as president and CEO of Children’s National Hospital, she brings that same servant-leader philosophy to one of the nation’s top 10 pediatric hospitals.
Since taking the helm on July 1, 2023, Riley-Brown has committed herself to strengthening Children’s role as a cornerstone of health and hope for families across the Washington, D.C., region.
“I never thought about moving to Washington, but when this opportunity arose, the mission of the hospital drew me in,” she told The Informer. “Serving the children and families of the DMV — Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia — is a profound responsibility.”
With over 20 years of pediatric healthcare leadership, Riley-Brown has a history of transforming visions into reality.
At Children’s National, she oversees a 323-bed hospital, a wide-reaching network of primary and specialty care facilities, and community-focused initiatives addressing mental health, food insecurity, and other social determinants of health. Yet, she doesn’t confine herself to the executive office; on her toughest days, she finds solace walking hospital hallways, speaking with patients, families, and staff to remind herself why she does this work.
Her journey to leadership began at home. The youngest of five siblings — all inspired by their father’s example — Riley-Brown joined a family of healthcare professionals that includes physicians, nurses, and even a recently minted Doctor of Pharmacy.
“Healthcare is in our DNA,” she said.
Now, as she tackles the challenges of pediatric care in Washington, D.C., Riley-Brown’s focus remains clear: ensuring every child — regardless of their zip code — has access to the quality care they deserve.
Why did you agree to come to Washington, D.C. to be CEO and President of Children’s National Hospital?
MRB: I never really thought about moving to Washington, and I really didn’t know anyone here. It was actually for this opportunity. It was because of the hospital and the mission of the hospital that was really attractive to me for my next phase and my next step in my healthcare career, and then Washington, D.C. I mean, it’s a great city, and to be able to be in D.C. and actually serve the DMV, not only the District of Columbia, but we serve patients from Maryland and Virginia, as well. And I just saw this as a wonderful opportunity.
What is your assessment of children’s health in D.C., particularly in Wards 7 and 8?
MRB: In my first year, I’ve made it a point to get out into the community and understand Washington, D.C., and the different wards, and specifically, I spent some time in Wards 7 and 8 to really understand the locations that we have there for primary and specialty care. How do we, Children’s National, show up for that community? I’m assessing through my strategic planning process how we can continue to expand services and how we can continue to make sure that every child in every community, whether it’s Ward 7 or 8 or any other Ward, has access to quality health care. So, through my strategic planning process, I will continue to make sure that we have the right resources, not only from a medical standpoint, but I’ve observed a need for mental health support, as well. I’ve observed a need to focus on social determinants of health, food insecurity, transportation, shelter, and housing. Those are the needs I’ve observed and things we will continue to focus on at Children’s National.
Children don’t seek care for themselves; parents do. What role does Children’s National play in providing aid to parents who need support in meeting the health care needs of their children?
MRB: You’re right, children don’t show up in the emergency department alone. They’re with their guardian, their parent. What I love about pediatric medicine is we provide family-centered care. So we’re not only taking care of the patient, we’re actually taking care of the family unit and making sure that the family unit has what they need to provide the care at home once the family is discharged or receives outpatient instructions, making sure the family understands the importance of the plan and can be involved in the plan and has what they need to support the care plan for the patient.
What role does the community play in helping Children’s National fulfill its mission providing a quality healthcare experience for children and families, improving health outcomes and leading in innovative solutions to pediatric health challenges?
MRB: Philanthropy is a big part of any independent, freestanding Children’s Hospital. As a not-for-profit hospital, we rely on giving and funding. The more the community can rally around and help us and fundraise and contribute to the hospital, [the more] that allows us to reinvest in the hospital and continue to provide the services and then expand services, but invest in technology and the resources we need to provide quality care. So, we are heavily dependent on philanthropy and government funding. But we can’t do it alone on our government funding. We also have to have a balance of philanthropy and giving,
Children’s National ranks among the top 10 children’s hospitals in the nation. How did that happen?
MRB: I’m proud to say Children’s National was ranked a top 10 Children’s Hospital by U.S. News & World Report in the nation. I don’t believe many people realize that, and it doesn’t just happen. It actually takes intentional focus on quality care, quality of outcomes and the patient care that we deliver here. It’s a team effort. It’s between the providers, the physicians and the nurses and the respiratory therapists. Everyone contributes to delivering quality care. It’s based on the outcomes of the care where we deliver.
What do you like about living in the nation’s capital?
MRB: I love D.C. This has been a really good move for me and my family. I like the cultural diversity and all that D.C. has to offer. My first year, I was really busy working, but in the second year, I started being a tourist on the weekends. The Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial is very inspiring, and I would recommend it when people come. And by the way, since I moved to D.C., I’ve become very popular. My husband’s like, ‘Why does everybody want to stay with us?’ But D.C. is that destination spot that people to want to visit. I also love the four seasons, and my first winter here wasn’t too bad.
What else should our readers know about Children’s National Hospital?
MRB: Another little-known fact that I think people don’t realize is that we contribute over $200 million a year in community benefits, and so that includes uncompensated care, but it also includes things beyond medical care, like education and other support mechanisms that we fund throughout the community that people don’t realize. We’re more than just that medical provider, but we are addressing social determinants of health. People don’t realize how much funding goes into providing those community benefits.
Your office overlooks Howard University. Is there a relationship between Children’s and HU?
MRB: Yes, Howard is a very important partner. Dean Andrea Hayes-Dixon, dean of the medical school, trained as a pediatric urologist at Children’s National years ago. We have a great relationship, and I actually toured the medical school. We run the neonatal intensive (NICU) care unit at Howard Hospital, and the incoming new Department Chair of Pediatrics in the medical school is coming from Texas. So we are looking at more ways to expand and support our partnership with Howard Medical School.
Every day from your office, you witness ambulances and helicopters bringing in a sick child. That must be stressful. How do you sustain your mental health?
MRB: I’ve done it for 25 years now. I’ll tell you, I take it one day at a time, because if you think about it in totality, it does become overwhelming. We have an awesome responsibility to take care of children, again, our most vulnerable population, but we see the sickest of the sick kids in many instances, and it can be very stressful. So I really draw on my faith and prayer, and I have confidence in the teams and the programs and the processes that we have here at the hospital. I know when a child, whether they come in a helicopter transport, an ambulance transport, or they walk through our doors, our teams are well prepared to take care of their health care needs. My job is to make sure that they have the tools, training, and equipment they need so they can take care of our patients.
So on my roughest days, you know, it gets kind of tough sometimes, and it gets kind of heavy, what I do is I leave my office and I walk around the hospital and I talk to the patients and the families, and I talk to the employees, and that always brings me back to, why are we here? And if we always keep the patient at the center of every decision that we make that makes it a little easier. But, on my toughest days, interacting with patients on the units or in the outpatient clinics really just balances me and really brings me back to why I do this every day, and the impact that we have on lives every day, and that’s what fills my cup.