Children’s Hospital Los Angeles President Paul S. Viviano Chosen for a 2020 Cardinal’s Award by Archdiocese of Los Angeles
Children’s Hospital Los Angeles President and Chief Executive Officer Paul S. Viviano is being honored with the 2020 Cardinal’s Award by the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. Recognized for his distinguished leadership in the healthcare industry, for his advocacy on behalf of children’s healthcare issues and for embodying Catholic values in his outstanding contributions to the community, Viviano is one of six lay leaders who will be celebrated by the Archdiocese at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on February 29, 2020.
“This recognition is considered one of the highest honors for a Catholic living in Los Angeles, given to those who are truly making a difference in the lives of the most vulnerable in Los Angeles,” says Rev. Dagmar Grefe, PhD, ACPE, Manager of Spiritual Care and Clinical Pastoral Education at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. “Paul’s spirit of service and compassion truly shows in the way he leads Children’s Hospital in its mission to better the lives of children in Southern California and beyond.”
Since 1990, the Archdiocese has been honoring lay leaders for their outstanding work throughout the Los Angeles community. Viviano, a lifelong Catholic and a member of St. Bonaventure Parish in Huntington Beach, joined Children’s Hospital Los Angeles in late 2015 as President and CEO, as well as a member of the Board of Directors. Viviano has enjoyed three decades of success leading academic medical centers, for-profit health care organizations and nonprofit community hospitals throughout Southern California. He also serves as Board Chairman for the California Children’s Hospital Association and as the Chair of the national Children’s Hospital Association CEO Advisory Committee.
“Paul joins an impressive group of past and present Cardinal’s Award honorees who are remarkable models for their faith and contributions to the community,” says Alex Chaves Sr., a Children’s Hospital Los Angeles Foundation Board Trustee and Vice Chairman of the Catholic Association of Latino Leaders. “But he stands out not only for the thoughtful, inclusive and effective way he’s shepherded our hospital and its multicultural patient population, more than two-thirds of whom are Latino, but also his vision to ensure all children in Los Angeles and the region have access to the world-class care they need and deserve.”
Under his leadership, Children’s Hospital has grown to provide care and manage more than 600,000 patient visits and 17,000 pediatric surgeries annually. “Helping others has been an instrumental part of my life,” Viviano says. “It is a blessing to lead a mission-based hospital and to expand our purpose to meet the needs of the community. We are both a safety net provider and are ranked as the number 5 children’s hospital in the nation, providing clinically superior and compassionate care to all patients, regardless of financial status or family circumstances. CHLA is also a top 10 pediatric research organization nationally with more than 350 funded scientists and also the home of some of the largest medical residencies and fellowships in the US. It is humbling for me to able to bring attention to our great institution with this honor.”
Viviano also serves as Chairman of the Board of Trustees at Loyola Marymount University (LMU), a position he says he was honored to fill after a decade of service at the Jesuit institution, which educates more than 9,000 undergraduate, graduate and law students. Tim Snyder, president of LMU, says Viviano’s sterling guidance as Chair of LMU’s Board of Trustees emboldens the university and enacts LMU’s mission. “His leadership ensures that we attain our goals and stay true to our values and faith tradition. Paul is a pillar of our community, and this honor speaks to his impactful lifelong work and his dedication to creating a better human future,” Snyder says.
Viviano is a graduate of University of California, Santa Barbara. He earned a master’s degree in public administration-public health at the University of California, Los Angeles. He was recognized in 2016 as the Leader of Today Honoree by the Health Policy and Management Alumni Association of the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health. Also, in 2016 Viviano was honored with the Leadership in Healthcare Award by National Medical Fellowships for his work in healthcare diversity. In 2017 he was awarded the Healthcare Champion of the Year by the Los Angeles County Medical Association. In 2019, he was honored as Healthcare Executive of Year for a Medical Center/Hospital by the Los Angeles Business Journal.
This year’s event recognizes the Archdiocese’s 30th year celebrating Angeleno lay leaders for their contributions to the community. Proceeds from the 2020 awards dinner will support three preschools in the San Pedro, San Gabriel and Our Lady of Angeles pastoral regions.
About Children’s Hospital Los Angeles
Founded in 1901, Children's Hospital Los Angeles is ranked the top children’s hospital in California and fifth in the nation for clinical excellence with its selection to the prestigious U.S. News & World Report Honor Roll of children’s hospitals. Clinical care is led by physicians who are faculty members of the Keck School of Medicine of USC through an affiliation dating from 1932. The hospital also leads the largest pediatric residency training program at a freestanding children’s hospital of its kind in the western United States. The Saban Research Institute of Children’s Hospital Los Angeles encompasses basic, translational and clinical research. To learn more, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter, and visit our blog for families (CHLA.org/blog) and our research blog (ResearCHLABlog.org).
Media Contact: Marlen Bugarin (323) 361-5567
