Betsy Biern, MBA
Senior Vice President & Chief Development Officer

Betsy Biern joined Children's Hospital in 2012. She brings an extensive background in strategic, managerial, and fundraising leadership to her role as Senior Vice President and Chief Development Officer of Children's Hospital Foundation.

Betsy comes to Children's from the American Asthma Foundation, where she served as the Executive Director. Prior to The American Asthma Foundation, Betsy was Vice President for Development at The Brookings Institution. Preceding The Brookings Institution, she was Regional Vice President with Community Counselling Service Co., LLC (CCS), an international fundraising consulting and management firm. While at CCS, her client work included conducting planning studies and assessments, and designing and managing campaigns for clients in the healthcare, higher education, association, cultural, and global health arenas.

Betsy served as Director of Development for the University of Virginia's Children's Medical Center and sits on the Phillips Academy Annual Giving Board as Co-chair. Betsy holds a BA from Mount Holyoke College and an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

Kathleen Cain, MBA
Chief Financial Officer

Kathleen Cain joined Children's Hospital Oakland in 2012. Kathleen has more than 20 years of experience in healthcare accounting and finance, including financial leadership positions in public and private hospitals, and healthcare organizations. In California, Kathleen served as Chief Financial Officer at Saint Agnes Medical Center, Fresno; Eden Medical Center, Castro Valley; and Community Hospital of Sonoma County, Santa Rosa. She served for 6 years as the Regional Chief Financial Officer responsible for three public hospitals in Hawaii.

Kathleen previously held the positions of: Assistant Director Finance, French Hospital Health Plan, San Francisco; Corporate Director Financial Planning, Children’s Hospital & Health Plan, San Francisco; and Controller, San Francisco General Hospital. As a consultant, she has served as Interim Chief Financial Officer for a variety of healthcare institutions.

Kathleen is actively involved in the California Division of the American Cancer Society, currently serving as the Division’s Secretary/Treasurer. She received both a Master of Healthcare Administration from The Ohio State University and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Indiana University.

Cynthia Chiarappa, MBA
Vice President, Strategy

Cynthia Chiarappa joined Children’s Hospital in 2010. She has over 25 years of communications and marketing experience, most recently at California Pacific Medical Center, where during her 14 year tenure she developed the strategy for the medical center's communications and marketing efforts. She was responsible for regional marketing, community relations, media relations, internal and crisis communications. She also led California Pacific’s strategic branding efforts and played an integral role in ensuring that internal and external communications were consistent with the organization’s ability to deliver on its promises.

Prior to joining California Pacific, Cynthia was Director of Marketing at LensCrafters in Cincinnati, Ohio and at Vision Service Plan in Sacramento, California. Cynthia has a Master of Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing and lectures on health care communications and marketing, most recently for the Tuscan health region in Pisa, Italy.

Richard DeCarlo, RN, BSN, MBA
Executive Vice President & Chief of Hospital Operations

Richard DeCarlo joined Children’s in 2010 as Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. Richard is responsible for Children’s operations including inpatient and outpatient services, as well as support services, Human Resources, Hospital Information Services, and Facilities at the hospital and satellite locations

Richard has significant experience in hospital operations, physician development, ambulatory services and business development. He joins Children’s from Miller Children’s Hospital in Long Beach where he was Chief Operating Officer. At Miller, he oversaw 2,500 employees and was responsible for clinical operations as well as shared services across the two-hospital campus including Imaging, Pathology, Emergency Services and Facilities Management.

Richard also brings extensive experience in the areas of quality, financial management and patient and family-centered care initiatives. As the project executive for the Miller Children’s Hospital Pavilion and Expansion project, Richard managed a $200 million construction project that involved the construction of a new inpatient, four-story tower, 120,000 square foot addition.

Carolyn G. Dossa, CPMSM, MBPA
Vice President, Institutional Quality & Family Support Services

Carolyn Dossa joined Children’s Hospital in 2007. She has many years of healthcare experience. In her 19 years at John Muir, Carolyn’s responsibilities included medical staff services, including the CME and Investigational Review committees, and hospital-wide accreditation and regulatory compliance. In prior positions at Mt. Diablo Medical Center she was also responsible for medical records, physician services, the Family Practice Residency Program and physician referral. 

During her 5 years with the California Medical Association Carolyn was responsible for the Consolidated Accreditation and Licensure Survey process, as well as the peer review and quality consultation programs.  

Carolyn holds a BA in community services/health education from California State University, Chico, and an MBPA from John F. Kennedy University in Orinda, Calif. She is also a certified professional in medical services management.

Carolyn has been a speaker at many conferences about accreditation. She is a member of the National Association Medical Staff Services, the California Association of Medical Staff Services, and was previously a member of Women Health Care Executives.

Jacquelyn Garman, Esq.
Vice President, General Counsel

Jacquelyn Garmen was named Vice President and General Counsel at Children's Hospital in 2006. She was formerly a partner with Hanson Bridgett Marcus Vlahos & Rudy, LLP, where she specialized in litigation on behalf of healthcare clients. She received her JD at Stanford Law School, after receiving her BA and MA at Washington State University.

James H. Hanson, MD
Vice President, Medical Affairs

James H. Hanson, MD, rejoined Children’s in 2011 as the Vice President of Medical Affairs. Dr. Hanson served Children's for more than 20 years, first as a pediatric intensivist and eventually as Director of Pediatric Intensive Care. Between 2009 and 2011, Jim was Director of the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit and Transport at Kaiser Hospital Oakland

Dr. Hanson has focused his career on improving outcomes in pediatric critical care. He has worked with the California Emergency Medical Services for Children to improve medical transport and stabilization care standards. He is the Assistant Medical Director of REACH Air Ambulance and has authored protocols that improve emergency care given to children sustaining trauma.

Dr. Hanson is a Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics, a member in the Society of Critical Care Medicine, and a member of PALISI (Pediatric Acute Lung Injury and Sepsis Investigators). He has published and lectured widely on pediatric respiratory management, advanced life support, and emergency medical services. Dr. Hanson instructs courses in pediatric advanced life support and is a clinical professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of California, San Francisco.

Dr. Hanson received his medical degree at Kansas University Medical Center, and fulfilled his pediatric intensive care fellowship at Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Washington, DC, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA and Children's Hospital & Research Center Oakland, Oakland, CA.

Konard Jones
Vice President, Professional & Support Services

Konard Jones joined Children's in 2011. He has a broad background in Human Resources spanning over 28 years in healthcare and health-related fields. He has served as Vice President of Human Resources at Northbay Healthcare System, and most recently served as President and CEO of Broadline Medical Inc. Konard has bachelors degrees in Business Management and Psychology from Grambling State University.

Rajnesh (Raj) Prasad, MBA
Vice President, Research Operations
Children's Hospital Oakland Research Institute

Rajnesh (Raj) Prasad returned to Children’s Hospital in 2011 as Vice President of Research Operations at Children’s Hospital Oakland Research Institute. Raj serves as a key partner to senior leadership assisting with CHORI’s strategic initiatives, as well as overseeing critical research operations such as finance, laboratory, and core facilities.

Raj brings his experience managing over 36 million dollars in grant funding, 15 years of financial management experience, and 10 years of grants management experience. During his previous tenure of 10 years, he held a variety of roles within Children’s, serving the General Accounting Department, the Center for the Vulnerable Child (CVC), and Children's Research Institute.

Raj's most recent appointment was with California State University, East Bay, in the capacity of the Director for the Office of Research & Sponsored Programs.

Raj holds a MBA specializing in accounting and financial management and a BS in Chemistry from California State University, East Bay.

Donald Livsey, MBA
Vice President & Chief Information Officer

Don Livsey began his 25-year healthcare career as a medical technologist at Brigham and Women's hospital. After receiving his MBA from the University of California, Irvine, in 1987, Don moved to healthcare information technology. He has previously held positions with Transitions Systems Inc., Huntington Memorial Hospital, St. Joseph Health System and Children's Hospital of Orange County.

Don has been managing telecommunication support services and the information systems department at Children's Hospital & Research Center Oakland since 2000. At Children's he helped put in place a computerized physician medication order entry system that helped Children's earn a 2002 Most Wired Hospital award and a 2003 inclusion in CIO magazine's list of the 100 most resourceful companies. Don also helped Children's select and implement a digital diagnostic imaging system that will be accessible institution-wide.

Janet King, PhD
Interim Executive Director, Children's Hospital Oakland Research Institute

Dr. King is a Senior Vice-President, Research, at Children’s Hospital and Research Center Oakland, and Executive Director of Children’s Hospital Oakland Research Institute (CHORI). She also is a Professor of Nutrition at the University of California, Berkeley and Davis. Dr. King was elected into the National Academy of Sciences, Institute of Medicine in 1994, and in 2007, she was inducted into the USDA Research Hall of Fame.

She has been involved in implementing national and international nutrition policy throughout her career. She chaired the 2005 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee for the USA and the Food and Nutrition Board for the Institute of Medicine. Dr. King is internationally recognized for her research in maternal nutrition and human zinc requirements. She has published over 250 papers and trained over 65 graduate students and post-doctoral fellows.

Prior to coming to CHORI, Dr. King directed the USDA Western Human Nutrition Research Center at the University of California, Davis (1995-2002) and chaired the Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of California, Berkeley (1988-1994).

Nancy Shibata, RN, MSN
Vice President, Patient Care Services & Chief Nursing Officer

Nancy Shiabata has been a member of the Children's Hospital staff since 1979. She has served in a variety of roles, including Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) Staff Nurse, PICU Assistant Head Nurse, PICU Manager, Nursing Supervisor, Director of Ambulatory Care, Director of Critical Care Services, Director of Nursing, and was named Vice President of Nursing in 2003. In her current role, Nancy directs operational, financial, quality and strategic activities for the Nursing Division including inpatient, surgical, and ambulatory areas.

Patricia (Patti) Taggart, MBA,
Vice President, Ambulatory Services & Chief Administrative Officer, Bay Children’s Physicians

Patti Taggart joined Children’s staff in January 2010.  She previously worked at Children’s from 1983 to 2003, as Manager of Pediatric Rehabilitation and Director of several subspecialty divisions. From 2003 to 2009, Patti was Director of Ambulatory Services at the University of California, San Francisco, Medical Center.

Patti is now responsible for managing Children’s specialty care network, as well as all outpatient services and Bay Children’s Physicians.