Dr. Christopher Longhurst will become CEO of Seattle Children’s Hospital on January 5, ending a yearlong search for Dr. Jeff Sperring’s successor.
Longhurst is founder and executive director of the Joan & Irwin Jacobs Center for Health Innovation at UC San Diego Health, where he secured philanthropic funding to establish a mission control center deploying artificial intelligence tools to improve patient access and safety.
“Choosing a CEO is one of the board’s most important responsibilities,” said Kurt Shintaffer, chair of the Seattle Children’s Hospital Board of Trustees. “Dr. Longhurst’s unique ability to merge clinical operations, research and digital strategy, while enhancing patient safety and quality, makes him the right leader to guide Seattle Children’s into the future.”
Sperring announced plans to step down in August and will remain with the hospital in an advisory role through September 2026.
Longhurst serves as associate dean at UC San Diego School of Medicine, overseeing education and research in clinical environments. His research on care quality, patient safety, and health informatics has been published in journals including the New England Journal of Medicine, JAMA, and Pediatrics.
“His visionary leadership, deep clinical expertise, commitment to health equity and proven record of innovation will strengthen Seattle Children’s mission to serve children and families across the region and beyond,” Shintaffer said.
Earlier in his career, Longhurst served as chief medical information officer at Stanford Children’s Health, where he founded the nation’s first accredited clinical informatics fellowship and led strategic efforts to improve pediatric care through technology.
“Seattle Children’s has an extraordinary legacy of care, research and advocacy for kids and families, and it will be a true honor to serve and lead this world-class team to advance Children’s mission,” Longhurst said. “As a pediatrician, I understand the important role children’s hospitals play in our future health and look forward to learning from our teams and leveraging my own skills and experiences to build upon the 118-year legacy of helping every child live the healthiest life possible.”
During Sperring’s 10-year tenure, the healthcare system’s National Institute of Health funding increased by 200%, its real estate footprint grew by 88%, and full-time staff increased by 80%. Seattle Children’s annual revenue has grown from $1.28 billion to $2.55 billion since Sperring joined in 2015.
Sperring called Longhurst’s hiring an “exciting day for Seattle Children’s.” “We are incredibly fortunate to add Chris’ deep commitment to our mission and his experience as a leader in delivering exceptional outcomes through clinical excellence, scientific discovery and innovation,” Sperring said. “His talent and dedication to improving children’s health will further enable Children’s to expand and accelerate our impact for more children and families across all our communities.”
