Leadership Team

John R. Nickens IV

President and Chief Executive Officer, Phoenix Children’s

John R. Nickens IV is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Phoenix Children’s, one of the Southwest’s top-ranked pediatric health systems by U.S. News and World Report.

Nickens joined the health system in 2025, bringing more than 30 years of leadership experience in healthcare, including extensive work in pediatric health systems, academic medicine and large-scale operations. He previously served as Corporate President of Hospitals and CEO of University Medical Center for LCMC Health, a large regional health system based in New Orleans. Before that, Nickens was President and CEO of Manning Family Children’s, where he led a significant financial turnaround, a major campus modernization and the hospital’s first recognition by U.S. News & World Report. He also held leadership roles at Texas Children’s and Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.

Throughout his career, Nickens has been known for building strong teams, improving quality and safety outcomes and expanding access to care for children and families. He motivates and leads teams with a clear vision to transform the health of a generation. His commitment to patient and family centered care is in perfect harmony with Phoenix Children’s mission to advance hope, healing and the best healthcare for children and their families.

Nickens is dedicated to strengthening Phoenix Children’s reputation as a leader in research and medical education, bringing meaningful treatments to the health system’s patients and training the next generation of clinicians.

He holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Management from LeTourneau University and a Master of Business Administration from Texas Tech University.

Justin Bradshaw, FACHE

Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer

As Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at Phoenix Children’s, Justin Bradshaw plays an integral role in ensuring consistent, high-quality, integrated care throughout the health system’s more than 50 sites of service. He is responsible for unifying critical areas of operations including nursing, ancillary services, support services, supply chain and facilities. In addition, he aims to improve operational efficiencies as the health system continues to open new clinical locations, allowing families to receive care closer to home.

When Bradshaw joined Phoenix Children’s in 2024, he brought more than two decades of diverse leadership experience from some of the nation’s best children’s hospitals, as well as large, integrated adult health systems and academic medical centers. He employs a systems-based approach to healthcare delivery, having established and expanded complex patient care programs, such as solid organ transplant, to multiple sites of service.

Previously, Bradshaw served as operations officer at Intermountain Medical Center (IMC) in Utah, the largest hospital in the Intermountain West, with nearly 5,000 employees and $1.3 billion in annual revenue. There, he oversaw strategic growth and quality initiatives, resulting in improved quality ratings and expansion of IMC’s centers of excellence. He also served in operations leadership roles at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, where he integrated patient-centered practices that streamlined operations, enhanced efficiency and improved patient satisfaction.

His considerable experience in pediatric healthcare includes five years at Children’s Nebraska as vice president, clinical and ancillary services, in addition to an administrative residency at Nationwide Children’s Hospital and an administrative fellowship at Stanford Children’s Health.

Bradshaw earned his bachelor’s degree in business management from Southern Utah University and his master’s in health administration from The Ohio State University. He is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives.

Michelle Bruhn 

Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

Michelle Bruhn serves as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at Phoenix Children’s, one of the nation’s largest and fastest-growing pediatric healthcare systems. Bruhn is a seasoned financial executive with more than three decades of experience in healthcare finance and accounting. 

As CFO at Phoenix Children’s, Bruhn leads financial strategy and operations, investments and asset management. Her team’s broad financial initiatives across the health system support Phoenix Children’s continued expansion of clinical programs and sites of service. 

Prior to joining Phoenix Children’s in 2023, Bruhn had a 24-year career at Sanford Health, one of the largest healthcare systems in the country, culminating in the role of EVP, CFO and Treasurer. She oversaw the $7 billion health system’s annual revenue growth, investment policy and $2.4 billion portfolio, audits and filings, and interactions with rating agencies. Bruhn also led a restructuring of Sanford Health’s debt, resulting in $68 million savings of interest expense. 

Her financial experience spans various healthcare sectors including ambulatory, acute and post-acute operations, health plans and clinical research.

Bruhn holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting and business administration from the University of South Dakota. She is a certified public accountant and an active member of various industry associations, including the Healthcare Financial Management Association.

Steve Schnall

Executive Vice President and Chief Development Officer, Foundation

Steven Schnall has served Phoenix Children's Hospital since 1983. In his current role as Senior Vice President and Chief Development Officer of Phoenix Children's Hospital Foundation, Steve provides strategic leadership for all aspects of philanthropy for the Hospital. Under his direction, the Foundation has led numerous successful campaigns that supported development of Phoenix Children's. A 5-year, $250M funding initiative has been focused on building a world-class children's hospital.

Steve's prior roles at Phoenix Children's included Vice President, Business Development and Outreach where his responsibilities included strategic planning, marketing and public relations, community relations, physician relations and grants. He has also served as Vice President, Ambulatory Services and additional administrative posts for the hospital.

Steve is a graduate of Arizona State University where he received a BA in Psychology. He received his MA in Organizational Management from University of Phoenix.

Carol Klimas

Senior Vice President and Chief of Staff

As Senior Vice President and Chief of Staff, Carol Klimas serves as a trusted advisor to the President and CEO and a key partner to the executive leadership team. In this role, Carol helps translate organizational vision into action by driving enterprise-wide alignment, advancing strategic priorities and supporting a high-performing, high-trust leadership culture across the health system.

With more than 25 years of experience in strategic planning, marketing and communications, Carol brings a business-minded approach to complex challenges. She’s known for her ability to foster alignment across leaders to ensure coordinated, effective decision making.

Since joining Phoenix Children’s in 2020, Carol has held several leadership positions, including Vice President of Marketing and Communications, where she led national reputation strategy efforts and partnered with experts throughout the organization to strengthen external communications. She also mentored and managed a high-performing team, helping to amplify Phoenix Children’s brand and support its growth as a top-ranked health system in the West.

She holds a bachelor’s degree in public relations from the University of Central Missouri.

Chad Johnson

Senior Vice President, PCCN & PCMG Operations

In his role as Senior Vice President of Phoenix Children’s Care Network (PCCN) and Phoenix Children’s Medical Group (PCMG) Operations, Chad Johnson provides executive leadership for the physician enterprise and oversees administrative operations for PCMG. He partners closely with physician leaders and health system operations to align clinical priorities with administrative functions and streamline access to care across Phoenix Children’s pediatric care continuum.

Johnson has been a key part of Phoenix Children’s since 2015 and has helped grow PCCN into a strong, clinically integrated network. As Phoenix Children’s continues growing into a fully integrated, patient-centered health system, his work focuses on strengthening coordination across the medical group, community and all of Arizona while improving operational consistency and supporting a more seamless experience for patients and families as they navigate care.

Prior to joining Phoenix Children’s, Johnson served as Chief Executive Officer of Children’s Physician Network at Children’s Minnesota. He earned a bachelor’s degree in biology and education from Concordia College. 

Brian Meyer

Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer

In his role as Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer, Brian Meyer leads Phoenix Children’s technology strategy and operations across clinical systems, business systems, infrastructure, cybersecurity, data analytics and integration. Meyer joined Phoenix Children’s in 2010 as director of business systems and was promoted to vice president of information technology in 2013. He has served as Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer since 2018, providing continuity and executive alignment across the health system’s technology landscape.

With more than 20 years of experience in healthcare IT, Meyer brings deep expertise in business process improvement, IT strategy, governance and large-scale implementations. He is dedicated to advancing technology that improves outcomes, enhances the patient and family experience, and empowers clinicians with tools to deliver safer, more effective care.

Meyer earned his bachelor's degree in information systems from the University of Cincinnati.
 

Blake Bulloch, MD, MBA

Chief Medical Officer, Phoenix Children's

In his role as Chief Medical Officer, Blake Bulloch, MD, MBA, fosters Phoenix Children’s longstanding legacy of continuous improvement in patient care and outcomes. Dr. Bulloch joined the health system in 2002 and was later appointed division chief of emergency medicine, overseeing care delivery at Phoenix Children’s Hospital – Thomas Campus, home to Arizona’s only Level I pediatric trauma center. During his time as division chief, he oversaw the expansion of emergency medicine services to additional locations, including the Phoenix Children’s – Avondale Campus emergency department, which opened in 2023. He has also held key leadership roles including president and vice president of the medical staff and chairing the Phoenix Children’s Medical Group Governance Council.

As a practicing pediatric emergency medicine physician and administrative leader, Dr. Bulloch is passionate about delivering safe, evidence-based care tailored to the unique needs of children and families. His leadership is rooted in compassion, innovation and continuous improvement to advance quality care, support clinical teams and strengthen the health of Arizona’s youngest residents.

Dr. Bulloch is active with the Children’s Hospital Association, the American College of Emergency Physicians and the American Academy of Pediatrics. He earned his medical degree from the University of Manitoba, completed residency and served as chief resident at Winnipeg Children’s and holds an MBA from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

Jason Fraser, MD

Interim Surgeon in Chief

Jason D. Fraser, MD, serves as Interim Surgeon in Chief at Phoenix Children’s, where he oversees the health system's services across all surgical divisions, including General Surgery, ENT, Urology, and Orthopedics. As Division Chief of Pediatric Surgery, he provides strategic direction and administrative leadership for neonatal, pediatric, and trauma surgery across the expanding health system. Dr. Fraser also leads the Safe Surgery Initiative in collaboration with perioperative leaders, aiming for zero procedural-related serious safety events. He is recognized for his clinical expertise, commitment to safety, and forward-thinking leadership, ensuring high-quality, family-centered care and advancing the academic mission through his professorships at the University of Arizona College of Medicine — Phoenix, Mayo Clinic in Arizona, and Creighton University School of Medicine — Phoenix.

With over a decade of experience as a practicing surgeon, Dr. Fraser is a prolific researcher and thought leader, having published more than 120 peer-reviewed journal articles and delivered nearly 100 professional presentations. He also serves on editorial and scientific review boards for numerous pediatric and surgical journals and holds leadership roles within the International Pediatric Endosurgery Group. Prior to Phoenix Children’s, Dr. Fraser held multiple leadership capacities at Children’s Mercy in Kansas City, Missouri, including medical director of the Opioid Stewardship Program and director of the Pediatric Surgery Fellowship Program. He earned his medical degree from Creighton University School of Medicine, completed his general surgery residency at Mayo Clinic in Arizona, and fellowships at Children’s Mercy.

Stewart Goldman, MD

Senior Vice President of Research and Chair of the Department of Child Health

Stewart Goldman, MD, is an internationally renowned pediatric oncologist and physician-researcher whose appointment with Phoenix Children’s and the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix brings a new level of rigor, excellence and inquiry to research, education and clinical programs.

As the Senior Vice President of Research, Dr. Goldman is tasked with continuing to grow a robust research and education enterprise in one of the fastest-growing markets in the country and recruiting the nation’s top talent. He oversees a research program that consists of 700 studies, 640 research investigators and 90 research staff members.

In his role leading the Department of Child Health at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix, Dr. Goldman and his team focus on translational research across all aspects of children and family health to innovate clinical care, advance new therapies for common and rare childhood diseases, and to improve the emotional, educational and cognitive well-being of children.

Dr. Goldman joined Phoenix Children’s after an illustrious 23-year tenure at Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago and Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, where he served as the Division Head of Hematology-Oncology, Neuro-Oncology and Stem Cell Transplantation and as a professor of Pediatrics.

An accomplished leader in brain tumor research, Dr. Goldman’s contributions to the medical and scientific communities are significant. He’s published more than 150 articles in peer-reviewed journals, has held numerous leadership positions and has been the recipient of dozens of awards acknowledging his tireless work and research, including most recently Loyola University’s Stritch School of Medicine Alumni of the Year for Excellence in Research and Innovation.

Dr. Goldman earned his medical degree from Loyola University Stitch School of Medicine and completed his internship, residency and fellowship at the University of Chicago Hospitals.

Ashish Patel, MD

Physician in Chief

As Physician in Chief for Phoenix Children’s, Ashish Patel, MD, provides clinical and administrative leadership for key health system operations including emergency and diagnostic medicine, the Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders, the aerodigestive clinic and medical subspecialties. In addition, he oversees hospital medicine, mental and behavioral health, and Phoenix Children’s Pediatrics. He is also a practicing pediatric gastroenterologist.

Dr. Patel joined Phoenix Children’s in 2020 as division chief of gastroenterology, hepatology and nutrition. During his time as division chief, he grew the division to 25 physicians plus 55 specialists, dietitians, nurses and medical assistants who deliver care throughout the healthcare system. Dr. Patel is committed to training the next generation of physicians and was instrumental launching a pediatric gastroenterology fellowship program, accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). This program was the first at Phoenix Children’s and the first in Arizona.

Dr. Patel received his medical degree from Texas A&M University Health Science Center. He completed his pediatric residency at Texas A&M Health where he also served as chief resident, followed by a fellowship in pediatric gastroenterology at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center.