News Release

Phoenix Children’s Hospital is proud to report President and Chief Executive Officer, Robert L. “Bob” Meyer, was recognized as the Phoenix Business Journal’s Lifetime Achievement Award recipient during the publication’s 2019 C-Suite Awards event on November 7.

Meyer’s contributions to pediatric health care in the Southwest are immense. He has grown Phoenix Children’s from a hospital on the brink of bankruptcy to a health care network ranked among the nation’s finest pediatric systems, as recognized by third-party quality reporting organizations including U.S. News and World Report, The Leapfrog Group and the Society of Thoracic Surgeons.

“Bob is someone who never settles for ‘great,’ said Carmen Neuberger, Executive Vice President and General Counsel at Phoenix Children’s. “He sets his sights on being the first, being the best and once he gets there, he continues pushing forward. This award is so well-deserved.”

Meyer’s vision is a driving force behind Phoenix Children’s countless local, regional and national recognitions, ever-growing innovations in research and incredible medical breakthroughs.

During his tenure, Phoenix Children’s has been named a “Best Children’s Hospital” by U.S. News & World Report for nine consecutive years, and is the only hospital in Arizona to achieve this designation. Moreover, Phoenix Children’s has received top rankings in 10 out of 10 specialties surveyed by U.S. News – one of only 24 hospitals in 2019-2020 to be ranked in all 10.

Today, Phoenix Children’s oversees 32 facilities and partners with major health organizations like The Mayo Clinic, Dignity Health, Barrow Neurological Institute and TGen.

Bob’s cultural approach to leadership promotes a spirit of innovation, acceptance and curiosity, where staff are empowered and celebrated for their efforts in annual events like Quality Day and Research Day. 

“Phoenix Children’s is one of the younger children’s hospitals in the country,” said Jared Muenzer, MD, Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at Phoenix Children’s Medical Group. “And despite our young age, the organization is doing tremendous things in research, safety and quality innovation. Bob has set us up to thrive, compared to even the longest-standing children’s hospitals in the country, and that’s an incredible feat.”

Beyond his work leading the health system, Meyer’s community involvement focuses on a holistic health care model that serves Arizona families. His extracurricular list is extensive. From the Governor’s Committee on Arizona Medical Education, to the Ronald McDonald Capital Campaign Cabinet, the Arizona Biomedical Collaboration Board, the Arizona Hospital and Healthcare Council on Government Relations as well as the Greater Phoenix Leadership, Inc., where he sits on the Board of Directors, Meyer is community-centered and committed to bettering pediatric healthcare in Arizona and across the nation.

About Phoenix Children’s

Phoenix Children’s Hospital is Arizona’s only children’s hospital recognized by U.S. News & World Report’s Best Children’s Hospitals. For 35 years Phoenix Children's has provided world-class inpatient, outpatient, trauma, emergency and urgent care to children and families in Arizona and throughout the Southwest. As one of the largest children’s hospitals in the country, Phoenix Children’s delivers care across more than 75 pediatric specialties. Recognized specifically for its patient-focused innovation, medical education, growth and research, Phoenix Children’s was named Business of the Year and Exceptional Innovator by the Greater Phoenix Chamber in 2018. For more information about the hospital, visit http://www.phoenixchildrens.org.