Rick W. Merrill

President and Chief Executive Officer

Cook Children’s Health Care System

As president and CEO of Cook Children’s Health Care System since 2007, Rick Merrill has led the Fort Worth-based organization at a time of unprecedented growth, including the historic expansion of Cook Children’s Medical Center, which nearly tripled the size of its campus in response to the growing need for its services. Under Rick’s leadership, Cook Children’s began a new era by streamlining its mission and vision into a Promise to improve the health of every child in the region through the prevention and treatment of illness, disease and injury.

As a not-for-profit, nationally-recognized and integrated pediatric healthcare organization, Cook Children’s is comprised of eight entities – a Medical Center, Physician Network, Home Health company, Northeast Hospital, Pediatric Surgery Center, Health Plan, Health Services, Inc., and Health Foundation. With more than 1.5 million patient encounters per year, Cook Children’s growing reputation draws patients from near and far.

For more than thirty years, Rick has served in leadership roles in large academic/university-based health care systems, including both for-profit and not-for profit health care facilities, and he actively serves on numerous national, state and community advisory boards.

Married for more than 30 years, Rick and his wife have two daughters.