Spotlight On: Ketrese White, President, Texas Children’s Hospital West Campus & Texas Children’s Hospital The Woodlands
Key points:
- • Texas Children’s is expanding pediatric care in Houston’s fast-growing Katy and Woodlands areas.
- • Workforce recruitment and retention remain key constraints on the system’s growth.
- • Master plans call for more ambulatory and surgical capacity at both campuses.
November 2026 — Invest: spoke with Ketrese White, president of Texas Children’s Hospital West Campus and Texas Children’s Hospital The Woodlands, about expanding pediatric services across Greater Houston’s rapidly growing suburban communities, strengthening the healthcare workforce, and using technology to improve care delivery. “Solving what previously seemed unsolvable is something we are proud to pursue as we position the organization for the future,” White said.
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What have been some key achievements from the past year, and how are they shaping your vision for future growth?
I serve as president of Texas Children’s hospitals outside the Texas Medical Center, with responsibility for our Woodlands campus in the north region and our West Campus in the Katy area. I also oversee several specialty care and therapy centers throughout Greater Houston.
The Houston metropolitan area continues to be one of the fastest-growing in the United States, increasing demand for hospitals, outpatient clinics, and physician practices. Healthcare has also been one of the region’s fastest-growing employment sectors. The Texas Medical Center is one of the world’s largest medical complexes, but we have been intentional about building healthcare capacity in Houston’s suburban areas. The Woodlands has developed into a significant medical corridor, and the west side has experienced similar growth.
We are proud that Texas Children’s placed these hospitals in some of the fastest-growing suburban markets to the north and west. We have seen rapid population growth during the past five years, and we expect it to continue over the next five to seven years. Our goal is to provide healthcare in families’ backyards so they do not have to drive 45 or 50 minutes for care. We will continue developing the subspecialties these communities demand.
How are you enhancing the patient and family experience while maintaining operational excellence across your campuses?
The patient is always at the center of a hospital’s work. We focus on delivering consistent, high-quality pediatric care closer to where families live while maintaining the standards of a leading academic children’s hospital.
Our key focus areas include quality and patient safety. We standardize clinical pathways across inpatient, outpatient, emergency, and ambulatory settings. We also monitor quality metrics such as readmissions, length of stay, emergency department wait times, and surgical-site infections, while maintaining a strong focus on patient satisfaction.
Along with the CEO of Texas Children’s, we emphasize the fundamentals of quality, safety, research, and innovation. We do not separate research from the care we provide. We integrate it into community-based care by enrolling patients in clinical trials, expanding precision medicine, and supporting translational research.
Operational excellence means improving access, efficiency, and reliability while maintaining our commitment to quality. It also involves expanding where care is needed, delivering the right care in the right setting, reducing avoidable hospitalizations, and increasing access to specialty services.
Which emerging technologies or care models will have the greatest impact on improving outcomes over the next several years?
When artificial intelligence initially began receiving attention in healthcare, it created some uncertainty and fear. We are now embracing it and using real-world clinical data to improve outcomes. We are leveraging AI to become more efficient, so our clinicians and physicians can concentrate on patients and clinical practice.
One area where we are using AI is transcription. This reduces the significant amount of time clinical teams spend on documentation. AI is helping us reimagine how clinicians and physicians use their time, keeping their focus on patients instead of administrative requirements.
We are also committed to research and innovation that translate discoveries into clinical practice. Solving what previously seemed unsolvable is something we are proud to pursue as we position the organization for the future. AI is not something people should fear. It can make us more effective and help advance research and medical discoveries more quickly.
What strategies are proving most effective in attracting, developing, and retaining the clinicians and staff needed to support growth?
Workforce challenges affect every industry. For a pediatric academic health system such as Texas Children’s, the workforce will always be one of our most important strategic priorities. As demand grows in Katy and The Woodlands, our ability to recruit, retain, and develop talented clinicians and staff can be the limiting factor in expansion.
We are focused on retaining pediatric specialists, nurses, therapists, and other health professionals. That includes creating pathways through expanded education and certifications. Nursing shortages remain a challenge, and recruitment is only part of the solution. Retaining experienced nurses is equally important, so we pay close attention to turnover and professional development.
We are building partnerships with schools to introduce students to healthcare career possibilities early. We also work with community colleges and universities to establish a stronger workforce pipeline. We have to start earlier and let individuals learn about all of the different opportunities and careers within healthcare. Through volunteering, tours, and conversations with our experts, students can explore clinical and nonclinical roles.
Burnout and well-being are also major considerations. Healthcare workers face emotional stress and high patient volumes, so we are investing in employee well-being, mental health resources, and flexible scheduling. Some pediatric specialties are particularly difficult to recruit for, which requires creative strategies and proactive workforce planning. Our workforce must scale with community growth.
How is Texas Children’s collaborating with schools, nonprofits, and local organizations to address the broader needs of children and families?
Collaboration with schools, colleges, and community organizations is an important strategy for improving child health, strengthening the workforce pipeline, and increasing access to care, particularly in rapidly growing communities such as Katy and The Woodlands.
We have strong partnerships with local school districts and provide school-based health education covering nutrition, mental health, injury prevention, and chronic disease management. We offer asthma, diabetes, and epilepsy education for school nurses. We also have sports medicine partnerships that support student-athletes and concussion management programs, along with mental health screening and referral pathways.
Texas Children’s Pediatrics focuses on immunizations and wellness outreach. Katy ISD and Conroe ISD are among the largest and fastest-growing districts in Texas, which reflects why we were intentional about locating our suburban hospitals in these communities. These partnerships allow us to connect with large populations of children and families through preventive health and educational programs.
Our collaborations with colleges and universities support workforce development, research, and innovation. We offer clinical rotations for nursing, pharmacy and allied health students, as well as residency and fellowship training through our academic partnership with Baylor. We also provide student internships in quality improvement and public health.
Community engagement strengthens trust, improves health outcomes, and helps address barriers to care. Health fairs, wellness events, mobile clinics, and community screenings demonstrate the importance of listening to and working with the community. My service with the West Houston Chamber and The Woodlands Area Chamber of Commerce has also helped create connections and increase understanding of the collective impact we can make through healthcare.
What opportunities do you see for Texas Children’s to strengthen its role, and what are your priorities for the coming years?
Houston continues to experience population and employment growth, and one of our primary strategic priorities will be responding to the shift toward outpatient care. We are evaluating how to expand ambulatory care across our locations and keep pace with rising demand for primary and specialty services.
We are also focused on the growing awareness and diagnosis of developmental, behavioral, and mental health conditions among children. Other priorities include advancing pediatric precision medicine, enhancing telehealth, and virtual pediatric care, expanding remote monitoring for chronic conditions, and finding additional applications for AI.
Quality, safety, and operational excellence will remain central to our strategy. We will continue building referral relationships with pediatricians and family medicine practices, strengthening community partnerships, and expanding access to specialty care within neighborhoods.
Our master plans for The Woodlands and West Campus include increasing ambulatory and surgical care capacity and expanding our physical footprint. These investments will better position us to align with the growth we expect across Greater Houston during the next five to 10 years.
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